Sri Lanka lost the second T20 match against India by 7 wickets at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore yesterday to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series. The first match was rained off.
Put in to bat, Sri Lanka made 142 for 9 un 20 overs with Kusal Janith Perera top scoring with 34 off 28 balls inclusive of 3 sixes. Openers Avishka Fernando, who made 22 off 16 containing 5 boundaries and Danushka Gunathilaka 20 off 21 with 3 boundaries, posted 38 for the first wicket off 4.5 overs and Kusal Janith Perera and Gunathilaka took it to 54 by the fourth delivery of the eighth over. Then Perera and Oshada Fernando added a further 28 runs as Sri Lanka reached 82 for 3 in 11.3 overs, but lost their way with the dismissal of Perera with the total on 97 off 13.2 overs.
Shardul Thakur took 3 for 23 and Player of the Match Navdeep Saini 2 for 18 for the host team. India made light of the target finishing it off in 17.3 overs with openers K.L. Rahul 45 off 32 (6×4) and Shikhar Dhawan 32 off 29 (2×4) posting 71 off 9.1 overs. Although both openers got out in quick succession, S.S. Iyer 34 off 26 (3×4, 1×6) and skipper Virat Kohli with an unbeaten 30 off 17 (1×4, 2×6) sped India closer before Iyer fell with the total on 137 when Kohli did the rest. Hasaranga de Silva took 2 for 30 for Sri Lanka.
CHIEF SCORES:
Sri Lanka 142 for 9 (Kusal Perera 34 , W.I.A. Fernando 22, M.D. Gunathilaka 20, D.M. de Silva 17 , P.W.H. Silva n.o. 16, Thakur 3-23, Navdeep Saini 2/18)
India 144 for 3 (K.L. Rahul 45, S.S. Iyer 34 , Dhawan 32, Kohli n.o. 30 , P.W.H. de Silva 2/30)
By Srian Obeyesekere
-The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sri Lanka Cricket-