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Canny Leg spinner Jeffrey Vandersay’s magical six-wicket haul robbed the roar from India skipper Rohit Sharma’s brutal fifty as Sri Lanka etched an emotional 32-run win over India in the second ODI.

Sri Lanka now lead the three-match series 1-0 after the first match ended in a tie.

India were asked to chase down 241 on a pitch that had plenty of assistance for the spinners, and they ended up at 208 all out in 42.2 overs with Vandersay wrecking them with a haul of six for 33.

A different result loomed as long as skipper Rohit was at the crease, creaming the Lankan bowlers en route to his 64 off 44 balls (5×4, 4×6).

Unmindful of the nature of the pitch, Rohit cut, swept and pulled spinners Dunith Wellalage and Akila Dananjaya and pacer Asitha Fernando to all parts of the ground in the company of a compact Shubman Gill (35, 44b) as India waltzed to 97 in just 13.3 overs. After Rohit fell, India batting collapsed like a ack of cards.

From 97 for one became 116 for two in 17.1 overs and it transpired into even trickier 116 for three four balls later. But more shocks were in store for the Indians as they tumbled to 123 for four, 133 for five and eventually to 147 for six.

Gill drove away from his body for Kamindu Mendis to take a screamer at first slip, Shivam Dube (0) failed to pick a ripping leg-break, Virat Kohli (14) did not read a wrong’un and Shreyas Iyer was defeated by a slider. Dube, Kohli and Shreyas were adjudged leg before, indicating the indecisiveness in their feet and mind.

KL Rahul lasted just two balls before dragging Vandersay’s delivery that pitched outside the channel onto his stumps. Axar Patel (44, 44b) played smart cricket and milked 38 runs for the seventh wicket with Washington Sundar to keep India ticking.

Axar took 14 runs off Charith Asalanka’s first over (6, 4, 4) and later moussed Akila Dananjaya for a six over mid-off. But even that feeble lifeline halted when Axar slapped a catch back to Asalanka (3/20) and the rest was a mere formality.

Earlier, Indian spinners led by Washington Sundar put the batters through a test of skill, but Sri Lanka found just enough fight from their late order to make an acceptable 240 for nine in the second ODI .

Washington (3/30) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/33) were at their smartest on a pitch that offered them plenty of assistance after Lankan captain Charith Asalanka decided to bat first. It required a 72-run association for the seventh wicket between Dunith Wellalage (39) and Kamindu Mendis (40) for them to wriggle out of a stifling 136 for six.

However, the first blow for India was landed by Mohammed Siraj when he had in-form Pathum Nissanka caught by KL Rahul behind the wicket.

India Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh did the star turn with the ball as gritty India held their nerve and  edged Sri Lanka via the Super Over in a low-scoring thriller to register a 3-0 whitewash in the T20 International series in Pallekele.

Chasing a target of 138 on a rank turner, Sri Lanka were cruising along at 110/1 in 15.1 over before they suffered another stunning collapse. The hosts lost seven wickets for 22 runs in the space of 26 balls to nearly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Sri Lanka looked on course for an easy win with 30 runs needed from as many balls with nine wickets in hand before they suffered their third successive collapse in the series.

Having got back the momentum, World champions India showed no mercy in the Super Over where Washington Sundar got both wickets giving away only two runs and then the captain fittingly completed the proceedings with a first ball sweep shot.

Spinner Washington Sundar bowled an incredible Super Over, conceding only two runs while taking two wickets before Suryakumar Yadav swept spinner Maheesh Theekshana’s first ball for a boundary to take his team to victory.

Infact, captain Suryakumar left everyone stunned when came into bowl in the 20th over with six runs to defend and got two wickets in his first two balls.

This was after Rinku, another part-timer, rolled his arm over for the first time in a T20I to bag a couple of wickets, including that of Kusal Perera (46) when all Lanka needed was 9 runs in 12 balls.

The 19th over cost India only three runs and suddenly the match that looked all but over after Khaleel Ahmed’s profligate 18th over with six wides came into life.

But when Kusal Mendis (43), Pathum Nissanka (26) and Perera (46) were in cruise control mode with stands of 58 and 52 for the first and second wicket stands, the story looked different.

Earlier, Shubman Gill (39 off 37 balls) and Riyan Parag (26 off 18 balls) added 54 runs for the sixth wicket after India were left tottering at 48 for 5 at one stage, but most of them would put hand on their hearts while admitting that the shot-selection left a lot to be desired.

Sanju Samson scored his second duck in successive matches and the manner of his dismissal would certainly bother him.

With Rishabh Pant rested, Samson got yet another opportunity but a desperate slog off debutant seamer Chamindu Wickramasinghe (1/17 in 4 overs) saw him being holed out in the deep cover.

Rinku Singh (1) after a dream first season is going through a rough patch and a moment of indiscretion brought about his downfall as the left-hander didn’t reach to the pitch of the length bowl while going for a big hit.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Suryakumar Yadav displayed their wide array of strokes as India took an unassailable 2-0 lead, winning the rain-curtailed second T20I by seven wickets with nine balls to spare .

Head coach Gautam Gambhir and new captain Suryakumar couldn’t have asked for a better start to their new roles as the Indian team played like true T20 World Champions outplaying Sri Lanka in all departments.

Despite Shubman Gill’s absence due to neck spasm and another failure in the format for the ever-hyped Sanju Samson (0), Jaiswal (30 off 15 balls) and Suryakumar (26 off 12 balls) didn’t even break a sweat in their short but tricky chase of 78 in 8 overs after another fine effort by bowlers had restricted Sri Lanka to 161 for 9.

Just when Maheesh Theekshana looked dangerous getting Samson with a carrom ball and squaring up Surya with a doosra, the Mumbai duo decided to bring the sweep shot – both conventional and reverse – out of the closet.

The strategy was to not allow Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga’s deliveries to deviate off the surface and create confusion.

Instead, the India batters used their reach to good effect and smother the turn. They added 39 in 3.1 overs and by the time Surya and Jaiswal were dismissed, they had hit seven fours and three sixes between them.

It was left to Hardik Pandya (22 not out off 9 balls) and Rishabh Pant (2 not out) to complete the formalities in 6.3 overs and render the final match of the series July 30 a formality and only India whitewash the only interest left.

Indian bowling unit repeated its happy knack of effecting a collapse at the back-end as Sri Lanka ended with a below-par 161 for 9.

This was after Pathum Nissanka (32 off 24 balls) and veteran southpaw Kusal Perera (54 off 34 balls) had added 54 runs for the second wicket in six overs to set the platform only to find batters coming later blow away the opportunity.

From 130 for 2 in 15 overs, Sri Lanka suddenly had a middle-order collapse, twice in two days where they lost four wickets in a space of 10 deliveries, which also included a run-out.

Suryakumar Yadav’s bowling plans aided by Gautam Gambhir’s back-room brainstorming was evident as Bishnoi, who seemed to struggle against Sri Lankan top-order with more right-handers attacking his wrong ‘un, was kept out of the attack.

Replacing legend Rohit Sharma as India’s  new T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav led from the front with a breathtaking half-century as India comfortably beat Sri Lanka by 43 runs in the opening T20 International to start the Gautam Gambhir era with a victory, in Pallekele, on Saturday.

Suryakumar’s 26-ball 58 and a 74-run opening blitzkrieg in the six overs of Powerplay between openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill that took India to a mammoth 213 for 7 after being put in to bat.

Despite a fine batting effort from the Sri Lankans till the 15th over, the Indian bowlers did well enough to bowl out the home team for 170 in 19.2 overs.

India’s bowlers did remarkably well towards the back-end, utilising the slowness of the track to provide the team 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The spinners — Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi and rookie Riyan Parag — snared six of the 10 wickets.

From looking good on 140/1 in 14 overs at one stage, Sri Lanka suffered a stunning collapse in the last few overs, losing their last nine wickets for 30 runs in the space of 32 balls.

Kusal Mendis (45 off 27 balls) and Pathum Nissanka (79 off 47 balls) were not as brutal as their Indian counterparts. The 84-run opening stand was finally broken by Arshdeep Singh when Mendis couldn’t pick the slower one.

However, Nissanka didn’t lose tempo as Hardik Pandya (0/41 in 4 overs) was clearly not in his element, consistently missing his length, making it difficult for the new skipper to look for options.

Axar Patel (2/38 in 4 overs) was very flat at the onset but got the breakthroughs when it mattered the most, bringing all his experience into effect. Ravi Bishnoi (1/37 in 4 overs) is slowly becoming very predictable with hardly any leg-breaks to surprise the batters.

The right-handers knew that the deliveries will come into them and they got inside the line to out-manoeuvre the wrist spinner.

The absence of Jasprit Bumrah was evident and it was only the scoreboard pressure that helped the visitors prevail in the end once Axar’s arm ball got rid of Nissanka. He also got Kusal Perera (20) in the same over as the match decisively tilted in India’s favour.

Once Bishnoi dismissed rival skipper Charith Asalanka’s wicket, India completely gained control.

Skipper Suryakumar took a calculative punt of giving inexperienced Riyan Parag (3/5 in 1.2 overs) the 17th over and he removed Kamindu Mendis to justify his skipper’s faith. The ever-improving Arshdeep (2/24 in 3 overs) also got his share of scalps as part-time spinner Riyan claimed stunning figures of 3/5 in eight balls bowled, including wickets off the last two balls.

Earlier, Suryakumar was swift and brutal in equal measure on his first day in office as the Indian top-order plundered Sri Lankan bowling to post a commanding total after being put into bat.

While Suryakumar was at his dominant best while hitting eight fours and two sixes en route his 20th half-century, the foundation for the big score was laid by young stars Yashasvi Jaiswal (41 off 20 balls) and Shubman Gill (34 off 15 balls) in a 74-run opening stand in the powerplay.

Rishabh Pant (49 off 33 balls) struggled initially but did well to end just one short of a half-century with some audacious shots both in-front and behind the square.

The Sri Lankan pacers were erratic in their lengths on a slowish track but Hasaranga (1/28 in 4 overs) was fantastic as the visiting batters couldn’t really get going against him.

U19 Asia Cup Champions : भारत आठव्यांदा आशिया चषक विजेता ; श्रीलंकेचा ९ गडी राखून केला पराभव

U19 Asia Cup Champions : भारत आठव्यांदा आशिया चषक विजेता ; श्रीलंकेचा ९ गडी राखून केला पराभव पाकिस्तानविरुद्धचा सामना हरल्यानंतर भारतीय संघाने केले दमदार पुनरागमन The post U19 Asia Cup Champions : भारत आठव्यांदा आशिया चषक विजेता ; श्रीलंकेचा ९ गडी राखून केला पराभव appeared first on Loksatta. भारताचा अंडर-19 संघ आशिया कप चॅम्पियन बनला आहे. दुबईत शुक्रवारी झालेल्या अंतिम सामन्यात त्याने DLS…