Former Sri Lanka all-rounder, Farveez Maharoof has lauded young spinner Wanindu Hasaranga for his all-round performance.
Hasaranga became the star for Sri Lanka in the first T20I yesterday where he picked up 1 wicket and troubled Indian batters.
Even the likes of Sanju Samson and skipper Hardik Pandya looked underconfident when they played against him.
Hasaranga gave away only 22 runs and even contributed well with the bat as he scored 21 from 10 balls.
India fought a hard battle to emerge victorious in the first T20I as the Lankan Lions were almost on the cusp of a victory.
Maharoof is happy with Hasaranga’s performance and says that he gave a lot of trouble to India and even experienced batters like Samson and Pandya didn’t look too confident.
Says Maharoof,
I don’t think most of the Indian players pick Hasaranga or are comfortable playing against him, unless he bowls a bad delivery. I don’t think players like Sanju Samson pick him. Even Hardik Pandya is not that confident to face him when it’s on a good length.
Adding further, Maharoof says,
I reckon Dasun Shanaka was very smart, the way he used Hasaranga. They did their homework very well.
Team India’s struggle and eventual win in the first T20I
During the middle phase of the innings, India was struggling at 94/5 before all-rounders Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel came into action.
Together, they stitched a partnership of 68 runs to take India’s total to 162/5 in 20 overs.
While the target was not a stiff one for Sri Lanka, the loss of wickets at regular intervals proved to be a mighty blow for them.
Debutant Shivam Mavi picked up 4 wickets along with Umran Malik and Harshal Patel who got 2 wickets apiece.
In the end, Axar Patel became the match hero for India when he successfully defended 12 runs from 6 balls.
Now, India will look to seal the series tomorrow at Pune and is already 1-0 up.
Follow Crickdom on Twitter for more.
