IND vs SL | 2nd T20I: In-form India look to wrap up series, Sri Lanka eye redemption

India have continued to be a lethal force under the new skipper Rohit Sharma and they stretched their winning streak after clinching victory against Sri Lanka in Lucknow on Thursday in the first T20I. The action between the two sides now shifts to Dharamsala where they will lock horns in the second T20I. 

The hosts suffered some blows ahead of the series with Deepak Chahar and Suryakumar Yadav being ruled out due to respective injuries. Opening batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad was due to play the first match but had to be left out after he felt some pain in his right wrist. He has been replaced by Mayank Agarwal for this game.

But the positives from the first game was that Ishan Kishan who had struggled against West Indies looked in some fine touch against the Lankan Lions as he struck 89 off 56 balls and helped India put up a big total of 199/2 in 20 overs. 

Apart from Kishan, Rohit was also among some runs as he scored 44 off 32 while Shreyas Iyer who came out to bat at number three produced a brisk knock and struck a fine fifty during the course. 

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah also made a comeback in the side. Jadeja who had been out of action for a while due to injury returned with a wicket for 28 runs in 4 overs. 

Sri Lanka on the other side, would look to make a comeback in this second T20I to stay alive in the series. 

While the bowling unit was thoroughly dominated by the home side, the batting from the Sri Lankan team didn’t really impress either barring Charith Asalanka who scored a half-century and tried to hold the fort at one end. The visiting side needs to work on all departments right now to get any fruitful result. 

Match Details

Match: IND vs SL, 2nd T20I, Sri Lanka tour of India, 2022

Date: Saturday, February 26, 2022

Time: 7:00 PM

Venue: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

Pitch Report

The pitch might have something on offer for the fast bowlers. While chasing can be tricky on this surface. So, if you win the toss, elect to bat first. 

Team News

India: With Ishan Kishan being among runs in the first match, it is unlikely that Mayank Agarwal will be played. In the wildest of chances that Mayank does come in, Samson might miss out. 

But there is surely a major concern for the team management and that is fielding. From the West Indies series, the Indian team has been a bit sloppy and in fact, dropped a couple of catches in the first T20I against Sri Lanka as well. This is one area that would be on Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid’s minds which needs to be fixed. 

Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka need to push the paddle if they want to stay in the hunt in the series. They would be looking for a fightback. As of now, the visitors have a lot of issues to sort out. Their batting as well as bowling brought disappointment for the fans in the first match against India. 

The bowlers have leaked runs at a heavy pace while the batters haven’t been able to get into the groove. 

Probable XI

India: Mayank Agarwal, Ishan Kishan (WK), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lahiru Kumara

Fantasy XI

Ishan Kishan (WK), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Mayank Agarwal, Charith Asalanka, Pathum Nissanka, Ravindra Jadeja (C), Dasun Shanaka (VC), Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Lahiru Kumara