IND vs SL 2021: 5 interesting stats from 2nd India vs Sri Lanka T20I

A depleted Team India failed to hold onto their nerves against a spirited Sri Lankan side in the 2nd T20I on Wednesday. The hosts, led by crucial contributions from Dhananjaya de Silva and Chamika Karunaratne, leveled the three-match series with a superb 4-wicket win.

Shikhar Dhawan was pleased when opposition skipper Dasun Shanaka asked his team to bat first in Colombo. But his young troops didn't stand up to the task and could only post a total of 132 on the tacky wicket.

The Sri Lankans rode their luck with some controversial umpiring decisions to pull off the final-over thriller. De Silva was adjudged the Player of the Match for his 2-29 spell in the first innings and a dogged 34-ball 40 in the chase.

The contest not only provided the fans with a much-needed thrill and drama but also doled out a few unique stats. Here's a look at some of the most fascinating records from the match:

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#1 Sri Lanka's first T20 win against India at home in a bilateral series

SL vs Ind bilateral T20I results in SL soil Lost in 2009Lost in 2012Lost in 2017Lost in 2021Won in 2021*For the 1st time SL has defeated Ind in a bilateral T20I match in SL soil #SLvIND

— SportsAmaze (@Sports_amaze) July 28, 2021

Believe it or not, this was the first time Sri Lanka beat India in a T20I match at home in a bilateral series. The two neighbors clashed in the shortest format in 2009, 2012 and 2017 but Sri Lanka didn't manage a single win until Wednesday.

The last time the hosts defeated India in a T20I match at home was during the 2018 Nidahas Trophy in Colombo, but that too wasn't a bilateral game. India has an overall edge over the islanders as well, with as many as 14 wins from 20 T20Is.

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#2 Shikhar Dhawan becomes India's highest T20 run-scorer against Sri Lanka

Shikhar Dhawan also created a stunning record on Wednesday. The southpaw, who was the highest scorer for his team with a 42-ball 40, leapfrogged Virat Kohli to become India's top scorer against the Lankans in T20Is.

He's now in the esteemed company of Sachin Tendulkar, who is India's top-scorer against Sri Lanka in Tests and ODIs with 1995 and 3113 runs respectively. Dhawan has been in top form in this series so far. He was India's chart-topper in the ODI leg with 128 runs and is now leading in the T20Is as well.

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#3 First instance of a complete T20 game without any Indian batsman recording a 130+ strike rate

This is the first time India men batted all twenty overs of a T20I innings without any player having 130+ strike-rate.#SLvIND

— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) July 28, 2021

In a stat that can perhaps sum up India's performance, this was the first occasion when India batted the whole 20 overs of a T20I without a single batter registering a strike rate of over 130.

Debutant Devdutt Padikkal was the best in the measure with a strike rate of 126.09. The youngster looked in brilliant touch but missed a sweep to get clean bowled against Wanindu Hasaranga. Intriguingly, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had to bat at No. 6, had the second-highest strike of 118.18 followed by Ruturaj Gaikwad with 116.67.

Sanju Samson, who played out of position at No. 4, had the lowest numbers to show - 7 off 13 at just 53.85.

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#4 Bhuvneshwar Kumar becomes the 4th Indian to take 50 T20I wickets

Bhuvneshwar Kumar in action (PC: Twitter)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a bittersweet match. On paper, the vice-captain scored 11 runs and took 1 wicket, giving away just 21 runs. In the process, he became only the fourth Indian to reach 50 T20I wickets after Yuzvendra Chahal (63), Jasprit Bumrah (59) and Ravichandran Ashwin (52), all of whom reached the landmark faster than him.

But a deeper look into the game suggests that it was his almost inexplicable full-toss on the third ball of the penultimate over that rocked the game in favor of the Sri Lankans. Kumar has been decent on the tour so far and will look to make amends for this game in the decider on Thursday.

#5 Dedvutt Padikkal becomes the first post-2000 born player to play for India

The last piece of our numbers game is once again the elegant left-handed batter Devdutt Padikkal. Although he couldn't put up a match-winning show, Padikkal created a unique record by becoming the first post-2000 born player to feature in an international match for India.

Born on July 7, 2000, the 21-year-old cricketer has a bright future and if he maintains the pace of his rise in the sport, he's sure to break more conventional records in the coming years.