Dasun Shanaka Gives India A Scare, Sri Lanka Wins The Second T20i
Sri Lanka defeated India by 16 runs in the second match of the 3-match Twenty20 series due to the all-round skill shown by Dasun Shanaka. Also, he created the record of the batsman who scored a half-century in the least number of balls for Sri Lanka in the history of Twenty20 matches. With the victory in this match held in Pune, the Sri Lankan team also got the opportunity to draw the series 1-1.
Batting first, the Sri Lankan team scored 206 runs for 6 wickets at the end of the 20 overs and gave India a formidable target. It is notable that it has been 7 years since an India was defeated by Sri Lanka on their home soil.
Axar Patel, who picked up the bat and scored a quick 65 runs in 31 balls, partnered a quick 91 runs in 40 balls for the sixth wicket with Suryakumar Yadav, but the Sri Lankan bowlers were more tricky than that.
With the total number of runs being 57 runs, the left-handed batsman duo, who were the only ones on the field, recovered the Indian innings by hitting 74 runs hitting sixes (9) and fours (5).
Yadav’s innings came to an end when he was caught by Hasaranga on a ball from Madushanka. By that time, Yadav, who had faced 36 balls, had hit 3 sixes and 3 fours for 51 runs. But because Aksar Patel and Shivam Mavi, who did not give up the fight, again managed to collect 41 runs in 22 balls, the Indians were able to bring the winning target to a minimum level of 33 runs in the last two over.
Captain Dasun Shanaka who took the ball in the third ball and Shivam Mavi (26) in the last ball ended the innings by giving only 04 runs.
Before all this, in the second over of the match, Kasun Rajitha did more for Sri Lanka’s victory by taking the wickets of Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill within that over. Since then, the Sri Lankan bowlers, who tightened their grip, lost the first 5 wickets of the Indian team before the end of 10 overs.
The Sri Lankan team, who batted first at the invitation of the host captain in Pune’s second position, except for Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dhananjaya de Silva, everyone gave their best with the bat. Among them, captain Dasun Shanaka and opener batsman Kusal Mendis stood out by scoring half-centuries.
Dasun Shanaka Completes Half Century In 20 Balls
Dasun Shanaka completed his half century in 20 balls he faced. He achieved the half-century by hitting Shivam Mavi for a six. Earlier, Mahela Jayawardene (against Kenya in 2007) and Kumar Sangakkara (against India in 2009) were able to show this feat. Both of them had done this feat in the 21st ball they faced.
Meanwhile, Dasun’s innings also entered the record books as the second fastest half-century by a batsman against India. Earlier, only Cameron Green of Australia scored a half-century against India in the least number of balls (19 balls).
Even when the last ball was converted into a six from the third man zone, Dasun had collected 56 runs in 22 balls, decorating the innings with 6 sixes and 2 fours.
Due to Dasun’s performance, the Sri Lankan team was able to score 77 runs in the last 30 balls. Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka, who made the beginning as successful as the end, scored 47 runs in the first 4 overs while the Indian fast bowlers bowled with their maximum swing.
With the arrival of Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chehal, the rate of inflow of runs was seen to decrease at once. In the 48 balls executed by these two, the opposing batsmen managed to get only 54 runs. Meanwhile, they took 3 wickets in Sri Lanka’s innings.
Despite facing difficulties in the face of the spinners, the Sri Lankan batsmen, went in search of runs by operating the scoreboard at a speed faster than the second hand of the clock.