IND vs SL 2021: 3 biggest positives for India from the 2nd ODI
Cricket
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's return to international cricket proved to be bittersweet as the new Indian ODI vice-captain went wicketless in his nine overs and conceded 63 runs at an economy of 7.00 in the first ODI.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar back amongst the wickets
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As the leader of the bowling attack, it was crucial that Bhuvneshwar kept a lid on the scoring and took wickets. The vice-captain did not disappoint in the second ODI as he picked up three important.
Although Bhuvneshwar Kumar looked rusty at the beginning after returning to international cricket after a long break, this performance will significantly boost his confidence for the upcoming matches.
Things were looking bleak for Team India, who had just lost their top three batsmen inside 12 overs in the second ODI. At 65-3, Suryakumar Yadav joined Manish Pandey in the middle and stitched an excellent partnership to steady the ship.
Indian middle order delivers under pressure
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However, the Indian ship found itself in rough waters once again after the unfortunate run-out of Manish Pandey. Hardik Pandya, who arrived next was dismissed for a three-ball duck. India were reeling at 116-5, when Krunal Pandya joined Suryakumar Yadav in the middle.
Suryakumar scored his maiden ODI half-century, however, he fell soon and it seemed to be all but over for India at 160-6 in 27 overs. What followed was a splendid display of batting from Deepak Chahar, who stitched together partnerships with Krunal and Bhuvneshwar to take India to victory.
IMAGE CREDITS: SURYAKUMAR YADAV TWITTER
When Deepak Chahar walked in to bat at the start of the 28th over, the chances of an Indian win seemed bleak at best. At 160-6, India still needed 116 runs in 23 overs. Chahar built a steady partnership with Krunal Pandya, but the runs weren't flowing easily.
The valiant heroics of Deepak Chahar
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After Pandya was cleaned up in the 36th over with the scoreboard reading 193-6, it seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for India. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav could not have scored 100-plus runs if either Bhuvneshwar or Chahar got out.
Keeping this in mind, Bhuvneshwar and Chahar decided to adopt a wary but calculated approach. They couldn't afford to lose another wicket, so they bided their time, blocked the good balls, and kept the scoreboard ticking with some excellent running between the wickets.
IMAGE CREDITS: BCCI TWITTER