When Shivam Mavi was handed his debut international cap by Hardik Pandya ahead of the first T20I against Sri Lanka, one would have hardly imagined what was to follow on Tuesday. The young pacer, who had grabbed everyone’s attention during his U-19 days but then struggled with injury, picked up four wickets for 22 runs as India defeated Sri Lanka by two runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. This is the third-best figure by an Indian debutant in T20Is after Barinder Sran (4/10 vs Zimbabwe, Harare 2016) and Pragyan Ojha (4/21 vs Bangladesh, Nottingham 2009). The Sri Lankans surely had the firepower to chase down 163 but Mavi’s strikes at the front and back end of the innings tilted the game in favor of the home team.
Skipper Hardik Pandya decided to bowl the first over and the pressure created by him helped debutant Mavi at the other end. Hardik bowled full tilt and hardly gave anything away, conceding only 12 runs in his three-over spell.
Mavi’s moment to cherish came in his first over as he showed remarkable composure to strike back after being hit for two fours by Kusal Mendis. Having already got life in Hardik’s first over, Pathum Nissanka had no clue about Mavi’s beauty of a delivery that jagged back in to shatter the stumps.
Watch: Debutant Shivam Mavi’s Terrific Delivery Rattles Sri Lanka Star’s Stumps
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In his second over too, Mavi got hit for a couple of fours before he had Dhanajaya de Silva caught at mid-on.
The game went down to the wire with spinner Axar Patel managing to defend 13 runs in the final over. Mavi ended with envious figures of four for 22 in four overs. The fighting knocks from skipper Dasun Shanaka (45 off 27) and Chamika Karunaratne (23 not out off 16) went in vain as Sri Lanka ended 160 all out in 20 overs.
This is the lowest total India defends at the Wankhede Stadium.
