SL vs IND: 2nd T20I – Talking points from Sri Lanka’s thrilling win over depleted India

A depleted Indian unit suffered a loss by four wickets against Sri Lanka in the second T20I after setting a 133-run target after batting first. Carrying with them 25 players for the Sri Lanka tour, India would not have thought they would face a situation that forming an XI would become a task. Although Krunal Pandya contracting with Covid-19 meant that he and each one of his eight close contacts were unavailable for selection for India’s second game against Sri Lanka.

India hand four debut caps

🎥Big moment for the 4⃣! 👏 👏

T20I caps handed over to @devdpd07, @Ruutu1331, @NitishRana_27 & @Sakariya55! 👍 👍 #TeamIndia #SLvIND

Follow the match 👉 https://t.co/Hsbf9yWCCh pic.twitter.com/E4OzrlG4Sx

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 28, 2021

With Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Prithvi Shaw, Deepak Chahar, Gowtham, Ishan Kishan, Yuzvendra Chahal all out of contention, India handed debut caps to Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Chetan Sakariya. While both Gaikwad, who scored an 18-ball 21, and Dedvutt Padikkal, 23-ball 29, got starts, Nitish Rana could not capitalize as he was dismissed for 9 off 12. India’s fourth debutant, Chetan Sakariya impressed partially but did not have a memorable debut as he leaked 34 runs in a low-scoring encounter.

Shikhar Dhawan’s ODI-like knock

After as many young players walking in, there was added burden on Shikhar Dhawan, the Indian skipper, to lead from the front and provide the required momentum towards the start. While he did score 40 runs, what mattered was the pace at which he scored the runs. The southpaw took 42 deliveries in his knock, scoring runs below even a run a ball. Despite trying to go after the bowlers after getting his eyes in, the tricky surface in Colombo meant he could not accelerate the way India would have liked.

Dhananjaya de Silva’s composed knock

Even though Sri Lanka was set only a 133-run target, Indian bowlers did not make the task easy for them. With enough turn on a sluggish track, Dhananjaya de Silva ensured to hold his end tightly as he kept his cool even when Sri Lanka lost wickets in the middle overs. Despite hitting merely a four and a six in his 40-run knock, de Silva ran hard and ensured to not take up too many balls. He remained unbeaten on 40 off 34.