2nd T20I: Sri Lanka beat India by 4 wickets to level series 1-1

Sri Lanka defeated India by four wickets in the second T20I of the three-match series, to level the series 1-1. The hosts delivered a disciplined performance with the ball, restricting the visitors to 132 runs for the loss of five wickets. Akila Dananjaya was the pick of the bowlers, accounting for two wickets with Dushmantha Chameera, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga chipping in with a wicket apiece. Shikhar Dhawan was the top run-getter for India, accumulating 40 runs off 42 deliveries on a pitch that was very difficult to bat on. Debutant Devdutt Padikkal was the second-highest run-scorer, with a handy 29 runs off 22 balls.

Kuldeep Yadav sends timely reminder

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Chakravarthy attempted their best to make it difficult for the hosts having handed a target of 133 runs. The duo bowled tidy and economical spells, accounting for the dismissals of Avishka Fernando and Sadeera Samarawickrama respectively. Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with regard to wickets, accounting for two dismissals. Kuldeep sent Minod Bhanuka and Shanaka back to the pavilion, sending a timely reminder to the selectors. However, it did not prove enough as Dhananjaya de Silva played a mature knock, scoring 40 runs off 34 deliveries in an innings comprising of a boundary and a six respectively. Bhanuka also played a key role in this triumph, accumulating 36 runs in 31 balls with four fours to his credit.

The hosts won the toss and opted to field in the T20I which was being held at the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo. The visitors are usually well backed in the batting department. However, this was not the case going into the T20I encounter. After Krunal Pandya was tested positive for COVID-19 on July 27th, all members of the team and support staff were immediately isolated and tested as a safety measure. The test results for everyone including the eight identified close contacts of Krunal returned negative. However, to ensure the health and safety of the squad, those 8 close contacts which comprise a few key batsmen like Manish Pandey were asked to continue to remain in isolation in the team hotel.

Only 5 batters available for selection

While the remaining T20Is were permitted to go on as per schedule, the Indian team was hit hard in the batting department with only five batters available for selection. Skipper Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Rana who were handed their respective T20I debuts, and Sanju Samson were those batsmen. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya, and Varun Chakravarthy comprised the bowling department. Sakariya was further handed his debut in the shortest format.

Bhuvneshwar will be expected to make his presence felt in the series decider, as was the case in the opening T20I. The fast-bowler accounted for a four-wicket haul to help India defeat Sri Lanka by 38 runs. The visitors defended a total of 164, which seemed to be competitive but not a winning total at the end of the first innings. Bhuvneshwar had not seemed at his best in the recently concluded ODI series, with many criticising the lack of confidence. However, the pacer seemed to be in fine rhythm in the T20I encounter, accounting for wickets at regular intervals.