SL vs IND, 2nd T20I : India Romp To Series Win In Rain-Curtailed Contest After Sri Lanka Suffer

Match Updates:

11:16 pm: Hardik Pandya finishes things off by hitting back-to-back boundaries, fashioning a seven-wicket win and a series victory too.

11:04 pm: Matheesha Pathirana gets Suryakumar Yadav, who played an outstanding cameo after Sanju Samson's first-ball duck.

10:50 pm: Maheesh Theekshana has struck with his first ball of the spell as Sri Lanka bring themselves back in the game.

9.36 pm - Rain stops play in Pallekele right after India (6/0 in 0.3 over) began their run chase

9.23 pm - Mid-Innings Break - India restrict Sri Lanka to 161 for 9 in 20 overs after electing to bowl first in Pallekele. Ravi Bishnoi bagged 3 while Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel took 2 wickets each for the world champions. Kusal Perera top-scored for the hosts with 53 while Pathum Nissanka made 32.

9.08 pm - DOUBLE WICKET OVER! Ravi Bishnoi brings India right back into the match with the scalps of Dasun Shanaka (0), Wanindu Hasaranga (0) in successive deliveries but missed out on a hit-trick which was played out by Ramesh Mendis. Bishnoi finishes with 3 for 26 as SL reach 142 for 6 in 17 overs.

9.01 pm - WICKET! Hardik Panda gets the big wicket of the half-centurion Kusal Perera for 53 (34 balls). Perera was threatening to take the game away from the world champions. Sri Lanka 139/4 in 15.6 ovs

8.30 pm - WICKET! Pathum Nissanka lbw b Ravi Bishnoi 32 (24 balls)

8.10 pm - WICKET! Kusal Mendis c Ravi Bishnoi b Arshdeep Singh 10 (11 balls).

Toss Report:

Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has won the toss and chosen to bowl first in the 2nd T20I in Pallekele. One major change that the tourists has affected is bringing in Sanju Samson for Shubman Gill, who is suffering from neck spasm. Suryakumar reasoned that the wicket played quite well in the evening in the 1st T20I.

Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka stated that he doesn't mind batting first and expects the spinners to come into play on a used surface later in the match. The home side announced one change, bringing in Ramesh Mendis for Dilshan Madushanka.

Sri Lanka playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka(c), Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Asitha Fernando.

India playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj.

Preview:

Team India put on an almost complete performance in the first T20I in Pallekele on Saturday and prevailed by 43 runs. The tourists' batting unit was aggressive from the outset, propelling them to a steep total of 213/7 in 20 overs. The Men in Blue's bowling line-up leaked runs in the power play and will be looking to iron out their fielding flaws that appeared in the opening game.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's batting unit did most things right until their collapse from 140-1 to be bowled out for 170. It was the hosts' bowling and fielding that proved to be their Achilles Heel and must rectify them to have a shot at levelling the series