"This is what I'm meant to do for the team" : Dhananjaya de Silva justifies role for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva played a match-winning innings of 40 off 34 against India on Wednesday to anchor the home side to a win by 4 wickets while chasing 133 in Colombo. Talking about his role in the team after the match, De Silva said that he has the responsibility to bat for a longer time and hold one end. 

"This is what I'm meant to do for the team," de Silva said after the match. "In the previous match as well, what I'd been told was to bat 20 overs from one side. I wasn't able to do that in the previous game. Today was my day and I did that. If I can bat at a run-a-ball until the final overs, letting others attack around me, I can raise my strike rate towards the finish as well. That was the coach, captain and selectors' plan."

The hosts didn’t really have a great start to the chase and were reduced to 66/4 when De Silva and Wanindu Hasaranga joined hands to steady the ship for the side. The two batsmen chipped in with a crucial stand of 28 runs before Hasaranga departed for 15 off 11 but De Silva continued his form and led Sri Lanka to victory. 

With this win, the Lankan lions also levelled the three-match T20I series. India, on the other hand, had to make few changes in their side after eight players who were deemed closed contacts of Krunal Pandya were ruled out of the remainder of the series. 

The two sides will now meet each other for the third and deciding clash at the same venue on Thursday.