Hello and welcome to Sportstar's coverage of the 2nd T20I between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo. This is Lalith Kalidas bringing you the updates.
All to play for in the series final tomorrow in Colombo. Dravid and Dhawan will be aiming to tape the shortcomings quickly as Shanaka has a massive morale-boosting series win well within his grasp.
Join us tomorrow for the series decider. Good night, folks!
The home side has seized its golden opportunity and unlike the ODI series have forced a result against a dead rubber ahead of tomorrow's final T20I. With nearly half of its mainstream stars out of the squad, India failed to get enough runs on the board and that well turned out to be the decisive factor. The bowlers managed to chip in with wickets and trouble Sri Lanka but not enough to defend on the board despite conducive conditions.
SL 133/6 in 19.4 overs: de Silva seals the chase in a nervy finish and SL has levelled the series! They get through the finish line rather easily as de Silva found his touch at the right moment to sneak in the quick runs.
Scores are level. de Silva and Karunaratne runs swiftly between the wickets and Sakariya's wide outside the off-stump eases the pressure.
Sakariya on for the last over.
SL 125/6 in 19 overs: Karunaratne puts SL within striking distance. Bhuvneshwar's full toss is smoked over midwicket for a biggie and another shot over covers is nearly through to the boundary before Saini's leap gets a finger on it. Saini lands awkwardly and injures himself and is taken off the field. SL needs eight off the final over.
Bhuvneshwar to continue
Oh, it's raining. The groundsmen are bringing on the covers on. Scratch that, the umpires are going back to place the stumps as well. Rain plays a cheeky short game here. Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid runs down from the dressing room with a piece of paper and hands it to the subs to send a message to Dhawan.
SL 113/6 in 18 overs: Sakariya to Mendis. OUT! IN THE AIR and caught at deep midwicket! Sakariya begins with the slower ball that beats Mendis altogether. He follows up with a quicker one that hits the deck and Mendis stutters and lobs the ball up in the air. Gaikwad runs in from the fence and completes an easy catch. Well, this isn't over as Karunaratne has come in to partner de Silva. de Silva gets back on strike and waits on Sakariya's slower ball and deftly crafts it past point for a crucial boundary. SL needs 20 runs in 12 balls
Sakariya is back. SL needs 28 in three overs.
SL 105/5 in 17 overs: Chakravarthy hits the length and continues to zip the ball in. Not much loose options on the cards for the batters who resort to singles.
SL 99/5 in 16 overs: Top over from Bhuvneshwar. Bhuvi beats de Silva through the over outside off with some deft variations in pace. Just the five runs as de Silva knows he is the key to see this through.
Bhuvneshwar is back
SL 94/5 in 15 overs: Chahar to Hasaranga. OUT! Here's the big wicket! Chahar is pumped as he dismisses Hasaranga right after he is sent for a thumping blow down the ground. Tosses it wide out from Hasaranga's reach and prompts him to have a nibble. The ball takes the edge and flies straight to point. Wanindu Hasaranga c Kumar b Chahar 15 (11b 2x4)
SL 87/4 in 14 overs: Big over for Sri Lanka! Hasaranga smashes Kuldeep down the ground and a misfield at long-off concedes the boundary. de Silva follows up with a six over long-on off Kuldeep's fuller ball and Sri Lanka is right back in it. 46 needed off 36 balls.
SL 72/4 in 13 overs: Pressure rising by the minute on de Silva and Hasaranga. Varun keeps it fairly simply by attacking the stumps and de Silva's lean patch means he cannot do much to dictate terms at the moment.
SL 68/4 in 12 overs: Kuldeep to Minod. OUT! Caught at deep midwicket! Kuldeep instantly redeems himself after Bhuvneshwar drops Minod early in the over. Kuldeep is in the rhythm and the fine release of the ball onto the length sums it up well. Big wicket here and the match is split wide open now/ SL needs 65 from 48 balls.Minod Bhanuka c Chahar b Kuldeep Yadav 36 (31b 4x4)
SL 62/3 in 11 overs: The pressure is right back on the home side. The spinners have their tails up and Chahar gets more turn off the length this time. Just the four runs here and SL needs 71 from 54 balls.
SL 58/3 in 10 overs: Kuldeep to Shanaka. OUT! Stumped around his legs! Kuldeep darts it on length and gets massive turn and Shanaka jumps up without reading the ball off the bowler's hands. Massive turn from middle-and-leg and Samson has a tricky take and whips the bails to pack the Sri Lankan skipper. Dasun Shanaka st †Samson b Kuldeep Yadav 3 (6b)
SL 53/2 in 9 overs: Chahar returns to enforce the pressure on Minod but the left-hander wriggles out of it with another advancing flick over to deep midwicket boundary. 50 up and Sri Lanka needs 80 in 66 balls.
SL 43/2 in 8 overs: BIG MISS FOR INDIA! Kuldeep wraps one on Shanaka's pads first up and the umpire denies India a wicket. Dhawan seems uninterested but the replays suggest three reds. Massive miss there and Dhawan is fuming after seeing the replays on the big screen.
SL 39/2 in 7 overs: Chakravarthy to Samarawickrama. OUT! Straight through his defense! The scrambled seam special from Varun hits the length and simply runs through the right-hander who had no clue whatsoever as he freezes in the crease. Big break for India and a couple of wickets could well call for a tricky finish. Sadeera Samarawickrama b Varun 8 (12b 1x4)
SL 36/1 in 6 overs: Chahar starts with a short ball outside off and Minod easily stands back and pulls it to midwicket for a boundary. He checks his length quickly and attacks the stumps, forcing the batters to rotate strike with a couple of singles.
Spin from both ends. Chahar replaces Sakariya
SL 29/1 in 5 overs: Chakravarthy begins with a carrom ball that jags back to Samarawickrama who rocks back and manages to put it past slip in streaky fashion. Things are quiet for the home side as well and India, in comparison, had a better start in the Powerplay.
Chakravarthy replaces Bhuvneshwar
SL 23/1 in 4 overs: Sakariya offers a couple of loose deliveries and on a pitch like this, you can't miss out on those. Minod cashes in and gets himself going with two boundaries before Sakariya finds his length to attack the stumps.
SL 13/1 in 3 overs: Bhuvneshwar to Avishka. OUT! Chahar completes a stunner at square leg! Length from Bhuvneshwar and Avishka goes for a nonchalant flick and it nearly goes all the way before Chahar intervenes at the fence. Chahar manages to keep the ball in play by parrying it off the air from across the boundary and quickly jumps in to complete a fine catch. Bhuvneshwar is pumped and India sees a glimmer of hope. Avishka Fernando c Rahul Chahar b Bhuvneshwar 11(13) [4s-2]
SL 10/0 in 2 overs: Fernando on the move. Sakariya strays onto the pads and Avishka glides it past short fine for a four. Sakariya attempts to take the ball away this time and Fernando is on it in a flash. He pushes it with ease through the covers and there's another boundary to put Sri Lanka on track. Minod, meanwhile continues to remain on nought.
Sakariya on from the other end
SL 1/0 in 1 over: Top start for Bhuvneshwar! He hits the right length around the stumps and Fernando gets a feel of the sluggish track. The ball is stopping a bit and Fernando opens his account off just the fifth ball.
Bhuvneshwar up with the new ball
Back for the chase. Avishka and Minod at the crease for Sri Lanka.
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The batters failed to unleash their free-flowing struggle and clearly with the likes of Dhawan and Samson struggling, one could not expect something extraordinary from the three debutants. While Gaikwad and Padikkal showed promise, the pressure of the scoreboard got to them and India will have a daunting task against the Lankans who are eyeing a series-levelling win without much hassles.
IND 132/5 in 20 overs: India squeeze past the 130-run mark. Rana perishes with two balls to spare as another mistimed stroke holes him out to mid-off. It's a sluggish track and the batters, almost all of them, had no answers against the Lankan bowlers. Shanaka, once again does well to rotate his bowlers around, eight of them being used, and ensured the Indians never really settled in on this pitch.
IND 127/8 in 19 overs:
Rana and Bhuvneshwar does well to run hard between the wickets and rake in as much as possible. Hasaranga's poor short delivery down leg to Rana slips past the keeper and offers crucial five runs to the visitor.
IND 114/4 in 18 overs: Rana attempts to sneak in a couple of boundaries with a cover drive and an upper cut over the keeper. The lack of pace off the bowler denies him the full result but India manages to keep the scoreboard alive and ticking.
IND 107/4 in 17 overs: Dananjaya to Samson. OUT! India losing the plot completely! Some quick thinking from Dananjaya here as he sees Samson step down and he pushes the ball in through middle. Samson tries to stomp the ball down but it breaks through his legs and hits the stumps. Bhuvneshwar is the new man for India at 6! Sanju Samson b Dananjaya 7 (13b)
IND 100/3 in 16 overs: Hasaranga to Padikkal. OUT! Hasaranga hits timber! A cracking delivery from Hasaranga as he tosses one outside off and gets it to turn from the full. Padikkal sets up for the big slog and misses it completely as the ball rolls in to clip the top of off. Hasaranga is on a roll as another corker off length squares up Samson in the crease. Devdutt Padikkal b PWH de Silva 29 (23b 1x4 1x6)
IND 94/2 in 15 overs: The batters continue to struggle with timing on a slow track. Dananjaya induces the miscue off Padikkal who steps down eyeing a big over long-on. The ball sails up and just falls short off long-off. 23 balls since the last boundary.
IND 88/2 in 14 overs: It's a tough time out there for the new batters. Hasaranga convincingly pins Samson down and beats the outside edge twice before a quicker one slides in off the inside-edge, dangerously close to the top of off.
IND 85/2 in 13 overs: Dananjaya to Dhawan. OUT! Cleans him up! Dhawan goes for the wild heave as Dananjaya darts it in and sneaks through the slog. Just does not get going tonight and the ball hits the leg stump. Samson comes in to join Padikkal and treads with a couple of singles to start. Shikhar Dhawan b Dananjaya 40 (42b 5x4)
IND 81/1 in 12 overs: Dhawan finds a boundary off Shanaka with a flick but the over remains quiet largely. Dhawan continues to play the anchor but his strike rate falls below 100 - 40 off 41 and the pressure of a frail lineup is crippling the southpaw tonight.
IND 71/1 in 11 overs: Padikkal breaks the shackles with a massive six! The pressure mounting on the two and Padikkal decides to go all out. de Silva loose tossed-up delivery sails to the midwicket stands off a fine, dismissive slog sweep.
IND 61/1 in 10 overs: An uncharacteristic Dhawan on display. Dhawan's out of options and attempts two reverse slog-sweeps and misses it sheepishy. He dismisses the boundary drought with a slog over long-on to for four.
IND 54/1 in 9 overs: India a bit muddled at the moment as de Silva keeps the batters back in the crease. No width offered and the lefties have a tough negotiating a boundary. India has not managed a boundary for over four overs now.
IND 51/1 in 8 overs: Padikkal survives a snorter! Ramesh Mendis bowls a beauty as he sends the ball in from around the wicket onto the middle-stump line. The ball gets some sharp turn and beats all ends against Padikkal who stays back in the crease. The ball misses the off-stump by a whisker and the young southpaw has an early taste of the challenge up ahead.
IND 49/1 in 7 overs: Shanaka to Gaikwad. OUT! Shanaka strikes once again in his first over!
Shanaka rushes him with the quick bumper and Gaikwad rocks back in his crease but fails to get on top of the ball. The top-edge flies straight up and Minod takes an easy catch behind the stumps.
Ruturaj Gaikwad c M Bhanuka b Shanaka 21(18)
Shanaka up with the ball
IND 45/0 in 6 overs: A cautious approach from the batters against Hasaranga. The leggie is quick to cut his pace and wafts the ball through the air. Just the seven runs to complete the Powerplay and India will be happy to keep its wickets intact with depleted batting at its disposal.
Hasaranga into the attack
IND 38/0 in 5 overs: Dhawan's swift movement and finesse helps him to cut split the gap between midwicket and mid-on off Udana. Classic boundary but Udana does well to keep control of the remaining over. Keeps Dhawan quiet with a sly use of the slower ball. A bit of hesitation between the batters off the final ball and Gaikwad survives a close throw at the non-striker's end.
Isuru Udana replaces Dananjaya
IND 31/0 in 4 overs: Chameera returns and does well with his line. He attacks the stumps and varies his pace on a relatively slower surface and keeps Dhawan guessing and gives away just four runs.
IND 27/0 in 3 overs: Strong start against spin for India. Gaikwad is altogether on another level against the slower-bowlers and he recreates his trademark IPL shot. Dananjaya darts one in and Gaikwad moves towards leg and lofts it way over the off-side ring to the boundary. Dhawan then gently nudges the bowler past slip to the third-man boundary. Gaikwad again tries to go for the lofted stroke over the off-side but survives after miscuing it over mid-on.
Dananjaya into the attack
IND 15/0 in 2 overs: Gaikwad is off to a tentative start. Karunaratne continues to force the ball into the batter and Gaikwad is late to react to it. The timing isn't there and he does well to rotate strike.
Karunaratne into the attack
IND 9/0 in 1 over: Chameera aims for the early swing but finds none of it. He goes down leg and wide to Gaikwad. Gaikwad marks his first run for India with a single and Dhawan bashes Chameera's poor delivery outside off for a delectable boundary through covers.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shikhar Dhawan open for India. Dushmantha Chameera with the new ball.
Big test for the visitor, here we go.
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7:50PM: Massive day for the youngsters as India barely manages to fill in the playing XI sheet. What a night for IPL's young prodigies Padikkal and Gaikwad. India's bench being squeezed once again after Gabba!
TOSS: SL wins Toss, elects to bowl first
India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan(c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson(w), Nitish Rana, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya, Varun Chakravarthy
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dasun Shanaka(c), Ramesh Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera
UPDATE: Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chetan Sakariya and Nitish Rana to debut for India
7:20PM: Just like I had pointed out folks, Ruturaj Gaikwad too is part of the squad. So, five batters to choose from - Dhawan, Sanju, Padikkal, Rutu and Rana - a no-brainer that all of them are playing tonight.
7:10PM: Shikhar Dhawan, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson and Nitish Rana - are the only batters available for tonight, says Murali Kartik ---- Well, where's Ruturaj then? 20 minutes for some clarity folks as the news confirms that IND will be able to field XI players!
7:03PM: Nine players are unavailable in the India squad as is obvious from the updated squad. India is missing out on its mainstream batters and it's likely that Rana, Ruturaj and Padikkal will make their debut besides a few fresh faces in the bowling department.
6:55PM: UPDATE - India has announced a revised squad: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Rana, Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Rahul Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya, Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh.
MATCH PREVIEW
It's been a tumultuous 24 hours in the island nation and everything seems uncertain to this moment. For whatever genuine understanding we have ahead of the game, Krunal Pandya has been shifted to another base away from his teammates and will be put in isolation. The eight players who were in close contact have returned a negative test today, however, their participation in the remainder of the series is largely uncertain.
READ:
India's punt to seal the series is probably the last thing on Rahul Dravid's mind as it's yet unclear on whether Shikhar Dhawan will be able to lead the side tonight. Dasun Shanaka's men, however, would smell a fine chance to strike even as the opposition may seem to be reeling at the moment. All we can hope for is that both teams transcend through this unscathed from here.
Squads:
When will the 2nd T20I between Sri Lanka and India start and where to watch?
The second T20I between India and Sri Lanka will begin at 8pm IST at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The Toss will occur at 7:30pm.
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