🏏India tour of Sri Lanka: 3rd T20I at Pallekele @ 7PM IST🏏 - Page 2

Thank you Raji for the thread and for tagging me.

Best wishes to both the teams.

Thanks for the tag n thread Raji

Hello and welcome to ESPNcricinfo's live ball-by-ball coverage of the third - and final - T20I between Sri Lanka and India at Pallekele. India have already wrapped up the series 2-0 and are looking to kick off the new era under SKY and Gambhir with a 3-0 clean sweep. This is also a chance for them to shake up their combination and provide opportunities to the likes of Khaleel Ahmed and Washington Sundar. As for Sri Lanka, their middle order needs to arrest collapses and step up, as Abhimanyu Bose points out in the preview. I'm Deivarayan Muthu and I'll be joined by Hemant Brar to bring you ball-by-ball action. Stay locked in

"It's been raining on and off right through the day in Kandy," Andrew Fidel Fernando reports. "Not torrential downpours - more like passing showers. Would be surprised if we get a completely uninterrupted game in Pallekele, but would be as surprised if we don't manage a complete game at all, however shortened."

rajith: "india should try Parag and Rinku at number 3 and 4 respectively, and try Pant and Hardik as finishers "

Fidel Fernando from Pallekele: "Some drizzle has started and it doesn't look like covers will come off any time soon. Probably headed for a delayed toss."

In a game whose result that has little significance in the larger picture lies an excellent opportunity for both these teams to put to test what they've been working on on the drawing board. In what's been touted as a 'new beginning' for both teams, India have had little to worry about. Contributions have come from all around and the youngsters who've been craving for opportunities have stepped up having got them. As for Sri Lanka, their issues are pretty clear. While they've definitely competed, they've struggled to sieze the key moments. Their middle order, in particular, has come under scrutiny and they'll be keen on using this game to put some of those demons to bed.

We're about 15 mins away from the scheduled time for the toss and it has just started to drizzle.Live pictures show that the entire ground is under wraps but it is not raining at the moment. The measure is precautionary and the weather forecast thankfully doesn't suggest there will be any threat of rain. It does look a little overcast and murky but as long as the rain stays away, there won't be any problems.

Just as how the new era was preceded by contrasting fortunes, it has started in a similar fashion for both teams. India seem to have just picked up where they left off under Rohit Sharma, batting aggressively and staying calm when they come under pressure in the field. Sri Lanka have shown flashes of brilliance, particularly with the bat, but their fight has collapsed quite spectacularly in the two matches that have been played thus far in this series. All this has meant that India have sauntered to a series win and are now looking to do a cleansweep today.

SL batted first and won the first T20I by 43 runs. India then bowled first in the second T20I and won it by seven wickets, making a mockery of a revised target of 78 to win in eight overs in the rain-affected match. In both cases, Sri Lanka built strong bases with the bat before it all fell apart in stunning collapses. They lost nine wickets for 30 runs the first match and seven wickets for 31 in the second.

Suryakumar probably couldn't have asked for a better start to his captaincy. The World No.1 ranked T20I batter has hardly put a foot wrong regarding leading the team and capped that off with displays of individual brilliance in both matches. He started his tenure as India's full-time T20I captain with a player-of-the-match performance, smashing 58 runs in 26 balls to power India to a score of 213/7 in the first game. Then he smashed 26 runs in 12 balls in the carnage of an Indian innings in the second T20I.

India were forced to leave out opener Shubman Gill in the second match, with SKY saying that he was carrying a niggle on the day. They brought in Sanju Samson as his replacement at the top of the order and the Rajasthan Royals captain fell for a golden duck. Suryakumar didn't make it clear if India will give chances to the players who were on the bench in these first two matches and it looks likely that Gill will be back in the eleven if he is fit.

Highlights on IND vs SL 3rd T20I:

- India already have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series

- India won the first T20I by 43 runs and the second by seven wickets

- Suryakumar Yadav has maintained a strike rate of 221.05 in the series