India vs Sri Lanka 2017: 2nd T20I, 5 things we learnt from the match

A pulchritudinous, dazzling 35 ball century, the fastest of its kind in T20I, by Rohit Sharma helped India to the second highest T20I score of 260 at Indore in the second T20I between India and Sri Lanka. While it was Lokesh Rahul who awed with his amazing shots at the start, the Hitman soon stole the thunder and finished with a staggering 43 ball 118 studded with 10 maximums.

Rahul himself made 89 while Dhoni and Pandya had their share of fun as India made 260, a target which Sri Lanka may not have chased even if they batted twice given their current form. But Upul Tharanga and Kusal Perera blitzed a century partnership in no time before the familiar collapse against wrist spin saw them bowled out for 172.

#5 India pick youngsters to carry drinks

The young Washington Sundar is one of four young players awaiting their chances in the starting XI

India are 1-0 up in the series with the first T20I seeing them grab their biggest victory in this format. With two more meaningless contests to go against a less than average team, Indian team management bizarrely decided to go with an unchanged team. Under normal circumstances, this would look right. Breaking a winning combination is not among the recommended formulas in cricket.

But with four youngsters - Basil Thampi, Washington Sundar, Mohammad Siraj and Deepak Hooda - awaiting chances, it would have made perfect sense to try at least one among them. Now, all they get (at the maximum) is one game to showcase what they have got and in a hit and miss game like T20, that is largely unfair to the newbies.

#4 Lokesh Rahul is a T20 genius

Rahul has been extremely consistent in the shorter formats

Lokesh Rahul has come into his own in the shortest format of the game and has been enjoying a rather fruitful run in the format ever since he got into the squad. While he was a mere spectator to Rohit Sharma's outrageous antics at the other end for most part of the innings, the opener played some fabulous, eye-catching shots.

His conversion issue from ODIs persists in T20s too, though, as he ended up on 89, eleven short of a well deserved hundred. He now has an average of 56.75 at the end of the knock at Indore. With him and Rohit Sharma bombarding the Lankans to all corners it remains to be seen how Dhawan fits in once he returns.

#3 Rohit Sharma is on another level

Rohit turned Hitman once again and this time it was carnage of the highest order

Fastest T20I hundred, a mind-blowing 10 maximums and shots more silken than the silk you get in Kancheepuram sum up Rohit Sharma's delightful blitzkrieg at Indore. Sri Lanka had no answers to the Hitman once again as he set the stadium alight with some ultra-delicious shots and raced to the fastest ever T20I hundred in 35 balls (a record he now shares with David Miller)

If ever there is an award for the most extraordinary hitting, this should hover somewhere around the top, if not at the top. Sri Lanka and Rohit Sharma share a special bond ever since his mammoth 264 in ODIs and in December alone, the Mumbaikar has 25 maximums against the Islanders.

Everytime you think you have seen it all, you see something incredible. Today, Rohit Sharma has shown us that. I admit I am gasping.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 22, 2017

#2 Tharanga - Kusal Perera go bonkers

Kusal Perera and Upul Tharanga blazed away for a while

Sri Lanka needed an extravagant start if they needed to get anywhere close to India's total and Upul Tharanga and Kusal Janith Perera did exactly that for the visitors. The two left-handers went berserk, smashed some humungous sixes and a flurry of fours to keep Lanka's hopes alive, albeit remotely.

The 109 run stand came in less than 10 overs and they even mauled the usually unplayable spin twins, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. At one stage, it looked like Sri Lanka had a realistic chance of chasing down the 261 but once Chahal dismissed Tharanga all of those hopes vanished.

#1 The spin twins back in action

These two have been setting the template for spinners in T20s

If Yuzvendra Chahal was the one who broke the threatening Perera - Tharanga stand, it was Kuldeep who wrecked the middle-order with three wickets in one over, effectively ruining all the hard work done by the two southpaws. Kuldeep got rid of Thisara Perera and Kusal Perera of successive balls before having Asela Gunaratne stumped off the last ball to complete his three for the over.

Lankan had slumped from 155/2 to 161/5 by the end of the over. Chahal wasn't one to be left out and he raised stakes by cleaning up the tail and finishing with yet another four-wicket haul - his second successive one and third four plus wicket-hauls - in T20s.