Exposing India's young batsmen's inability to tackle spin, Sri Lanka conjured up a seven-wicket victory in the deciding third Twenty20 to hand the fancied Asian neighbours a 2-1 series defeat on Thursday.
Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (4/9) made the Indians dance to his tunes on his 24th birthday, playing a crucial role in restricting them to a paltry 81 for eight, which is their lowest against the Lankans.
The match was reduced to a no-contest after India's disappointing batting display as off-spinner Akila Danajaya too troubled the batsmen though he did not take any wicket.
The COVID-19 related isolation of nine players affected the team balance adversely with the rookie Indian batsmen looked miserable with the ball not coming on to the bat. The small target gave the hosts the luxury to adopt a cautious approach.
They too struggled against the Indian spinners before overhauling the target with 5.3 overs to spare. It is Sri Lanka's first ever T20 series win over India. India had won the preceding ODI series 2-1.