Munaweera, Priyanjan guide Lanka to 170/7

Playing his 10th T20 match, Munaweera scored a quick-fire 53 off 29 balls with the help of five boundaries and as many as four hits over the fence to keep up Sri Lanka's momentum at the R Premadasa Stadium here.

He was ably supported by Priyanjan, who scored a run-a-ball unbeaten 40 during which he hit one boundary and two sixes to take Sri Lanka to the fighting total.

For India, young leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick of the bowlers with figures of three for 43 from his four overs, while chinaman Kuldeep Yadav scalped two for 20.

Priyanjan played a handy knock to save the hosts from the blushes after losing their way in the middle overs once again.

This was after the match started a 55 minutes’ delay because of wet outfield following rains.

Put into bat, Sri Lanka made a hectic start with Niroshan Dickwella (17) attacking Jasprit Bumrah (1/38) at the start.

It forced India skipper Virat Kohli to introduce spin early into the power play in the form of Chahal.

Skipper Upul Tharanga (5) played on a Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/36) delivery in the third over.

Munaweera then went into an attacking mode as he carted Chahal for two sixes in the next over.

Dickwella added 23 runs with both Tharanga and Munaweera, as Sri Lanka reached 50 for two in the sixth over.

Munaweera kept up the assault on Indian bowlers and hit 5 fours as well as four sixes.

He reached his fifty off 26 balls, the second quickest for a Sri Lankan batsman in this format against India, after Kumar Sangakkara who took only 21 balls.

Using their five-pronged attack, inclusive of three spinners, India rotated the bowlers around.

The turning point perhaps came when Mahendra Singh Dhoni pulled off a trademark quick stumping to dismiss Angelo Mathews (7) off Chahal in the seventh over.

It denied Sri Lanka an aggressive middle-order partnership.

Kuldeep Yadav (2/20) and Axar Patel (0/29) then put on the brakes after the powerplay overs as Munaweera and Thisara Perera (11) added 37 runs off 29 balls.

Munaweera was bowled off Yadav in the 12th over, the bat escaping from his hand as he looked to force a pull and the ball hit the stumps instead.

Two overs later, Chahal returned to strike a double blow as he bowled Perera and then trapped Dasun Shanaka (0) LBW in the space of four balls.

Sri Lanka were crawling by then and were reduced to 134 for seven in the 17th over as Seekkuge Prasanna (11) was caught in the deep off Yadav.

Priyanjan then played a blinder of a knock to help Sri Lanka post a competitive target.

He was watchful at first as Sri Lanka didn't want to lose any more wickets and put on 36 runs off 20 balls with Isuru Udana (19 off 10 balls) for the eighth wicket.

Towards the end, the duo played some unorthodox shots to push Sri Lanka forward.