India defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets in yesterday’s low-scoring One-Day International at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, claiming the three-match ODI series 2-0.
KL Rahul’s heroic knock helped India win the second ODI match against Sri Lanka at the renowned Eden Gardens stadium. As he helped India secure a hard-earned four-wicket victory, KL Rahul displayed some signs of form with a gritty half-entury.
On a challenging surface, Rahul hit an unbeaten 64 off 103 balls as India successfully chased down a target of 216 in 43.2 overs. Vice-captain Hardik Pandya also stood up for the team with a short 36-run knock, which was the second-highest score.
India vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI- Match Summary
With the game being a must-win for Sri Lanka, they elected to bat first after winning the toss. They delivered a lackluster batting performance, though, and were dismissed for 215 in 39.4 overs despite making a strong start. India’s first hit came from pacer Mohammed Siraj, who dismissed Avishka Fernando.
Earlier in the match, Fernando destroyed Siraj with three consecutive boundaries, but the bowler ultimately won the battle with the Sri Lankan rookie when he bowled him with an incoming delivery that took an inside edge to hit the middle stump.
Dhananjaya de Silva was eliminated by Axar Patel for a golden duck before Kuldeep further troubled Sri Lanka by dismissing Asalanka and in-form opposition skipper Dasun Shanaka for two (15). Wanindu Hasaranga and Dunseith Wellalage made helpful contributions, but Umran Malik and Siraj took the final four Lankan wickets to dismiss the Sri Lankan innings on a low score.
The Indian top order collapsed after an early onslaught from the openers. Early departure of team’s captain, Rohit Sharma, and opener Shubman Gill put a lot of the responsibility on King Kohli. The star Indian batsman had just reached his 73rd international century in the first ODI, but in the second ODI, he was dismissed by Sri Lankan pacer LahiruKumara when batting on 4.
When Kohli tried to defend against the length ball from Lahiru, he was taken aback and the ball edged inside before hitting the stumps. Rahul took his time while scoring the half-century with the aid of six fours, ultimately displaying his finest form as a middle-order wicket-keeper batsman. Rahul deserves applauds for holding one end in a run-chase that might have easily gone against India given how they lost wickets throughout the innings.
Rahul remained composed under pressure and batted sensibly to score an unbeaten 64 off 103 balls. He added 75 runs to Indian tally with Hardik Pandya to help India cross the finish line with 40 balls remaining, giving the hosts an unbeatable 2-0 series lead.
Kuldeep Yadav wins Man Of The Match
When it appeared that rookie Nuwanidu Fernando and Kusal Mendis had begun to frustrate Indian bowlers post-Powerplay with a quick counter-attack, Kuldeep responded by taking three wickets in his first five overs.
After a strong start, the visitors went on to lose five wickets in the space of 43 balls and effectively lost the game as Kuldeep raced through the middle order of Sri Lanka, taking the valuable scalp of the opposing skipper Dasun Shanaka.
This effective spell from Kuldeep caused Sri Lanka to collapse from 102/1 to 126/6 in quick sucession. Later, Kuldeep added 10 more runs at a run-per-ball and joined KL Rahul in an unbroken 28-run stand for the seventh wicket.
Reports: Coach Rahul Dravid will miss the third ODI
According to reports, coach Rahul Dravid is ill and won’t be accompanying the squad to Thiruvananthapuram; instead, he’s headed to Bengaluru. David took his prescriptions prior to the game in Kolkata and attended it, despite the fact that his blood pressure was high inside the hotel and he was reportedly feeling anxious. It is unclear if he would travel to Trivandrum with the team for the last ODI.
Earlier in the match, Fernando destroyed Siraj with three consecutive boundaries, but the bowler ultimately won the battle with the Sri Lankan rookie when he bowled him with an incoming delivery that took an inside edge to hit the middle stump.