Dasun Shanaka kept his nerve in the last over with some great bowling as Sri Lanka defeated India by 16 runs in the second T20. Shanaka gave just four runs with 21 runs required off six balls on Thursday, as India was limited to 8-190.
Skipper Shanaka, Match winner for Sri Lanka
Axar Patel hit 65 off 31 balls to help India come back from a 5-57 deficit, while Suryakumar Yadav hit 51 off 36 balls. However, it was unable to equal the Sri Lankans, for whom Shanaka also excelled with the bat, hitting 56 not out off 22 balls as they posted a commanding 6-206. The three-match series is currently tied 1-1 after India won the opening game by two runs in Mumbai.
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It was Sri Lanka’s first win in 13 T20s on Indian soil, with their last victory being in Pune in 2016. The series finale will be played on Saturday in Rajkot. The Indian batters were skilled enough to take the game away from us. “But we managed to keep our cool,” Shanaka stated. Our openers set the tone for the game, and it was fantastic to defend in India.
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Sri Lanka batted first and got off to a solid start, with Pathum Nissanka (33) and Kusal Mendis putting up 80 from 50 balls. Mendis hit 52 off 31 balls, including three fours and four sixes, while Patel held the innings together with 2-24 from four overs.
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Umran Malik then wrecked Sri Lanka’s middle order with a blistering four-over burst, taking 3-48. He dismissed Bhanuka Rajapaksa (2) and Wanindu Hasranga (0), as well as Charith Asalanka (37) in between. Despite a strong start, the visitors were reduced to 6-138 in 16 overs thanks to Malik. However, Shanaka excelled with the bat, hitting two fours and six sixes as India conceded 68 runs in the last four overs.
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