IND vs SL Live Score Updates, 2nd T20I: Axar Patel's blitz went in vain as Sri Lanka level series 1-1

IND vs SL Live Score Updates, 2nd T20I- A mind-boggling knock from Axar Patel (65 runs in 31 balls) was insufficient for India to touch the humungous target of 207. Axar and Suryakumar Yadav combined for 91 runs before the latter departed in the 16th over. Axar didn't smash enough in the last four overs as Sri Lanka were successful in negating the threat. Kasun Rajitha (2/22) and Dilshan Madushanka (2/45) caused the damage for India early in the chase.

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What POTM has to say

Dasun Shanaka: (On captain's day) I think so (smiles). We could have done well in the middle overs. The game was set up by the openers and we had to make sure to keep that going in the middle order. (Dew having an effect on the bowlers?) It's not the dew factor. It was the skill of the Indian batters. Suryakumar's batting was outstanding and so was Axar's. It's really good to defend a total against India. We know they are very good while chasing in any conditions.

Sri Lanka won by 16 runs.

What the captain of the losing side has to say

Hardik Pandya: I think both in the bowling and batting, the powerplay hurt us. We made some basic errors which we should not be at this level. Everyone knows what they've done. It was a cracker of a game and the way Surya, Axar and Mavi got us in the game was heartening to see. The simple things and basics which we can control, we should emphasize on that. You can have a good or bad day but you can't compromise on the basics. It's very difficult because no balls are not a freebie. You can give runs but he (Arshdeep) has bowled a couple of no balls in the past well. He has had a good run of course. Not to blame him or go hard on him but he must go back and make sure he doesn't do it again. Surya had a fantastic run at number 4. Rahul was very accustomed to play at number 3. Anyone coming into the team you want to give him a suitable role he is comfortable in.

Kasun Rajitha: I very much love this ground. I made my debut here and again today...I really love this ground. We knew the ball would swing under lights. (Tension towards the end?) Yeah we went away from our basics a bit but we came back well.

India lost four wickets in the start of a demanding chase followed by Deepak Hooda's misery in the middle-order. India were mostly written off from the game at the halfway mark. It was a 91-run stand between Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav that lifted their hopes of chasing the target. But before they could go deep in the death overs, Suryakumar perished. Axar was left as a lone warrior even though Shivam Mavi smashed boundaries in intervals.

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka denied Axar the opportunity to become the hero for India in the day. Shanka removed Axar and Mavi in the final over to successfully defend 21 runs.

Earlier in the Sri Lankan innings, Shanaka played a sensational innings (56 not out) to take his side past 200. He smashed Shivam Mavi for three sixes to put the Lankans in a commanding position. The innings was paved by a rampage Kusal Mendis who scored 52 off 31 balls and stitched 80 runs along with Pathum Nissanka (33).

The tourists sealed a 16-run win and levelled the three-match series 1-1. The series-decider will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on January 7.

Shanaka ends India's hopes with dismissal of Axar

Skipper Shanaka took the ball in his hand to defend more than 20 runs in the last six balls. Mavi put Axar on the strike on the first ball. The southpaw managed a couple of runs before attempting the big hits put an end to his magnificent innings on 65. Shanaka dismissed Mavi on the last ball of the game as Sri Lanka posted a clinical 16-run victory to square the series 1-1.

Rajitha almost seals the game for the visitors

Rajitha started the penultimate over with two wide deliveries but conceding singles and doubles released the pressure even though Axar Patel hit a boundary on the last delivery. India are left to chase 21 runs in the final over.

IND 186/6 (19 overs) Axar Patel 63; Kasun Rajitha 2/22

Shivam Mavi hammers Madushanka

Shivam Mavi clubbed two sixes and a four in the last three balls of the 18th over. The equation for India is still beyond reach as they need 33 runs in the last two overs to pull off a sensational victory from here on.

Dilshan Madushanka provides breakthrough for Sri Lanka

Suryakumar Yadav went to play across the line to a delivery that was pitched outside the off stump by Dilshan Madushanka. It went miles up in the air before Hasaranga caught it at long-on. A big difference this wicket would make for Sri Lanka as both SKY and Axar were tonking their bowlers.

IND 149/6 (16 overs) Axar Patel 52; Kasun Rajitha 2/10

Axar slams maiden fifty

Axar extended his arms to play Chamika Karunaratne's ball pitched near the off stump, it was played straight and out of the reach of the long-off fielder. Maiden fifty for the Indian all-rounder in 24 T20 International innings.

Axar smashes Hasaranga

Axar Patel slammed three sixes on the first three balls off Hasaranga. The bowler tried the googlies and the wrong-uns but could only see the ball dispatched into the stands by the southpaw who is on a mission to revive the Indian innings. What a statement Axar has set by taking on Sri Lanka's most dangerous bowlers. Suryakumar smashed the fifth ball for a six, the tally went up to four in the over which leaked 26 runs.

IND 124/5 Axar Patel 44; Kasun Rajitha 2/10

Axar takes on Theekshana

Axar Patel has been given a job to go and strike as much as possible. After clearing Hasaranga over the fence, Patel hammered Theekshana for a four and a six to close India's score to around 100 at the end of the 13th over.

IND 98/5 (13 overs) Suryakumar Yadav 29; Kasun Rajitha 2/10

Axar hits Hasaranga for a six

SIX!!! Axar Patel sat low and smashed a heavy blow to pick up the googly bowled by Hasaranga. The ball sailed over the mid-wicket for a maximum.

Deepak Hooda departs after dull start

Deepak Hooda could add only nine runs off 12 balls before holing it out to the throat of the long-on. Wanindu Hasaranga picks his first wicket in the innings as India has half of their side back into the dugout.

A lot for Suryakumar Yadav to do after India lost four wickets in quick succession in the powerplay overs. Perhaps a Nottingham-like knock in July last year could lift India's chances back into the game.

Hardik departs after couple of hits

A lot for Suryakumar Yadav to do after India lost four wickets in quick succession in the powerplay overs. Maybe a repeat of Nottingham knock last year in July is something what can lift India back into the game.

Hardik departs after couple of hits

Hardik flicked on the leg-side boundary on the very first ball he faced from Madushanka and later smacked Chamik Karunaratne for a six. It was Karunaratne who got the better of his counterpart in the fifth over. The Lankan all-rounder induced an outside edge of Pandya, with Kusal Mendis taking a stunning catch behind the wickets. Hardik's dismissal adds another blow to India's chances of nearing the monumental target.

IND 35/4 Hardik Pandya 12; Kasun Rajitha 2/6

Dilshan Madushanka spoils Rahul Tripathi's debut

The left-arm seamer bowled full and a bit wide, with Tripathi going after it only to find an edge that flew away to the keeper behind the stumps. There was a moment of silence as Tripathi failed to impress his home fans on his T20I debut.

IND 27/3 Hardik Pandya 5; Kasun Rajitha 2/5

Rajitha dimiss Indian openers

Kasun Rajitha bowled a full delivery to Ishan Kishan and the player lost his defense. It was perfect revenge for Rajitha after he was taken to the cleaners by Ishan Kishan in the previous match in Mumbai. The Sri Lankan pacer bowled a short of a length delivery to Gill who found the toe-end of his bat and the ball popped up high before settling in the hands of Maheesh Theekshana at mid-off.

Shanka scores fifty in style; SL cross 200

Shanaka hammered three big sixes against Shivam Mavi in the final over to take Sri Lanka past the 200-mark. The second six that came through a flat-batted shot helped the Sri Lanka skipper register his fifth half-century. 20 runs were leaked in the last over as Sri Lanka posted a mammoth 206/6 .

SL 206/6 Dasun Shanaka 56*; Umran Malik 3/48

Not a great day for Arshdeep Singh

Shanaka played the scoop shot to nullify Arshdeep's plans of bowling a yorker delivery. The Sri Lanka captain banked on a full-toss delivery, dispatching it over mid-wicket for a six. The next ball Arshdeep bowled his fourth no-ball in the innings, however, escaped the punishment as Chamika Karunaratne could not manage to connectt the yorker delivery this time. 18 runs came off the penultimate over.

SL 186/6 Kusal Mendis 52; Umran Malik 3/48

Umran goes expensive in his final over

Umran Malik conceded 21 runs in his final over as Shanaka carted a four and a six in the start of the 18th over before pounding another maximum on a no-ball.

Umran Malik's picks consecutive wickets

After being smashed by Asalanka for a six on the second ball of the 16th over, Umran Malik got the left-hander caught at deep mid-wicket before bamboozling Wanindu Hasaranga's off-stump.

SL 138/6 Kusal Mendis 52; Umran Malik 3/27

Asalanka goes big

Charith Asalanka smashed Yuzvendra Chahal for a couple of sixes in the 15th over. The third maximum for the southpaw as he dispatched one early in the innings off Shivam Mavi.

Axar removes Nissanka and DDS

Dhananjaya de Silva picked the long-on fielder after the dot ball pressure was mounting. Axar gets his second wicket in as many overs.

SL 113/4 Kusal Mendis 52; Axar Patel 2/24

Nissanka played a second fiddle to Mendis in their 80-run stand and the batter found some boundaries, including one off a Umran Malik 148 kph. He holed out to Rahul Tripathi at the deep mid-wicket off Axar Patel's bowling and walked off after scoring 33 in 35 balls.

IND bounce back with a few wickets

Indian bowlers managed to pick a couple of wickets at the halfway mark just after Mendis flourished with his fifty. Chahal trapped Mendis for LBW even though it had to be referred to the third umpire and change the original on-field decision to out. Umran Malik shattered the stumps of Bhanuka Rajapaksa to send him packing for two runs off three balls.

Kusal Mendis hits fifty in 27 balls

Kusal Mendis has scored a fiery fifty in just 27 balls and has maximised the scoring opportunities in the powerplay overs. He brought up his 11th T20I fifty with a six, although edged behind the wickets.

Axar bowls a great over after SL openers explode early in the innings

India brought Axar Patel into the attack to curb the flow of heavy runs. The left-arm spinner bowled some fabulous deliveries to concede just two runs in the fifth over.

SL 49/0 Kusal Mendis 34; Axar Patel 0/2

Rollicking start for Sri Lanka openers

Sri Lankan openers are adding salt to the wounds. Smashing boundaries after Indian bowlers are missing the crease and erring for no-balls. A brilliant field from debutant Rahul Tripathi on his home venue helped the team save some runs. Mendis smashes Shivam Mavi for a boundary in the final ball of the fourth over.

SL: 47/0 Kusal Mendis 33; Hardik Pandya 0/13

Arshdeep concedes three no-balls in a row

Arshdeep bowled it down the leg-side and it was called for a wide but only for the loud buzzer from the third umpire to signal it a no-ball. Kusal Mendis slammed a boundary but wait it was a second no-ball in a row. Mendis hits six to capitalise on the second free-hit and to the bowler's dismay it was a third no-ball. There was a catch on the last ball by wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan but not a wicket for Sri Lanka to lose. 19 runs from the second over of Arshdeep Singh.

SL 21/0 Kusal Mendis 11; Hardik Pandya 0/2

First Boundary for SL

Four!!! Nissanka clipped the inswinging delivery from Arshdeep Singh through mid-wicket for a boundary, the first one for the visitors tonight.

Hardik once again opens the bowling for India

Hardik starts with a beautiful delivery just outside the off-stump. Pathum Nissanka blocked it masterfully. Great line and length from the Indian skipper to beat Mendis' bat. Just two runs from the first over and Hardik asked for drinks after bowling an over with full of energy.

Brace yourselves up ladies and lads as the match is just a few moments away to start. The fielders (Indian) and both the batters are out there on the field. Hope for an enthralling battler in this game.

Hardik Pandya loves challenges

Hardik has taken some bold calls in this series so far, particularly at the toss. He first opted to bat first on a wicket (at Wankhede) well known for chasing and India narrowly escaped the pain of a loss. Now he has decided to bowl first on a venue where teams have usually (75%) won while batting first. Will this move also back as the last one?

What India skipper has to say

Hardik Pandya: We're going to bowl first. We just think dew might come later. The wicket looks quite good. I don't think it'll change much. Oh, I didn't know that (laughs when told batting first is better at this venue according to stats). In T20s you need to be aware that if you have the game in hand, rather than letting it go to the last over you can finish it before But I think we bowled well. At Wankhede, to defend 160 with the batting they had, was a great effort. One forced change with Sanju Samson ruled out. Rahul Tripathi makes his debut. Arshdeep comes back in and Harshal misses out.

What Sri Lanka skipper has to say

Dasun Shanaka: We would have batted first. Ground stats suggest that batting first is better here. It's important for the top-order to click. That's where we missed out in the last game and I hope we do well today. Same team.

Team Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka

Team India

India Playing XI: Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul Tripathi, Hardik Pandya (c), Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Mavi, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal

Rahul Tripathi to make his international debut

Maharashtra batter Rahul Tripathi earned his maiden international cap in the Indian camp just before the toss. The wait is finally over as the 31-year-old will make his debut tonight after warming benches for several bilaterals.

Basic Pitch report

The pitch is placed center of the square with each side around 60 meters of the square with 72 meters down the ground. The pace bowlers can pick something from this surface. There is slight grass on the pitch and the wind factor could allow the movement of the ball. According to Deep Dasgupta, teams batting first have won 75% of the matches at the MCA stadium.

Shubman Gill speaks on T20I debut

Gill: The chat is simple (with Ishan Kishan) - just look out for matchups. There are bowlers he'll target and bowlers I'll target. So it's definitely easier when there's a left-right combination. The match went a lot closer than we expected it to be. But all's well that ends well and I think Axar bowled a pretty good over. There was a little bit of dew and it wasn't easy for a spinner to defend 13 runs on that ground. I think he bowled exceptionally in that last over.

Shubman Gill speaks on T20I debut

Gill: (Any nerves ahead of T20I debut the other day?) There's always butterflies in your stomach when you're representing your country. Doesn't matter what format it is, every time you step onto the field or walk out to bat, there are always butterflies. It is about (his mantra) picking your spot, assessing the conditions early to see if the ball is swinging or it's spinning and then taking on the right moment is what I look for while opening.

Change in top-order must for both teams

Both India and Sri Lanka will have to answer the top-order batting woes and the hosts might try a new opening combination with the options of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rahul Tripathi available at their disposal. Sri Lanka can rope in Avishka Fernando in the top 3.

Sri Lanka squad for India T20Is

Sri Lanka squad: Dasun Shanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dunith Wellalage, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Avishka Fernando, Ashen Bhandara, Pramod Madhushan, Nuwan Thushara

India squad for Sri Lanka T20Is

India Squad: Hardik Pandya (c), Ishan Kishan(wk), Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar

The second T20I will offer room for both sides to fill the shortcomings in terms of strength of the squad.

Vidarbha wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma was added to the T20I squad as a replacement for the injured Sanju Samson. Jitesh could potentially earn an international cap if the team management considers him playing as a keeper and finisher in the batting order.

India's top four batters, including Suryakumar Yadav, failed to show anything special to be reckoned in the absence of senior players.

If India registers another victory then it will be the second series they would win under Hardik Pandya in the shortest format. Debutant Shivam Mavi starred with the ball as he bagged figures of 4/22 from four overs.