India Secures Series Victory After Sri Lanka’s Dramatic Collapse
Before India vs Sri Lanka 2nd T20I, In Dambulla, Sri Lanka’s women’s team triumphed over India to win the Women’s Asia Cup, led by stellar performances from Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama. However, later that evening in Pallakele, it was India’s men’s team who stole the show, clinching the second T20I against Sri Lanka with dominant spin bowling. Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, and Riyan Parag delivered impressive figures, leading to a significant collapse in the Sri Lankan batting lineup. This victory secured the series for India, with one match still to be played.
In the first two T20Is, Sri Lanka faltered, losing 16 wickets for just 68 runs in the last six overs. The spinners had such a significant impact that part-time bowler Parag completed his full quota of overs, and Axar Patel bowled the final over of Sri Lanka’s innings, restricting them to 161 for 9.
Sri Lanka’s hopes of defending this modest total rested on their three spinners. They replaced fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka with Ramesh Mendis to bolster their spin attack. However, rain disrupted their plans. Maheesh Theekshana dismissed Sanju Samson for a duck in India’s revised chase of 78 runs in eight overs. Despite this, Wanindu Hasaranga conceded 16 runs in his first over. Suryakumar Yadav then hit Theekshana for three consecutive fours, pushing India closer to victory.
Matheesha Pathirana managed to dismiss Suryakumar for 26 runs off 12 balls, and Yashasvi Jaiswal was out for 30 runs off 15 balls in the following over. Nevertheless, Hardik Pandya’s quickfire innings ensured India’s series victory in this new era of Indian cricket.
Strong Start for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, asked to bat first, began aggressively, scoring 54 runs for the loss of one wicket in the powerplay. With no swing for Mohammed Siraj or Arshdeep Singh, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis capitalized on the situation, hitting boundaries with ease.
Mendis initially looked strong, lofting a delivery from Arshdeep over mid-on for four. However, when Arshdeep took pace off the ball, Mendis mistimed his shot and was caught. Nissanka and Kusal Perera continued the aggressive approach, consistently finding the boundary in the powerplay.
Perera played a series of powerful shots reminiscent of Sanath Jayasuriya, particularly excelling in short-arm jabs. His half-century came in just 31 balls, aided by a fortunate slip from Rinku Singh, who accidentally parried the ball over the boundary for six. Rinku also dropped a catch off Perera when he was on 32, giving Sri Lanka a reprieve.
However, Ravi Bishnoi soon dismissed Nissanka with a sharp wrong’un, trapping him lbw for 32 off 24 balls.
India’s Spinners Take Control
India relied on four specialist bowlers, including Axar Patel, and used Hardik Pandya and Riyan Parag to fill the fifth bowler’s quota. After a brilliant performance in the previous match, Parag continued to impress with his turn and bounce. A graphic during the broadcast showed Parag achieving an average turn of 3.7 degrees, compared to Axar’s 3 degrees and Bishnoi’s 1 degree.
Though Parag didn’t take any wickets, he effectively controlled the game, allowing Suryakumar Yadav to hold back Hardik until the 14th over. Bishnoi then returned to dismiss Dasun Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga for ducks. Hardik contributed by having Perera caught for 53 runs off 34 balls, with Rinku redeeming himself with a sharp catch.
Suryakumar’s unconventional bowling decisions, such as giving Parag the ball at crucial moments, paid off. Axar Patel bowled the 20th over, conceding just eight runs and taking two wickets. From a promising position of 130 for 2, Sri Lanka crumbled to 161 for 9, effectively ending their chances.
Rain and Suryakumar Disrupt Sri Lanka’s Spinners
Rain delayed the start of India’s chase by 45 minutes and reduced their target to 78 runs in eight overs. Theekshana’s dismissal of Samson for a duck gave Sri Lanka a glimmer of hope. However, Hasaranga struggled with the wet ball, and Jaiswal took advantage of the situation, excelling against the leg-spinner.
The wet conditions helped the ball skid onto the bat, and Suryakumar played a variety of sweep shots before being dismissed by Pathirana. Hardik Pandya finished the chase with nine balls to spare, leaving Hasaranga with figures of 2-0-34-1.
India’s comprehensive performance, especially their spinners’ effectiveness, ensured a series victory, highlighting their dominance and strategic depth in T20 cricket.
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