IND vs SL 2nd T20I: Sri Lanka win nail-biting contest despite Axar Patel’s valiant effort, level series at 1-1

Sri Lanka won a thrilling contest in Pune on Thursday (January 5) in the final over despite valiant efforts from Axar Patel (65) and Suryakumar Yadav (51). India lost the contest by 16 runs and were restricted to 190/8 while chasing the 207-run target. The win for Sri Lanka now sees them level the series at 1-1 with the third T20I in Rajkot being the deciding contest on Saturday.

India make poor start

Asked to chase 207 runs, the Indian team had a tough day at the office and lost early wickets. India lost four wickets in the powerplays and looked done for the day. However, Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav came up with a superb partnership that saw India take the match to the last over. Both Axar and Suryakumar put in a 91-run stand in 40 deliveries that saw India make a superb comeback but ultimately fall short by 16 runs.

Sri Lanka off to flying start

Asked to bat first, Sri Lanka made a good start to their innings as Indian bowlers struggled to cope with the nature of the pitch. Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Mavi bowled no-balls in tandem which allowed Sri Lanka openers to out a stand of 80 runs for the first innings. Kusal Mendis (52 off 31) and Pathum Nissanka (33 off 35) gave the visitors a perfect platform to build on.

India did make a mini-comeback with quickfire wickets in the middle overs, but Sri Lanka made sure they reached the 200-run mark after Arshdeep had bowled five no-balls in the innings. Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka top scored with an unbeaten 56 which also happened to be the fastest fifty by a Sri Lanka player in the T20I format.

Shivam Mavi gave away 53 runs in his four overs without a wicket while Umran Malik gave away 48 runs and scalped three wickets. Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal were also amongst the wicket-takers with the former scalping two and the latter with a solitary wicket.

The teams will next meet on Saturday (January 7) at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot in what will be the series decider.

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