SL vs IND, 1st T20I: Axar Patel says, India never thought Sri Lanka was ahead despite Nissanka’s early burst

The 43-run win marked the beginning of Gautam Gambhir’s stint as Indian coach, while also being the first game under the permanent captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav.

India’s Axar Patel celebrates the wicket of Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera. | Photo Credit: PTI

It would be fair to say that India was in a spot of bother in the first T20I in Pallekele on Saturday after Sri Lanka raced to 140 for one in 14 overs in a 214-run chase, on the back of a fluent 48-ball 79 from opener Pathum Nissanka. 

But the home side’s hopes of pulling off its biggest T20I chase were quickly doused by Axar Patel, who dismissed Nissanka with a cleverly deceived arm ball. The left-arm spinner followed it up by nabbing Kusal Perera in the same over, precipitating a rapid collapse which saw Sri Lanka bowled out for 170. 

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Axar revealed that his side was confident of defending the total despite Nissanka’s early burst. 

“When we were batting, we knew that the wicket was good. And when we were bowling, the wicket got better and better [for bowling] because of the nighttime moisture and coolness. We knew we had a good score on board. We never thought they were ahead.” 

“They were going at 10 runs per over. But we all knew that the game was on as we knew it was not easy to hit the old ball. That was our idea. We always knew we were one wicket away from [causing] a collapse,” said Axar. 

The 43-run win marked the beginning of Gautam Gambhir’s stint as Indian coach, while also being the first game under the permanent captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav. But Axar suggested that the new leadership hasn’t tinkered much with the system. 

“I don’t think a lot has changed now. We keep saying in team meetings that new captains and coaches always come in, but the team is always here. There are at least 12-13 consistent players and it is they who have to get the job done. We have been told to keep playing the way we play. Obviously there is a change in thinking and input from the coach. But, the team atmosphere hasn’t changed much,” added the all-rounder. 

The foundation for India’s win on Saturday was laid by its top four, who all pitched in with significant knocks. Interestingly, it was Suryakumar who walked in at No.3, instead of Rishabh Pant, who was usually the one-down batter during the recent T20 World Cup. 

Axar chalked the batting-order decision down to the team’s desire to maintain a left-right batting combination in the middle. 

“The strategy is to maintain a left-right pair. We all know how difficult it is to bowl to such a combination. We have four lefties and four righties. When we have an option to avoid two left-handers or two right-handers batting together, why not do it? We also try to factor in the kind of bowlers the opponents have to decide the batting order,” said Axar.