Ishan Kishan was coming into this game on the back of a horrendous T20 series against the West Indies. He wasn’t able to time the ball at all, was uncomfortable playing against swing, and was second-guessing himself on each ball. Not this time though. Yesterday he was magnificent. He started the game with a positive intent, something which he didn’t do in the earlier games.

He played each ball at a time and paced his innings accordingly, and once he had his eye in, he went about destroying each and every bowler. He was well on his way to a deserved 100 but fell short after attempting one shot too many. This was a much-needed return to form for the youngster and this will definitely boost his confidence even further.

Over the years, India has transformed from being an ordinary fielding side to one of the best sides in the world when it comes to fielding. So many times fielding has been the difference between winning and losing in close games. In recent times though, the fielding standards have dropped massively, which has left a lot to be desired. From the West Indies series, India has been guilty of dropping quite a lot of straightforward chances. It was no different here as well, with a lot of easy chances being dropped. At a time when most of the boxes are being ticked as far as team dynamics are concerned, failure to improve on the fielding will be a big problem, particularly with the World Cup approaching soon.

Let’s be very honest. Sri Lanka was very ordinary yesterday. Yes, they were without their two most important players in Hasaranga and Theekshana, but you still expect them to at least put up a fight. Right from the beginning, they were below par. Their bowling was pedestrian, with the bowling changes very poor to say the least, while the batting barring Asalanka was a mess, not giving enough support to even get close to the target. The visitors will have to get their act together or it is going to be a very long series for them.