Sri Lanka paid price for not playing well in powerplays: Dinesh Chandimal

A disappointed Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal said not playing well in the Power Play overs cost his inexperienced side the just-concluded Twenty20 series against India. In Ranchi, the Lankans bowlers bled runs throughout while here in the final match, they lost half the side inside six overs.

"Throughout the series we played good cricket. In the first game we got momentum but in the second and third games, we did not start well. In Ranchi, we did not bowl well in the first six overs and here we lost four wickets during Power play overs. These are mistakes in the last two games," Chandimal said at after the nine-wicket loss in the third T20 on 14 February.

Chandimal also rued the lack of experienced players in the side to counter the Indian team. "We have got an inexperienced team. They don't know how to stay at the crease and get some more runs. We struggled with that. I think they will learn as soon as possible and we are looking forward to do well in the next series.

The Sri Lankan captain though took out a few positives from the lost series, saying they found a few future players. "In Dushmanta (Chameera), Dasun Shanaka, Kasun Rajitha, we found those players for future, we can get this positive out of the series," he said.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin weaved his magic with a career-best four-wicket haul as India trounced Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the deciding third and final Twenty20 International to clinch the three-match series 2-1.

Ashwin scalped two wickets in the very first over and then retruend with dream figures of 4-1-8-4 as the hosts bundled out Sri Lanka 82, their lowest ever score in T20 cricket. Before this, Sri Lanka's lowest total was 87 against Australia in 2010 at Bridgetown.

-PTI