Following Suryakumar Yadav’s valiant innings, Deepak Chahar scored a priceless fifty to help India register a 3-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second ODI.
Follow Us
From the brink of defeat, Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar formed an unbeaten 84-run stand to help India seal the ODI series win over Sri Lanka on Tuesday night. The three-wicket victory in the second ODI has helped the visitors extend their record of not losing an ODI on Sri Lanka soil since 2012. For a brief moment, it appeared that the hosts had found a way to end their recent poor form, but Chahar-Kumar condemned them to yet another defeat. From 193/7 in the 36th over, the Indian bowlers forged a beautiful partnership to get over the line with five balls to spare. It was India’s ninth successive bilateral series win over Sri Lanka.
After Sri Lanka’s improved batting effort saw them put 275 for nine on board, it was expected to be another easy chase for India. However, the majority of Indian batsmen made life difficult for themselves with questionable shot selections, to hand their struggling opponents a major lifeline. With the exception of Chahar and Suryakumar Yadav (53), the visiting team’s batsmen failed to match their usual standards. Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga – in particular – was too hot for Indian batsmen to handle. He troubled the visitors with his variations throughout the game.
For a moment it felt like the Men in Blue started the match on a positive note, with Prithvi Shaw hitting three well-timed boundaries. However, Shaw and Ishan Kishan, who both dominated Sri Lankan bowlers in the opener on Sunday, got out to bad shots. Shaw was the first to depart after getting bowled while going for a cut in Hasaranga’s bowling.
Kishan, who just entered the pitch, dragged the ball on to the stumps from pacer Kasun Rajitha, leaving India at 39 for two in four overs. The next wicket was a big one. Skipper Shikhar Dhawan (29 off 38) was trapped in front by Hasaranga. Manish Pandey (37) and Suryakumar Yadav looked to have turned the tables in India’s favour. In the 18th over, however, Pandey was unfortunate to be run out of a deflection from the bowler’s hand. New batsman Hardik Pandya departed for a duck, hitting it straight to mid-wicket, leaving the visitors reeling at 116 for five.
Suryakumar and Krunal then managed a 44-run stand to stabilise their innings. But India suffered their biggest blow when in-form Suryakumar was dismissed as the visitors were languishing at 160/6 and soon it became 193/7 when Krunal departed. With not much hope left, Deepak Chahar, whose highest score before this game was 12, fought back remarkably well and handled the pressure situations admirably to take India over the line with five balls to spare. Chahar remained unbeaten throughout his innings with a valiant 69 runs from 82 balls. The third ODI will be played on Friday.
Earlier, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar were the standout bowlers for the visitors, picking up three wickets each. Just like the series opener, most of the Sri Lankan batsmen failed to capitalise on their good starts after the home side chose to bat. Avishka Fernando (50 off 71) and Charith Asalanka (65 off 68) scored half-centuries but others did not make the most of their opportunity. Towards the end, Chamika Karunaratne’s (44 not out off 33) cameo helped them reach 275/9 in 50 overs, which did not prove enough for them in the end.
Rishabh Pant's explosive last-over blitz ignites IPL 2024 amid T20 World Cup comeback talks
