SL vs IND 2021: Virat Kohli congratulates Team India after a thrilling victory against Sri Lanka
Team India skipper Virat Kohli, who is busy with the upcoming five-match Test series against England, congratulated Shikhar Dhawan-led Men in Blues after their incredible win in the second ODI against Sri Lanka.
Chasing 276 runs, India banked on the 84-run eighth-wicket stand between Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to snatch victory. Taking to Twitter, Virat Kohli showered praise on Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Chahar especially. He wrote:
"Great win by the boys. From a tough situation to pull it off was an amazing effort. Great to watch. Well done DC and Surya. Tremendous knocks under pressure."
After losing the top three batsmen within the first 12 overs of the run chase, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav revived the ship. They added 50 runs for the fourth-wicket but Sri Lanka bounced back sharply with timely wickets. Ultimately, it was Deepak Chahar's unbeaten 69-run knock that sealed the series in India's favor with one match in hand.
Meanwhile, Indian cricketers in England were glued to laptop screens to follow the proceedings in Colombo. Skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri also had their eyes firmly set on the match in Sri Lanka ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup.
The cricketers, who were busy with the warm-up game, hardly missed a moment and cheered every run in that incredible win.
Virat Kohli misses the warm-up game due to back stiffness
Kohli was not a part of the playing XI that took on Durham's Select County Championship XI in a three-day practice game at the Riverside Ground. He was rested by the BCCI's medical team after he complained of back pain.
"Captain Virat Kohli felt some stiffness in his back on late Monday evening and he has been advised rest from the three-day first-class warm-up game by the BCCI Medical Team," a statement from BCCI read.
Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane also missed the game with a mild swelling around his left upper hamstring.
Opting to bat first, India ended the day at 306/9 riding on KL Rahul's brilliant century and Ravindra Jadeja's 75-run knock.