SL vs IND | 2nd ODI: Deepak Chahar - Suryakumar Yadav dig deep, inspire India to series win

Maiden half-centuries by Deepak Chahar and Suryakumar Yadav helped India dig deep and win the series 2-0 with a game to go in the three-match ODI series.

If the first ODI had highlighted the gulf between sides in terms of ability, the second ODI established a huge gap between the sides in terms of mental toughness and attitude. 

Even after they were left five wickets down with the target well beyond their comfortable reach, the  Indian middle-order batted with supreme confidence and flair before Chahar took over the domination. 

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, dropped their towel just when they had to dig deep and find a bit of inspiration after the all-rounder Wanindu Hassaranag had brought them in the game through his remarkable leg-spin bowling. He finished with three big wickets of Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, and Krunal Pandya—and all of them beaten in one way or the other. But, others failed to rise to the occasion, and in the end, gifted the match they should have won to India.

The showstopper however was Chahar who showed remarkable composure that would mimic the temperament of his Chennai Super Kings and former India captain. When he walked out to bat, the chips were down but required run rate and he decisively defended against pacers. As Dasun Shanaka switched to spinners, he got an opening and put pressure on Lakshan Sandakan with a crisp drive through cover and a stylish lofted shot over long-off boundary.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar played the role of an anchor perfectly and denied Sri Lanka any opportunity to sneak through the other end. Chahar did cut loose against pacers as well, but only after things shifted considerably in India’s favour.

India suffered a min collapse in the middle order as Manish Pandey was dismissed in one of the most unfortunate manner while Hardik Pandya was done in by a cutter from hosts’ skipper Shanaka.

Hungry for the opportunity and always ready to prove his worth with flair and substance, Suryakumar Yadav started his batting on the unflustered note. He was sublime as usual against spinners and played delightful strokes against them on both sides of the wicket. 

One on-drive he played between off Rajitha through the right of the mid-on fielder would have made AB de Villiers feel proud, and reached his first fifty in the fifty-over format with some unorthodox but signature shots.

He was at the top of his game, especially against spinner Sandakan, who yielded 71 runs from his 10 overs, but soon after fifty found his pad in front of the stumps. A promising innings was cut short and India were under the pump before Krunal Pandya and Chahar resurrected them. When Hassaranaga deceived Krunal with a leg spinner that did not turn as much as the left-hander expected, India were left to search for inspiration and never say die attitude.

The pair of Bhuvneshwar and Chahar had plenty of them and they carried India over the line in the last over.

Earlier, Sri Laka skipper Shanaka won yet another toss and decided to bat first once again. The pitch was similar to the one used in the first game, but it was not that slower and also the outfield was a bit lighter than in the last game.

India’s bowling struggle in the first 10 overs continued as neither Bhuvneshwar and Chahar could not find enough assistance off the pitch and in the air to trouble Sri Lankan batsmen. Once again, the breakthrough was achieved by Yuzvendra Chahal and the leg spinner struck twice in quick succession to bring India back in the upward momentum.

Avishka Fernando bettered his performance from the first game and put his head down to bring the hosts back on the track. However, just after reaching a much-deserving fifty, he threw his wicket away once again and his partner Dhananjaya de Silva followed suit very soon to gift India cheap wickets.

Charith Asalanka struggled at the start but attacked spinners as he grew in confidence and put a crucial fifty runs partnership with Chamika Karunaratne, who added yet another valuable contribution lower down the order in the series. It was his efforts in the end overs that Sri Lanka could post a challenging total for the tourists.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Chahar shared five wickets between them but India would be curious about what is ailing them in the first 10 overs. Kuldeep Yadav went wicketless but Chahal’s three-wicket haul saved the day for India.

India would be delighted to clinch the series but they would be fretting over a lack of wicket-taking opportunities with the new ball. India are likely to change their playing XI in the next game but so far they can take pride in the level of performance put in by the players.