'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Indian team sent Sri Lanka on a leather hunt as they scored 260/5 in their 20 overs in the second T20I at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. After being put into bat by Thisara Perera, Indian openers got the team off to a great start as both KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma milked the Lankan bowlers out of the part.
Rohit Sharma scored his second T20I century and created history while doing so as he took just 35 balls to reach the three-figure mark, which is the fastest by a batsman in T20Is. He was eventually dismissed for a 43-ball 118 that included 12 fours and 10 sixes.
Rahul, on the other hand, missed his second T20I ton by just 11 runs as he was dismissed for 89 off 49 balls with five fours and eight sixes. The pair set a fine platform as India finished their innings at 260/5 in 20 overs.
Chasing 261, Sri Lanka gave their best in the first 12 overs before the wrist spinners struck and derailed the innings. Kusal Perera top-scored for Sri Lanka with a 37-ball 77 while Yuzi Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav conceded 52 runs in their four overs taking four and three wickets respectively.
Eventually, Sri Lanka were dismissed for 172 and lost the game by 88 runs,
Let us take a look at how the Cricket world reacted to Rohit's knock and India's innings.
KL Rahul: "Nothing to beat Rohit's batting. I was standing there and telling myself 'That's incredible man! You just cannot hit balls like that for sixes.' I think the first six was important to get me going. (On the slow start before the storm) The first few overs we wanted to give ourselves time to see how the track was doing. It was a bit sticky early on but then came on nicely. The plan was to assess the conditions in the first six because we knew that with the firepower we have, we can always catch up. (Whether Rohit could have got a 200) I did tell him in the 11th over when he played a few dot balls, I told him that there is one more 200 for the taking and he just smiled. He wasn't bothered at all about all that, didn't even realize when he got to a 100. (On how India's bowlers should bowl) Our bowlers need to be proactive and not be predictable with their lengths. The slower balls were sticking a bit. We have quality bowlers in our ranks and I'm sure they were watching the first innings, so they'll know what lengths to hit."
Kuldeep Yadav: First three overs 45 runs, but I was always thinking about wickets. I knew if I got one, I would probably get the second one. The first over (I bowled) was slow in the air, but the wicket was good to bat on and the ball was coming on nicely. Later on I was bowling wide of the batsman. I realized that I need to bowl it into the wicket. They (Dhoni and Rohit) were backing me and telling to look for the wicket. Small ground with small boundaries, Dhoni and Rohit were telling me to keep away from the batsman and try the variations outside the off-stump. Seven wickets in three overs really changed the game.
Thisara Perera: It's a tough series for us. Too big a target to chase. Tharanga and Kusal batted very well, giving us momentum, but others couldn't execute. Mathews is now out of the series due to his hamstring problem.
Rohit Sharma: The stage was set. Good conditions to bat. Was trying to do what I always try to do - hit through the line. It's something I've been working on through the last few months. Went out there and had some fun. That's too much to ask (going for double hundred). No target here is defendable so we wanted to get as many as possible. KL started very well. He's in great form. There's a certain template to my batting. Don't try to overhit too much. Rely on my timing and hold my shape. Had a lot of faith in the wrist-spinners. They've always brought us back into the matches. These two guys never put their head down. Rather than being too defensive, they're prepared to flight the ball to take wickets. And they got the result. Kuldeep changed the game completely. I was very happy. Always had the belief that they're the ones who'll get us back in the game. It's always pleasing for a captain when a bowler comes and tells you what he wants to do (talking about Pandya). It's something he's been working on. It's paying dividends on the field. Only thing I said was back yourself. They stuck to their plans and got the result.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
