COLOMBO: Deepak Chahar’s all-round brilliance helped India win the series against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. In a nail-biting second One-Day International (ODI), India defeated Sri Lanka by three wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The Premadasa Stadium in Colombo today witnessed India’s resurgence in a situation where defeat was assured. Chasing 276 for victory, India’s top order failed to find runs, but the middle and lower orders fought to the end and ensured victory for the visitors.
Earlier, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first. Both their openers, Avishka Fernando and Minod Bhanuka, got the team off to a strong start with a 77-run partnership. Charith Asalanka (65) carried the initial momentum, and Chamika Karunaratne later in the innings scored 44 runs to help the hosts post a competitive total of 275 runs. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal both took three wickets, while Deepak Chahar, the hero of the evening, took two.
In the second innings, India lost their top order batsmen before making an impact on the scoreboard. Captain Shikhar Dhawan and Manish Pandey added some runs, and then Suryakumar Yadav, who was playing his second ODI, scored a brilliant half-century to put India in command. Surya (53) and Krunal Pandya (35) scored crucial runs but were unable to carry them till the end, and India began to lose hope as these two wickets fell.
But Deepak Chahar and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar surprised everyone by putting on an 84-run partnership for the eighth wicket. Chahar took charge and scored his maiden half-century (69), while Kumar provided solid support for his partner by scoring 19 runs. Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga was outstanding, taking three wickets by conceding only 37 runs in 10 overs. Chahar was awarded Man of the Match for his excellent all-round performance.
Earlier in the first ODI, India defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets. Both sides will now meet at the same venue on Friday for the third ODI.
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