India beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the rain-curtailed second T20I in Pallekele. The visitors thus took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. Hardik Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi were the architects of the win, with handy contributions from others. The third match will be played on Tuesday.
Sent in to bat, Sri Lanka lost Kusal Mendis early to Arshdeep Singh, for the second time in two matches. Kusal Perera came in at No 3 and formed crucial half-century partnerships with Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis.
Despite the initial setback, Sri Lanka’s momentum remained intact as Perera launched a counter-offensive, eventually scoring a brilliant half-century. The surface was favourable for batting, allowing Sri Lanka to maintain a decent run rate. These 50-plus partnerships for the third and fourth wickets ensured that the boundaries kept flowing.
India made a remarkable comeback to end the innings. Sri Lanka’s middle-order struggled once again, collapsing from a commanding position of 130/2 after 15 overs to 161/9, scoring only 31 runs in the last 30 balls losing 7 wickets. This mirrored their performance in the first T20I.
Sri Lanka’s top-order had laid a solid foundation, but once again the middle-order failed to capitalise on it. Hardik Pandya removed both set batters in the same over, Bishnoi dismissed Dasun Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga off successive deliveries, and Axar Patel bowled two overs at the death, picking up a couple of wickets.
Suryakumar Yadav impressed once again with his captaincy, effectively rotating his bowlers. He ensured that all three spinners, including Riyan Parag, completed their full quota of overs, taking advantage of the turn on offer.
India were initially set a target of 162 runs, but rain interrupted the chase after just three balls with the score at 6/0. This led to the target being revised to 78 runs in eight overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal, known for his aggressive style in the shortest format, came out firing. The shortened game allowed him to play even more freely. He attacked the bowlers from the start. Despite India losing Sanju Samson in the second over, Suryakumar supported Jaiswal’s onslaught from the other end.
Sri Lanka managed to dismiss Jaiswal and Suryakumar, but it was too late. Hardik Pandya came in and finished the job. The toss proved crucial, as did Sri Lanka’s collapse in the final five overs of their innings. India have taken an unassailable lead in the series, doing so with ease.