Cuttack: Indian cricketers celebrate the dismissal of a Sri Lankan batsman during the T20 match at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Wednesday. (PTI Photo by Ashok Bhaumik)
22:36 Player of the Match: Yuzvendra Chahal
22:35 Indian captain Rohit Sharma, has said, "I said at the toss, it won't make much of difference because right from ball one there was dew. We expected it to be there for the whole 40 overs. Nothing changed. It wasn't easier to bat later on. It wasn't difficult to bat initially".
22:32 Sri Lankan captain Thisara Perera has said, "In these conditions, we wanted to bowl first, but India batted really well. And we have to give their bowlers credit, two spinners bowling really well in dewy conditions".
22:24 With 180 on board, India looked confident during the innings break. However, the defence was expected to be challenging for India due to the dew factor.
India made an early break through with Dickwella's wicket. But, it was not long before India's spinner — Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav — started spinning a web around the Sri Lankan batsmen.
Easy catches and stumpings led to the Lankan batting line-up to crumble. Between the 10th and the 14th over, Sri Lanka lost one wicket in every over, making their recovery impossible. Kuldeep and Chahal did all this in spite of the dew that made it difficult for them to grip the ball.
Yuzvendra Chahal (4-23)
Kuldeep Yadav (4-18)
22:19 India have won by 93 runs in Cuttack. The Men in Blue now lead the three-match series 1-0. This is India's largest victory margin in Twenty20 Internationals.
22:17 Wicket! That's it. India have won the first T20I.
22:15 Wicket! Chameera c Rahul b Pandya 12 (14)
22:13 Sri Lanka 85-8 (15 overs)
Decent over for Sri Lanka. 9 off it. However, this is too little and probably too late for them.
22:08 Wicket! Dananjaya c & b Hardik Pandya.
Sri Lanka 76-8 (14 overs)
22:06 Sri Lanka 71-7 (13 overs)
Smiles all around the Indian camp. Sri Lanka are now well below the required run rate. Kuldeep Yadav and Chahal have a spun a web around them.
22:00 Wicket! Kuldeep Yadav bags another one. Kusal's bat finds top edge and Dhoni catches it comfortably.
21:57 Sri Lanka 67-6 (12 overs)
Chahal has completed his spell. 4 wickets for 22 runs in his four overs.
21:52 Wicket! Dhoni has stumped Thisara Perera this time. Chahal bags another wicket.
21:51 Sri Lanka 62-5 (11 overs)
Another wicket fall. This time, it is Kuldeep Yadav who picks it. Sri Lanka's half line-up is back in the dressing room. Just five runs and a wicket off this over.
Looks like the clear instruction for Indian fielders is to not throw the ball after collecting it, possibly to avoid getting the dew onto the ball.
21:47 Wicket! Kuldeep Yadav picks Shanaka. Hardik Pandya makes no mistake while taking this easy catch.
21:46 Sri Lanka 57-4 (10 overs)
At the half-way mark, India will be pleased with the way their spinners have bowled. The runs have dried up for Sri Lanka.
21:42 Wicket! Gunaratne stumped by Dhoni. Chahal picks another one.
21:41 Sri Lanka 54-3 (9 overs)
Just five runs off the over. Sri Lanka has fallen behind the required run rate as wrist-spinners have done well for India yet again.
21:37 Sri Lanka 49-3 (8 overs)
Runs are drying up for the visitors in Cuttack. Chahal has struck to claim Mathews wicket. The Lankans are in trouble, already.
21:33 Wicket! AD Mathews c & b Chahal 1 (7)
21:30 Sri Lanka 45-2 (7 overs)
Rohit Sharma has introduced Kuldeep Yadav as both Lankan batsmen are yet to settle down. Yadav doesn't disappoint and keeps it tight. Couple of instances of good fielding by India to deny Sri Lanka extra runs.
21:26 Sri Lanka 40-2 (6 overs)
Both Sri Lankan batsmen - Kusal and Mathews - are looking patchy. They are trailing the required run rate too. Bumrah did his part well, of not leaking runs.
21:22 Sri Lanka 39-2 (5 overs)
Yuzvendra Chahal has been introduced into action by Rohit Sharma. Tharanga makes room for himself and plays it over long on for six! This was before Tharanga fell for 23.
21:19 Wicket! Tharanga caught by Dhoni, bowled by Chahal 23 (16)
21:15 Sri Lanka 29-1 (4 overs)
Jaydev Unadkat bowls an excellent over, giving away just four off it.
21:09 Sri Lanka 27-1 (3 overs)
Impact of the dew has not been seen so far. But, the bowlers have been wiping the ball constantly. This was another big over for Sri Lanka with 11 off it.
21:03 Sri Lanka 16-1 (2 overs)
Dickwella tried to go run down the pitch. Unadkat had taken the pace off the ball. KL Rahul makes no mistake in taking the catch at mid-wicket to give Unadkat his first T20I wicket.
21:01 Wicket! Dickwella tries to go down the wicket. Unadkat takes pace off the ball. KL Rahul makes no mistake in taking the catch at mid-wicket. This is Unadkat's first T20I wicket.
20:55 Sri Lanka 11-0 after the first over
Upul Tharanga and Dickwella open the batting for Sri Lanka. Hardik Pandya bowls for India.
India gave away five runs of the first five balls. But, an overthrow onthe last ball meant the Lankans bagged 11 runs in the first over.
20:49 Second inning about to begin: The players are on the field.
20:42 This looked like a 160-run pitch. India would be happy with where they have reached. A target of 181 definitely looks defendable for India. However, the dew factor is coming into play and things are going to be tough for the Men in Blue. We have seen Sri Lankan bowlers constantly wipe the ball throughout the inning.
20:40 India 180-3 after 20 overs
Thisara Perera bowled the last over well before Dhoni punches a six off the last ball.
Dhoni 39(22)*
Pandey 32(18)*
20:34 India 168-3 (19 overs)
Dhoni attempts a helicopter shot, but it doesn't take off. Sri Lanka has packed its field on the off side, in what is a clear indication of what line Pradeep will be bowling. The duo pick up three boundaries in the over. Excellent over for India. 21 off it.
20:27 India 147-3 (18 overs)
Following a few singles, Dhoni torpedoes a slower delivery for a boundary, down the leg side. The packed Baramati stadium was up on its feet, cheering, "Dhoni! Dhoni!"
20:22 India 138-3 (17 overs)
Dhoni finds the gap on the leg side and gets the runs raining again. Chameera replies with a fuller delivery and forces Dhoni to take a single.
But Pandey doesn't want to stop the runs from flowing. He clears his front leg and swings open his arms to punch a six! Chameera bowls a length ball and is punished again with a boundary. Big over for India!
20:15 India 119-3 (16 overs)
MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey rotate strike to make sure the runs keep flowing. No big shots in the over. Good over for Sri Lanka. India's projected score is around 149 now.
20:12 India 114-3 (15 overs)
KL Rahul was completely deceived by Perera's slower one. The man in form was bowled out, in a breakthrough the islanders wanted. Manish Pandey is the new batsman.
20:09 Wicket! KL Rahul is completely deceived by a slower one by Perera. He's bowled out.
20:06 India 110-2 (14 overs)
Perera decided to bowl-out Akila Dhananjaya. MS Dhoni, hits one hard like a tracer bullet for a boundary at long on.
20:02 India 102-2 (13 overs)
Sri Lanka finally made a breakthrough with Iyer's wicket. MS Dhoni is the new batsman in.
The effects of dew are being felt. Sri Lankan fielders were seen slipping all around. 100 up for India!
19:59 Wicket! Shreyas Iyer was trying to slice it. But, he edged it instead. Dickwella made no mistake while catching it.
19:57 India 94-1 (12 overs)
Shreyas Iyer open the face of the bat and guides Dananjaya's first ball towards third-man for four. Four runs came off the next five balls. The bowler kept wiping the ball between deliveries.
19:53 India 90-1 (11 overs)
Rahul smacks one into the air. There was a fielder at deep backward point. But, he only watched as the ball passed over him for a six! However, Fernando comes back and gives away only two off the next four balls.
19:48 India 84-1 (10 overs)
Innovative batting by Rahul. He moved inside the line and punched one towards the square-leg boundary. Iyer and Rahul have also been rotating the strike very well so far.
Rahul has also reached his half century!
India will be happy with the score at the half way mark, in this inning. More importantly, they have lost just one wicket. Both KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer now look set and switch gears.
19:44 India 74-1 (9 overs)
There's no stopping KL Rahul. The 25-year-old scores a six over deep backward point. The duo had also picked up singles earlier in the over.
19:39 India 64-1 (8 overs)
KL Rahul plays wisely against Perera: Two off the first ball, followed by two boundaries. The duo then rotate strike.
19:34 India 53-1 (7 overs)
Thanks to DRS, Rahul survived an LBW appeal off the first ball. The ball was missing the leg stump, reviews showed. But, with just three runs coming in, the over turned out to be mild for India.
Good over my Mathews.
19:31 There an appeal for lbw. The umpires declares it is 'Out!'
But, KL Rahul takes the DRS route. Third umpire Anil Chaudhary declares that the decision needs to be reversed. Rahul survives as the ball was missing the leg stump.
19:29 India 50-1 (6 overs)
Chameera, who caught the Indian skipper at mid-on in the previous over was handed the ball again. Shreyas Iyer is the new batsman. He uses a straight bat and times one beautifully for a boundary. Next ball, he guides one down the leg side amidst poor bowling from Chameera.
19:22 WICKET! Rohit Sharma tries to launch one over long on, edges it in the process. Chameera makes no mistake while catching it at mid-on.
India 38-1 (5 overs)
19:19 Click here for the full match scorecard.
19:18 India 31-0 (4 overs)
Dananjaya starts with a full toss and gets punished by Rahul with a boundary. Two balls later, Rohit Sharma punches one beautifully for a four at the deep extra cover boundary. The two openers have done well with respect to rotating the strike.
19:14 India 20-0 (3 overs)
Thisara Perera introduced Dushmantha Chameera, who is one of Sri Lanka's quicker bowlers. But, he doesn't find much luck. Rahul takes the aerial route to clear the 30-yard circle and scores his first boundary of the match. The dew does its bit to help the ball go past the rope too.
19:10 India 12-0 (2 overs)
Akila Dhananjaya has made a good start in this match. Just three off the over.
Dhananjaya was seen wiping the dew off the ball at the beginning of the second over, already. This could be a worrying sign for India, who will be bowling in the second inning.
19:06 India 10-0, after the first over
Rohit Sharma is the man in form. His form was evident from the way he drove Fernando's second ball towards the deep extra cover boundary for four. Both batsmen off the mark.
19:00 We are set! Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are at the crease, Vishwa Fernando has the cricket ball, on debut.
18:55 The two teams have walked onto the field for their respective national anthems.
18:52 The playing XI:
India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal.Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews, Asela Gunaratne, Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dananjaya, Vishwa Fernando and Nuwan Pradeep.
18:37 Team news: KL Rahul comes in for Shikhar Dhawan, Jaydev Unadkat comes in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Dushmantha Chameera, Dasun Shanaka, Vishwa Fernando and Kusal Perera make it for Sri Lanka. Fernando will be making his debut today.
18:33 Rohit Sharma has said that he too would have chosen to bowl first, had he won the toss.
18:32 Pitch update: At first glance, the pitch looks good to bat on and the team batting first would be hoping to get 160 on board. We can expect heavy dew on the field. Some cracks on the surface, which could restrict the ball from coming onto the bat.
18:32 Sri Lanka has won the toss and opted to bowl first.
18:30 Sri Lanka is set to take on India in the first Twenty20 International at Baramati Stadium, Cuttack. India will be looking to take a lead in the three-match series.
Cuttack: Indian cricketers celebrate the dismissal of a Sri Lankan batsman during the T20 match at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Wednesday. (PTI Photo by Ashok Bhaumik)
Indian captain Rohit Sharma, has said, "I said at the toss, it won't make much of difference because right from ball one there was dew. We expected it to be there for the whole 40 overs. Nothing changed. It wasn't easier to bat later on. It wasn't difficult to bat initially".
Sri Lankan captain Thisara Perera has said, "In these conditions, we wanted to bowl first, but India batted really well. And we have to give their bowlers credit, two spinners bowling really well in dewy conditions".
With 180 on board, India looked confident during the innings break. However, the defence was expected to be challenging for India due to the dew factor.
India made an early break through with Dickwella's wicket. But, it was not long before India's spinner — Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav — started spinning a web around the Sri Lankan batsmen.
Easy catches and stumpings led to the Lankan batting line-up to crumble. Between the 10th and the 14th over, Sri Lanka lost one wicket in every over, making their recovery impossible. Kuldeep and Chahal did all this in spite of the dew that made it difficult for them to grip the ball.
India have won by 93 runs in Cuttack. The Men in Blue now lead the three-match series 1-0. This is India's largest victory margin in Twenty20 Internationals.
Decent over for Sri Lanka. 9 off it. However, this is too little and probably too late for them.
Sri Lanka 76-8(14 overs)
Smiles all around the Indian camp. Sri Lanka are now well below the required run rate. Kuldeep Yadav and Chahal have a spun a web around them.
Chahal has completed his spell. 4 wickets for 22 runs in his four overs.
