In a nail-biting conclusion to their T20I series, India emerged victorious in the third and final match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele, securing a clean sweep with a 3-0 series win. The encounter turned out to be a dramatic contest that went down to the wire, culminating in a captivating Super Over finish.

India, put into bat, set a modest target of 137/9 in 20 overs, with Shubman Gill being the top-scorer with his (39). Down the line, handy contributions from Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar scoring (26) and (25) respectively helped India a bit more. Sri Lankan bowlers kept the pressure on Indian batters throughout the innings, making it difficult for them to score. 

Sri Lanka had a nice start in their chase with Pathum Nissanka (26), Kusal Mendis (43) and Kusal Perera (46) firing on all cylinders but what unfolded later was incredibly unexpected as Sri Lanka went on to lose their batters down the order in quick succession, failing to get over the line and scoring 137/8 in 20 overs.

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav defended five runs in the 20th over while taking two wickets. The match ended in a tie, necessitating the Super Over to determine the winner. In the Super Over as well, India outperformed Sri Lanka in a high-pressure game. Speaking on India’s nervy performance, skipper Suryakumar Yadav said that he had seen such kinds of games before and same conveyed to the team. 

"More than the last over, I feel when we were around 30 for 4 and 48 for 5, how the boys showed character in the middle and took the game away from them, I felt 140 was par score on that track and the way they batted. When we were going in during our fielding sessions, I told them I had seen such kinds of games. I think if we put our heart in for one, one-and-a-half hours we can pull it off," Yadav said during the post-match presentation.