IND vs SL: 2nd ODI Review – India’s middle order secures series win
India won the second ODI match against Sri Lanka by five wickets to seal the three-match home series on Thursday (January 12). Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj shone with the ball to bowl out Sri Lanka for 215 runs. Then KL Rahul scored an unbeaten fifty to guide India to an easy win with four wickets and 40 balls remaining.
Kuldeep-Siraj cause Lankan collapse
Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and elected to bat first at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. India were forced to make a change with Kuldeep Yadav replacing in-form Yuzvendra Chahal while Sri Lanka brought in Nuwanidu Fernando and Lahiru Kumara in place of the injured duo of Pathum Nissanka and Dilshan Madushanka.
Sri Lanka openers looked confident with a 29-run partnership but Mohammed Siraj sent back Avishka in the sixth over. Debutant Nuwanidu and Kusal Mendis then dominated the Indian bowlers with a big 73-run partnership for the second wicket as the Sri Lankan team looked destined for a big total. But Kuldeep broke the crucial partnership in the 18th over and then India dominated the game thereafter. Siraj took the last two wickets in the 40th over to bowl out Sri Lanka on just 215 runs.
India recover from trouble
Indian openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma started comparatively well, with a quick 33-run partnership for the first wicket. Chamika Karunaratne dismissed Rohit in the fifth over to give Sri Lanka an opening and then Lahiru took Gill’s wicket in the next over to bring his team back into the game.
Lahiru then bowled out in-form Virat Kohli on just four runs to leave India struggling at 67/3 in ten overs. India lost their fourth wicket in form of Shreyas Iyer with just 86 runs on the scoreboard. But KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya pulled off a match-defining partnership of 75 runs for the fifth wicket. Hardik scored 36 off 53 before getting caught behind off Karunaratne’s delivery.
But Rahul stood firm at the other end to avoid further slip-ups and guided India to a four-wicket win with 40 balls remaining. He scored the highest, 64* off 103 balls for India while Lahiru and Karunaratne took two wickets each for Sri Lanka.
Best Performers from the match:
Kuldeep Yadav:
Kuldeep replaced the injured leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and made the biggest possible impact to prove his worth. He broke the second-wicket partnership in between Kusal Mendis and Nuwanidu Fernando and then grabbed the big wicket of Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka. He ended the innings with three wickets for 51 from his ten-over spell.
KL Rahul:
India’s wicketkeeper batter came to bat in the number five position after the hosts lost their third wicket in form of Virat Kohli with just 62 runs on the scoreboard. He scored 64* off 103 balls with the help of six fours while other Indian batters struggled for big knocks.
What’s Next for both teams?
Both India and Sri Lanka will travel to Thiruvananthapuram for the third and final ODI match scheduled at Greenfield International Stadium on Sunday, January 15, 2023.
