Iyer, Jadeja help India take 2-0 series lead

SCORECARD

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma called it right at the toss and elected to field first. India named an unchanged XI while Sri Lanka drafted in Danushka Gunathilaka and Binura Fernando in place of Janith Liyanage and Jeffrey Vandersay. It seemed to be a wise call from the skipper as the grass on the pitch meant that the Indian seamers were jagging the ball around in the opening few overs. It was a slow start for the Gunathilaka and Pathum Nissanka, who only scored 32 runs in the Powerplay as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah kept them in check.

Sri Lanka started to up the ante after the Powerplay, targeting the spin of Ravindra Jadeja. In the ninth over, Gunathilaka hit him for a 16 in the first three deliveries. But the opener got carried away and went for another big one. A mistimed slog sweep would bring an end to his knock of 38 as he found Venkatesh Iyer in the deep.

Charith Asalanka would walk back in the very next over for 2 as Yuzvendra Chahal trapped him lbw. He reviewed the call unsuccessfully as Sri Lanka lost their second wicket before the halfway mark.

Kamil Mishara could not contribute much to the scorecard either, perishing for 1 as a slower delivery from Harshal Patel completely outfoxed him, with Shreyas Iyer taking the catch at short cover.

Nissanka though again showcased why he is such a highly-rated talent in Sri Lankan cricket. He started to play some fluent shots off his blade despite losing Dinesh Chandimal from the other end, who was gone for 9 against Bumrah. Nissanka would bring up his fifty, the fifth of his young career and was proving to be the lone warrior for the visitors.

Skipper Dasun Shanaka joined Nissanka at the crease and their partnership completely changed the complexion of the game. They targeted the Indian pacers, hitting some massive sixes, clearing the boundary with ease. Shanaka, especially, was brutal with his shotmaking while Nissanka was more meticulous in terms of piercing the field.

They established a partnership of 58 in only 26 deliveries before Nissanka was trapped by Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 75, in what was an innings of great substance.

Shanaka though would continue the assault in the final over against Harshal Patel, smashing 23 runs as Sri Lanka posted a competitive score of 183/5. Shanaka was unbeaten on 47 off only 19 deliveries as the visitors plundered 74 runs in the last four overs against the Indian attack.

The finish gave the Lankans a lot of confidence and they came out flying in their bowling innings. Rohit's struggles against Dushmantha Chameera continued as he played on to walk back for 1.

Ishan Kishan copped a blow from a pacy delivery from Lahiru Kumara, which clearly unsettled him. Kumara would eventually get his dismissal for 16 with Shanaka taking a simple catch at mid-on.

With India in trouble, the onus was on Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson to steady the ship. While the latter took his time to get settled in, Iyer continued on from his blistering form from the first match in Lucknow.

He was especially severe against the spin of Praveen Jayawickrama, playing some terrific shots down the ground. Iyer would bring up his half-century in the 11th over while the pair also brought up a 50-run stand. Samson was also starting to look comfortable at the crease as the hosts were timing the chase with perfection.

A pure moment of magic from Binura Fernando at slip would finally break the partnership for Sri Lanka. Samson, who was now in full flight went for a big one against Kumara and got a thick edge off the bat. Fernando then went flying and plucked a catch out of thin air bringing an end to Samson's knock of 39.

Jadeja would then walk out and unleash sheer carnage, taking the game away from the visitors. He was aided some poor fielding, while he was severe on the Lankan pacers. Jadeja would race away to a score of 45* in 18 balls while Iyer remained unbeaten on 74 as India comfortably chased down the target with 16 deliveries remaining.

With the victory, the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with the final match to be played at the same venue on Sunday.