India secure series victory with clinical all-round performance
KL Rahul (Source: Twitter)
India prevailed over Sri Lanka by four wickets in the second fixture of the ODI series on Thursday at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
KL Rahul (Source: Twitter)
India prevailed over Sri Lanka by four wickets in the second fixture of the ODI series on Thursday at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Opting to bat first, the Lankan Lions lost Avishka Fernando (20) early. However, the duo of Nuwanidu Fernando (50) and Kusal Mendis (34) were off to a terrific start to steer the team on the right path.
However, Kuldeep Yadav put brakes on the Sri Lanka line-up, with his key scalp of skipper Dasun Shanaka (2). In the end, Wanindu Hasaranga (21) and Dunith Wellalage (32) were handy with their contributions to take the team to a fighting total of 212 on the board.
Yadav and Mohammed Siraj bagged three wickets each for the home team.
In reply, Shubman Gill (21) and Rohit Sharma (17) provided an impressive start to the Men in Blue. However, they gave away their wickets in quick succession, while Virat Kohli (4) failed as well.
Then, Shreyas Iyer (28) was the key anchor, but failed to convert his scores into big innings. Afterwards, Hardik Pandya (36) and KL Rahul stitched a quality 75-run stand. Axar Patel was positive with his intent to contribute 21.
Rahul remained unbeaten on 64* to help India seal the chase with more than six overs to spare.
After the conclusion of this game, India secured an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the ODI series.
Sri Lanka: 215/10 (39.4)
Nuwanidu Fernando 50 (63), Kusal Mendis 34 (34);
Mohammed Siraj 3/30, Kuldeep Yadav 3/51
India: 219/6 (43.2)
KL Rahul 64* (103), Hardik Pandya 36 (53);
Chamika Karunaratne 2/51, Lahiru Kumara 2/64
Result: India won by 4 wickets
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