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KL Rahul shone for Team India in the second ODI of their three-match series against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, January 12.
Coming in at 86/4, the wicketkeeper-batter stayed till the end to ensure India won by four wickets. He scored 64 off 103 balls, including six fours. The No. 5 batter also shared a pivotal 75-run partnership with vice-captain Hardik Pandya for the fifth wicket to recover the team from 86/4.
The 30-year-old earlier scored 39 runs in the first ODI, which India won by 67 runs.
Fans were delighted to witness KL Rahul lead Team India to victory, while some users were unfazed by the one-off match-winning performance.
Here are some of the best Twitter reactions:
KL Rahul credited the bowlers for restricting Sri Lanka to a below-par score of 215. He also expressed gratitude after his fighting knock.
Speaking to Star Sports post-match, Rahul said:
“I won't say it was a flat wicket, but I can't say it was impossible to bat as well. It was quite a sporty wicket. When we started, I thought it was a 280-300 wicket. It wasn't moving much, spongy bounce. Apart from that, there was not much. We bowled really well to get them out for 215.”
He added:
“The start was brisk from the openers. They (Sri Lanka) put up a good fight. Got the early breakthroughs and put us under pressure. Challenging game, we can be proud of the way we fought.”
KL Rahul was the top-scorer for India in the second ODI vs Sri Lanka
While KL Rahul top-scored for India, Hardik Pandya scored a crucial 36 runs. Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill and Axar Patel also scored in the 20s.
Lahiru Kumara and Chamika Karunaratne bagged two wickets each for Sri Lanka, while Kasun Rajitha and Dhananjaya de Silva scalped one wicket each.
Earlier in the day, Dasun Shanaka won the toss and elected to bat first. The visitors were bundled out for 215 in 39.4 overs. Debutant Nuwanidu Fernando top-scored with 50. Kusal Mendis and Dunith Wellalage scored 34 and 32 runs, respectively. Meanwhile, Avishka Fernando and Wanindu Hasaranga contributed in the 20s.
For India, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj scalped three wickets each, while Umran Malik dismissed a couple of batters. Axar Patel also picked up a wicket.
Rohit Sharma and Co. will next be seen in action in the third ODI against Sri Lanka at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, January 15.
