3 Indian players who flopped in the 2nd ODI vs Sri Lanka
Team India registered their first ODI series win of the new calendar year as they beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in the second ODI at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, January 12.
Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj picked up three wickets each, while Umran Malik chipped in with two. In the chase, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya steadied the ship after a flurry of early wickets. The former remained unbeaten as the Men in Blue got over the line with around six overs to spare.
However, others failed to deliver. On that note, here are three Indian players who flopped in the second ODI against Sri Lanka.
#3 Shubman Gill
On the back of a superb 60-ball 70, Shubman Gill would've had an eye on an unbeaten knock in what seemed like a comfortable chase. However, things transpired differently in Kolkata.
Gill started off superbly once again, striking five fours in his first 11 balls to move to 21 in rapid fashion. But just after getting the better of Lahiru Kumara, he pulled the pacer straight to midwicket, where Avishka Fernando held onto a good catch. It was a soft dismissal for the opener, who missed out on an excellent opportunity to nail down his place in the top order.
Careless dismissals have plagued Gill over the course of his short ODI career, and he will want to course-correct at the earliest.
#2 Mohammad Shami
In Jasprit Bumrah's absence, Mohammad Shami was expected to lead the Indian pace attack. But the fast bowler, returning from injury, has looked out of rhythm in the first two games of the series.
Contrary to the first game, Shami started off well with the new ball in Kolkata. He brought out the outswinger and beat the bat on a number of occasions, but as has often been the case, he wasn't able to get the elusive nick. The veteran was taken for runs in his second spell as he ended up conceding 43 runs in his seven overs.
When Bumrah returns, will India field Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik alongside their premier pacer and bench Shami?
#1 Virat Kohli
With two hundreds on the trot in the ODI format, Virat Kohli was primed to make the most of his purple patch. The batter is known for racking up a series of big scores when in form, but he was outfoxed and got out for just four runs at Eden Gardens.
Kohli started uncertainly, with the Sri Lankan pacers getting the ball to nip around, and was scoreless off his first seven balls. He finally found the boundary in authoritative fashion as Kumara pitched one short, kindling hopes of another Virat Kohli epic against the Lankans.
But off the very next ball, Kumara got one to jag back sharply off the pitch, beating the Indian No. 3 for pace and movement. The ball kissed the inside edge of Kohli's bat before cannonning onto the stumps, leaving his side in a spot of bother at 62/3.
Kohli, who is closing in on Sachin Tendulkar's record for most ODI centuries, will want to end the series on a high.