Team India lost the second T20I of the three-match series against Sri Lanka where apart from the middle-order batters Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel, others failed to contribute with the bat while chasing a 207-run target. India’s top order crumbled under immense pressure on the batting unit in the middle. While Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel managed to keep India in the game for the most part of the match, some questions were raised when the debutant Rahul Tripathi came to bat ahead of Suryakumar.
However, when India’s skipper Hardik Pandya was asked about this decision, he said: “Surya had a fantastic run at four. Rahul is accustomed to playing at no. 3, and someone coming in, we want to give them a role they are comfortable with. That’s why he batted at No. 3.”
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Meanwhile, Rahul Tripathi didn’t have a great debut. He could only score 5 runs from 5 balls in his maiden T20I outing for India as well. Bowlers led by Kasun Rajitha restricted India to 190-8 despite a threatening 91-run sixth-wicket partnership between Suryakumar Yadav (51) and Axar Patel (65) as well.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka captain Shanaka bowled the 20th over to remove Axar Patel and Shivam Mavi, who hit 26 off 15 balls, and take the series into the decider on Saturday in Rajkot as well. But it was Shanaka’s batting that set up a win as he tore into the Indian attack with his fifty off 20 balls as well which was the fastest by a Sri Lankan batsman in the T20 format also.
