India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I: Clinical hosts seal 7-wicket win at Indore
India produced a clinical performance as they overcame Sri Lanka by 7 wickets at Indore, thereby nudging ahead in the 3-match T20I series. The hosts came up trumps in both departments as the visitors were left searching for ideas and inspiration.
For India, KL Rahul continued his rich vein of form as he compiled a brilliant knock of 45 whereas he was ably supported by the returning Shikhar Dhawan. Thereafter, Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli ensured that there weren’t any further hiccups with the latter hitting the winning runs in the 18th over.
Most of Sri Lanka’s bowlers lacked a cutting edge throughout the encounter, although Wanindu Hasaranga kept things tight through the middle phases. However, the leg-spinner also came in for some punishment when Shreyas razed him for three boundaries, including a monumental six, in the 16th over.
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Earlier, after being put into bat, the visitors struggled after a bright start in the PowerPlay. Though Avishka Fernando set the tone in the opening six overs, none of the other batsmen capitalized on the solid foundation as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals.
And, while Kusal Perera indulged in a few lusty blows, it proved to be too little as the Islanders ended their innings stranded at 142, a total that ultimately proved to be well below par.
For the hosts, Navdeep Saini sizzled with a sparkling display of pace bowling whereas Shardul Thakur also popped up with three scalps. Kuldeep Yadav, meanwhile, snared crucial wickets in the middle overs as Sri Lanka’s innings stuttered and stumbled.
The action now shifts to Pune, where India and Sri Lanka would clash swords for the final time in the series. While the home side would be looking to seal the series, the Islanders would be hoping to level the rubber and not return empty-handed.