India beat Sri Lanka by 69 runs in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) at at the Jharkhand International Stadium on Friday to level the three-match series 1-1.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan (51 off 25) scored a quick-fire half century as India posted a challenging total of 196/6 in 20 overs. Dhawan’s opening stand with Rohit Sharma provided a solid 75-run base for the hosts against an inexperienced Sri Lankan attack. Ravichandran Ashwin (3-14), Jasprit Bumrah (2-17), Ravindra Jadeja (2-24), Ashish Nehra (2-26) were the pick of the bowlers for India.
A comprehensive performance with both bat & ball guided #TeamIndia to a 69-run win in the 2nd T20i. #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/SVnJduOUqJ
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) February 12, 2016
India earlier lost the first match by five wickets. After India were put into bat on a flat pitch, Dhawan’s blistering innings enabled the hosts to post a challenging 196 for six, despite a late hat-trick from Perera.
After losing two early wickets, Sri Lanka never looked like chasing down their target and they only managed to post 127 for nine in their 20 overs.
Man of the Match Shikhar Dhawan said, “I enjoyed batting over here and it’s good that I got my first T20 fifty so I am very happy about that. I like to play my natural game and I got a lot of support from the captain and the support staff. They told me to play the way I want to play and backed my game so that gives you a lot of confidence and I enjoy that confidence.”
Scoreboard
Toss: Sri Lanka
INDIA:
R Sharma c & b Chameera 43
S Dhawan c Chandimal b Chameera 51
A Rahane c Dilshan b Senanayake 25
S Raina c Chameera b Perera 30
H Pandya c Gunathilaka b Perera 27
MS Dhoni not out 9
Yuvraj Singh c Senanayake b Perera 0
R Jadeja not out 1
TOTAL: (6 wkts; 20 overs) 196
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-75, 2-122, 3-127, 4-186, 5-186, 6-186
BOWLING: K Rajitha 4-0-45-0, T Perera 3-0-33-3, S Senanayake 4-0-40-1, D Chameera 4-0-38-2, S Prasanna 3-0-21-0, M Siriwardana 1-0-6-0, D Shanaka 1-0-12-0
SRI LANKA:
M Gunathilaka c Dhoni b Nehra 2
T Dilshan st Dhoni b Ashwin 0
S Prasanna c Yuvraj b Nehra 1
D Chandimal st Dhoni b Jadeja 31
K Kapugedera c Pandya b Jadeja 32
M Siriwardana not out 28
D Shanaka c Raina b Ashwin 27
T Perera c Rahane b Ashwin 0
S Senanayake lbw b Bumrah 0
D Chameera b Bumrah 0
K Rajitha not out 3
TOTAL: (9 wkts; 20 overs) 127
FOW: 1-2, 2-3, 3-16, 4-68, 5-68, 6-116, 7-117, 8-119, 9-119
BOWLING: R Ashwin 4-0-14-3, A Nehra 3-0-26-2, Yuvraj Singh 3-0-19-0, R Jadeja 4-0-24-2, S Raina 2-0-22-0, J Bumrah 3-0-17-2, H Pandya 1-0-5-0
Runs on the board for India, the ball turning on the pitch, it’s a tough ask for any opposition. #IndvSL #Ranchi
— Anjum Chopra (@chopraanjum) February 12, 2016
Ah! Dhawan has just despatched two good length balls for two sixes…Normalcy returns to cricket. Early signs of flat pitch.#IndvSL
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) February 12, 2016
Normalcy returns in Ranchi! #ShikharDhawan #IndvsSL
— Chitresh (@ImChitresh) February 12, 2016
A breezy fifty for #shikhardhawan of jus 22 balls.Quite astonishingly his 1st in T20 intls.#INDvSL
— Abhinav tandon (@Cricketfrenatic) February 12, 2016
Some class by #shikhardhawan
Brilliant shots, totally worth watching. #indvsSL— Shubh Chaudhary (@Shubh191193) February 12, 2016
