India Player Ratings from 2nd ODI vs Sri Lanka as Kuldeep, Rahul help Men in Blue seal series despite shoddy batting display
Team India edged out Sri Lanka by four wickets in the second T20I in Kolkata on Thursday, January 12 to seal victory in the three-match series.
The Men in Blue needed a calm half-century from KL Rahul to take them over the line in the 44th over after Sri Lanka made early inroads at the start of the second innings. They were helped by the fact that the visitors made only 215 after electing to bat, with Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj sharing six wickets between them.
Here are India's player ratings from their win over Sri Lanka in the second ODI.
IND vs SL 2022: Kuldeep spins a web as Team India continue to head in the right direction
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Rohit Sharma: 5.5/10
Rohit struck two fours and a six in his positive knock, but a lazy waft outside off saw him caught behind for 17. His love affair with the Eden Gardens, especially against Sri Lanka, thus hit a speed bump.
Shubman Gill: 6/10
Gill raced to 21 at a strike rate of almost 200 and looked set for a big score. But the opener's crunching pull went straight into the hands of midwicket in what was a soft dismissal. During the first innings, his excellent piece of fielding sent back Sri Lanka's top-scorer Nuwanidu Fernando.
Virat Kohli: 2/10
Kohli endured a nervy stay at the crease that culminated in him being cleaned up by Lahiru Kumara. The batter didn't account for the inward movement at all, even though the Sri Lankan pacer had been targeting the same throughout his spell.
Shreyas Iyer: 6/10
Shreyas' 28 steadied the Indian ship somewhat, although he had a couple of close shaves. He missed an inswinger from Kasun Rajitha to be trapped in front of the stumps, just when the Men in Blue needed him to string together a longer partnership with KL Rahul.
Hardik Pandya: 7/10
Hardik bowled five uneventful overs that went for 26 runs. He was calm with the bat, making a patient 36 off 53, but was rooted to the crease while wafting at one outside off to be caught behind.
KL Rahul: 10/10
Rahul was the rock that held the Indian innings together. The No. 5 was assured in defense and measured with his strike-rotation, notching up the side's only half-century of the match and taking them over the line. His wicket-keeping was also assured.
Axar Patel: 8/10
Axar castled Dhananjaya de Silva to truly start the Sri Lankan procession in the middle overs. His run-a-ball 21 helped India to a commanding position after Hardik's untimely dismissal. The southpaw even plucked three good catches in what was a superb all-round display.
Mohammad Shami: 4/10
Shami beat the bat a few times with the new ball, but his second spell was taken for runs. He ended up with seven wicketless overs that went for 43 runs, looking rather out of rhythm for the second game running.
Umran Malik: 5/10
Malik was wayward with his lines and lengths on a number of occasions, with the Sri Lankan batters capitalizing on everything short and wide. He claimed two important wickets, but India will need their speedster to be more consistent.
Mohammed Siraj: 8.5/10
Siraj once again fashioned an early breakthrough, breaching the defenses of the dangerous-looking Avishka Fernando. The pacer returned to polish off the tail in the 40th over, finishing with three wickets.
Kuldeep Yadav: 9/10
Kuldeep was the pick of the Indian bowlers as he recorded three wickets in Kolkata. He teased the Sri Lankan batters with his flight and dip, and his variations were hard to read. The 28-year-old even chipped in with a few runs towards the end of India's chase.