India vs Sri Lanka: Three takeaways from 3rd T20I as Hardik Pandya’s men seal series

Luckily for them, they did, and they did so in the grandest style – they beat Sri Lanka by 91 runs to seal a memorable win in the shortest format of the game. 

Let us now look at the three key takeaways from an enthralling encounter at Rajkot. 

SKY remains the Man for T20Is – Enough ink has been spilled about Suryakumar Yadav’s batting in T20I cricket. Still, he continues to perform at a much higher level than everyone else, so it is impossible not to wax lyrical about him regularly. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Starting the year right 🏆🇮🇳 <a href="https://t.co/Kb46lOALhT">pic.twitter.com/Kb46lOALhT</a></p>&mdash; Surya Kumar Yadav (@surya_14kumar) <a href="https://twitter.com/surya_14kumar/status/1611783359436582912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He was at it again in Rajkot, playing ramp shot after ramp shot of differing varieties and making a competent Sri Lanka bowling attack look utterly helpless. Little surprise then that he was named the ManMan of the Match. 

He also underlined his status as the key Man for India in T20I cricket, even when India is looking for a rebuild. That rebuild should include SKY at the front and center because he is undroppable. 

Axar blocking Jadeja’s path to the Indian team – When Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the Asia Cup 2022 and the World Cup, it was seen as a blow due to Jadeja’s ability not just as a batsman and bowler but also as a fielder. 

Axar Patel was brought in as his natural replacement, but many felt he was warming Jadeja’s seat and that the veteran would usurp the understudy as soon as he was fit again. But Axar’s form means it might not be that straightforward anymore. 

Axar’s batting was usually seen as inferior to Jadeja’s, but he was excellent with both bat and ball in this series and even excelled in the field. He was thus named the Man of the Series – and could retain his spot even when Jadeja is fit. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Your Hits and Flops for SL T20I Series?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cricket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/indvssl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#indvssl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cric666?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cric666</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/axarpatel?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#axarpatel</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/suryakumaryadav?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#suryakumaryadav</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UmranMalik?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UmranMalik</a> <a href="https://t.co/CBL19LpUgr">pic.twitter.com/CBL19LpUgr</a></p>&mdash; Cric666 (@Cric666official) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cric666official/status/1611935855832080384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

End of the road for veteran stars – It never bodes well to read too deeply into anyone’s comments on Indian cricket. Still, Hardik Pandya’s post-match comments about the team felt very relevant to the direction the team is taking. 

“These are the best T20 cricketers in India and that’s why they are here. There is no space for doubting in this format and we’re backing the players properly,” he said after the game, in what appeared to be a clear nod at bringing in a new era of T20I stars. 

So for anyone holding your breath for a return for the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, don’t hold your breath. Of course, it’s never wise to say never in Indian cricket, but as things stand, it does seem like the plan is to back the fresh crop of players to the hilt.