Sri Lanka posted 152/9 against India in the fourth match of the Nidahas Trophy Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket tri-series at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium here on Monday.
Put in to bat, Sri Lanka lost their wickets at regular intervals in a match which was curtailed to 19 overs due to rain. Apart from opener Kusal Mendis (55) no other batsmen contributed handsomely.
The hosts started on a steady note but when scoreboard was reading 25 runs in three overs, opener Danushka Gunathilaka (17) was dismissed by pacer Shardul Thakur.
Incoming batsmen Kusal Perera (3) also failed this time and was sent packing cheaply by leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the very next over.
With scoreboard reading 34/2, Mendis and new batsman Upul Tharanga (22) joined hands and forged a 58-run partnership to stabilise the innings.
Just when things seemed good in the middle, Tharanga was sent back by pacer Vijay Shankar in the 11th over, making the score read 96/3.
Skipper Thisara Perera (15) also failed to rise to the occasion and gifted away his wicket to Thakur when needed the most.
Lower middle-order batsmen Jeevan Mendis (5), Dasun Shanaka (19), Akila Dananjaya (5) tried to score quickly towards the end but could not provide the finish Sri Lanka wanted.
For India, Thakur scalped four wickets while Washington Sundar took two wickets.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka: 152/9 (Kusal Mendis 55; Shardul Thakur 4/27) against India.
--IANS
gau/nir
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