Axar Patel has held his nerve within the remaining over to assist India beat Sri Lanka by two runs within the first of three T20 internationals.
Patel restricted Sri Lanka, who wanted 13 runs off the ultimate over, to 10 with the vacationers dismissed off the ultimate ball for 160.
This was after Patel had scored 31 not out off 20 balls to assist India attain 5-162 of their 20 overs.
Put in to bat on Tuesday, India struggled to get begin. Opener Shubman Gill (7), vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav (7) and Sanju Samson (5) had been dismissed cheaply.
India had been to 3-46 in 6.5 overs earlier than skipper Hardik Pandya steadied the ship with 29 off 27 balls. He placed on 31 runs for the fifth wicket with Ishan Kishan (37).
The duo had been dismissed by the fifteenth over with India positioned at 94-5.
Deepak Hooda then struck 41 not out off 23 balls, together with 4 sixes. With Patel he placed on 68 runs off 31 balls for the sixth wicket as India made good use of the dying overs.
Sri Lanka had been on the again foot as debutant pacer Shivam Mavi (4-22) struck twice early on. He bowled Pathum Nissanka (1) and had Dhananjaya de Silva (8) caught.
Dasun Shanaka scored 45 off 27 balls to resurrect the innings with Wanindu Hasranga (21 off 10 balls) they turned the sport round earlier than Mavi returned to dismiss Hasranga within the seventeenth over.
Malik dismissed Shanaka within the 18th over and although Chamika Karunaratne hit 23 off 16 balls the duty was too nice.
“The team [being] in difficult situations will help us in bigger games,” Pandya, India’s new T20 skipper, mentioned after his first win on residence soil. “We, as a team, are quite good in bilateral (series), and that is how we will challenge ourselves,.”
The second T20 will likely be performed in Pune on Thursday.
