3 big takeaways for India from 2nd T20I vs Sri Lanka
Team India beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets [DLS method] in the second T20I at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, July 28. With the win, the Men in Blue also clinched the three-match series with a game to go. The third and final T20I will be played in Pallekele on Tuesday, July 30.
In a rain-affected second T20I, India sent Sri Lanka into bat after winning the toss. The Men in Blue bowlers then did a good job to restrict the Lankans to 161-9. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi claimed 3-26, while Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, and Hardik Pandya chipped in with two wickets each. For Sri Lanka, Kusal Perera top-scored with 53 off 34 balls.
Following a long rain delay, India were set a revised DLS target of 78 in eight overs. The visitors got home in 6.3 overs as Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed 30 off 15, while skipper Suryakumar Yadav (26 off 12) and Pandya (22* off 9) also made important contributions.
In the wake of Team India's thumping triumph in the second T20I, we look at three key takeaways for the visitors from the match.
#1 Ravi Bishnoi deserves a consistent run in T20Is
Team India leg-spinner Bishnoi was the Player of the Match for his figures of 3-26 from four overs in the second T20I. The 23-year-old dismissed Pathum Nissanka, Dasun Shanaka, and Wanindu Hasaranga to put Sri Lanka on the back foot.
On the back of some impressive performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he made his international debut in February 2022. However, he hasn't got a consistent run in the Indian T20I team because senior spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and the now retired (from T20Is) Ravindra Jadeja have been preferred over him.
The time has now, however, come to give Bishnoi a longer rope in the T20I format. He has earned the right to the same based on his good performances in the format in the opportunities that he has been given. Even though the youngster has been in and out of the team over the last couple of years, his bowling rhythm hasn't been affected too much.
In 31 T20Is, Bishnoi has already claimed 46 wickets at an average of 18.95 and an economy rate of 7.22. The leg-spinner has two four-fers to his credit, with a best of 4-13, which came against Zimbabwe in Harare earlier this month. Bishnoi also claimed 4-16 against West Indies in Lauderhill in August 2022. The Indian leggie also has three three-wicket hauls to his credit in T20Is.
#2 Axar Patel seems to keep getting better and better
Team India all-rounder Axar Patel had been playing under the shadow of Jadeja for the past many seasons in international cricket. Over the last couple of years, though, he has shed the image of being a back-up to the Saurashtra all-rounder and has come into his own.
The 2024 T20 World Cup gave ample proof of the fact that the Indian management prefers Axar over Jadeja when it comes to crunch situations. The former delivered with the ball right through the ICC event - the last over in the final being an aberration. The 30-year-old also made a significant impact with the bat. Promoted in the batting order, he made two key contributions, including in the final.
Axar has been a changed player since being given additional responsibility. He seems to thrive under pressure and has only been getting better and better with exposure to various challenges. In the ongoing T20I series against Sri Lanka as well, skipper Suryakumar has depended on him in crunch situations and the left-arm spinner has delivered.
It was Axar who turned the match on his head with two wickets in an over in the first T20I. On Sunday as well, he stifled the opposition batters and was rewarded with two wickets. The Gujarat cricketer's amazing progress is great news for Indian cricket. If he keeps performing in the same vein, he could go on to have an excellent international career in white-ball cricket.
#3 Yashasvi Jaiswal is on his way to sealing his T20I spot
Following Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's retirement from T20Is after the conclusion of the World Cup last month, Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are being looked at as their replacements. Of course, there is Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma as well, but Jaiswal and Gill seem to be the preferred choice as of now.
Both Gill and Jaiswal have played some impactful knocks in the T20I format. However, while Gill has lacked consistency lately, which even cost him a place in the T20 World Cup squad, Jaiswal seems closer to sealing his place as one of India's openers. The southpaw has shown the desired consistency in his short career.
In 21 innings, he has smashed 713 runs at an average of 37.52 and a strike rate of 165.42, with one hundred and five half-centuries. He has shown in the IPL that he has the skills to succeed in the T20 format. So far, Jaiswal has lived up to that early promise in international cricket.