The second T20I between Sri Lanka and India got underway after all the fuzz that surrounded the game after Krunal Pandya was found positive for Covid-19. The game moved a day ahead but took place without any further issues.
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl first. Shikhar Dhawan, though, mentioned he was looking to bat first. Krunal Pandya came in close contact with eight other players which ruled them all out of the remaining two games. Hence, India were forced to make plenty of changes.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Rana and Chetan Sakariya made their T20I debuts as India named five specialist batsmen and six bowlers in their playing XI. Sri Lanka made two changes to win this do-or-die game.
Also Read: Krunal Pandya tested positive for Covid-19, second T20I postponed
Dhawan and Gaikwad started the innings at a brisk pace and scored 49 runs in the first seven overs. The latter got out after scoring 21 runs on debut. Dhawan dug deep and scored 40 runs in 42 balls while Padikkal scored confident-looking 29 runs. India, then, lost wickets in a cluster. They huffed and puffed to 132/5 in 20 overs on a slow pitch.
Sri Lankan spinners bowled really well to restrict India to a chasable total.
The hosts didn’t enjoy a good start as their batsmen failed to stitch a partnership. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and couldn’t go for the winning punch. Minod Bhanuka did bat for a while but got out after scoring 36 runs.
Also Read: Krunal Pandya and eight close-contacted players to miss remaining T20Is
Indian spinners were in fine form and didn’t allow Sri Lanka to run away with the game. Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar took one wicket each while Kuldeep Yadav bagged two. Bhuvneshwar Kumar also bowled well and registered 1/21 in his four overs.
However, Dhananjaya de Silva and Chamika Karunaratne held their nerves when India had the upper hand in the game. De Silva played an anchor’s innings of 40 runs while Chamika smashed a stunning six in the penultimate over as Sri Lanka won the game by four wickets.
See how Twitter reacted to this game;
Phew… #SLvsIND Series is alive .. well done lads
— Russel Arnold (@RusselArnold69) July 28, 2021
Maybe Kuldeep could have been given more confidence and opportunities by the Indian (Main) Team Management. A spinner needs the backing to bring the best out of his skill @imkuldeep18 #IndvsSL
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) July 28, 2021
Despite the loss, we can still be proud of the fighting spirit Indian team showed today. They almost defended a small target. #SLvsIND
— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh) July 28, 2021
sri lanka have done what australia couldn't…beat an indian team made up of essentially the only men left standing on the tour #SLvsIND
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) July 28, 2021
Despite this being a third choice team, India XI is still significantly more experienced in the T20 format than Sri Lanka XI.
Avg T20 experience
India XI: 103
Sri Lanka XI: 68#SLvIND— Deepu Narayanan (@deeputalks) July 28, 2021
Well Done boys & well batted @dds75official , Chamika much needed win for 🇱🇰
One more win for Series…
Go for it Guys 👍👍#INDvsSL #SLvIND #T20Cricket— Dimuth Karunarathna (@IamDimuth) July 28, 2021
Seems like giving everyone a bowl 😉 has worked for @OfficialSLC, now to chase down the total. Will it be tough? #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/7tPflRERGq
— Lisa Sthalekar (@sthalekar93) July 28, 2021
It was a spirited defence but Sri Lanka got the big overs and Dhananjaya has played a very fine, controlled innings
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) July 28, 2021
