IND vs SL: Top 10 Dasun Shanaka memes after his stellar all-round performance against India in the 2nd T20I
Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka led his side from the front in the second T20I against India on Thursday night and helped them secure a series-leveling 16-run victory in Pune.
They batted first after losing the toss and scaled a daunting total of 206/6 at a venue where teams batting first have enjoyed reasonable success so far. Dasun Shanaka was the chief enforcer for his side with the bat as he smashed his way to 56* in just 22 balls.
In the last five T20I innings against Team India, Shanaka recorded scores of 47*(19), 74*(38), 33*(18), 45(27), and 56*(22). He has amassed a total of 255 runs across these games at an astonishing strike rate of 205.64
In the chase, India found themselves in deep trouble with 57/5 on the scoreboard in 9.1 overs. Axar Patel (65) and Suryakumar Yadav (51) rescued India from the precarious situation with counter-attacking knocks. However, Sri Lankan bowlers held their composure and put their side in a good position at the end, as India needed 21 runs to win off the final over.
The Sri Lankan captain once again took the responsibility of finishing things upon himself and gave only two runs while picking up two wickets to seal the game for his side. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Dasun Shanaka reflected on Sri Lanka's performance and said:
"We could have done well in the middle overs. The game was set up by the openers and we had to make sure to keep that going in the middle order. (Dew having an effect on the bowlers?) It's not the dew factor. It was the skill of the Indian batters. Suryakumar's batting was outstanding and so was Axar's."
"It's really good to defend a total against India. We know they are very good while chasing in any conditions. (Aware of his excellent record against India?) Now I am."
Fans heap praise on Dasun Shanaka and slam IPL franchises for not bidding for him at mini-auction
Fans hailed Dasun Shanaka for his consistent and impactful performances in the middle-order over a period of time in T20 cricket. They sympathized with him for not receiving due credit for his performances. They went on to slam the IPL franchises for not bidding for him and highlighted that they splurged money on untested Australian and English players in the mini-auction.
Here are some of the best memes shared by fans on the matter:
India and Sri Lanka will square off in the 3rd T20I of the series on Saturday, January 7, in Rajkot.