Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer praised India’s clinical performance against Sri Lanka in the second T20I. A comfortable seven-wicket win helped the men in Blue seal the series.
India’s target was 79 in eight overs as the second innings was shortened due to a rain interruption. The young team chased down the target with one over and three balls to spare.
Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 30 off 15 balls to give India a flying start. Hardik Pandya then won the game for India with 22 off nine balls. He hit consecutive fours to win the match and also took two wickets with the ball. However, Ravi Bishnoi for his three-wicket spell was named the Man of the Match.
Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer tweeted about India’s win saying that it was a combined team effort. He further said that Riyan Parag’s bowling performance was the most important thing for India in this series win.
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Wasim Jaffer celebrates India’s series win against Sri Lanka
2/2 for Team India in SL. Good combined effort from the bowlers and batsmen ensured that there were no hiccups in the chase. The biggest plus so far has been the bowling of Riyan Parag. 3 wkts in the last game and he bowled four overs today. Well bowled 👏🏼 #SLvIND
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) July 28, 2024
“2/2 for Team India in SL. Good combined effort from the bowlers and batsmen ensured that there were no hiccups in the chase. The biggest plus so far has been the bowling of Riyan Parag. He played 3 wkts in the last match and bowled four overs today. Well played #SLvIND,” Jaffer said.
Early in the game, India won the toss and opted to bowl first due to the weather and pre-match rain. Kusal Mendis (10) was dismissed early in this game. Pathum Nissanka (32) and Kusal Perera (53) added a stand of 54. Perera had another 50-run stand with Kamindu Mendis (26). After this stand was broken, Sri Lanka suffered another batting collapse.
From 130/3 in 13 overs, they were reduced to 169/9 in 20 overs as they lost their last six wickets for just 39 runs. The Lankan batting line-up collapsed on consecutive days. They lost 9/30 in the first game and 7/31 in the second.
While the match showcased the unstable nature of Sri Lanka’s T20I team, it also highlighted the Indian players’ ability to strike at crucial moments.
In the first T20I, it was Axar Patel who struck twice in the 16th over, and in the second T20I, it was Hardik Pandya who dismissed Mendis and Perera in the 16th over of Sri Lanka’s innings. Once the established batsmen were dismissed, Sri Lanka’s innings became disorganised.
Jaiswal then showed pure intent with the bat as he scored 30 off 15 balls to pave the way for India’s chase. Sky scored 22 off 12 and Pandya put the finishing touches with back-to-back boundaries. In doing so, he showcased his finishing skills in the T20I format and his immense value as an all-rounder.
“We talked about this before this tournament – what kind of cricket we want to play. Even if it’s a shorter target or whatever target we’re going after, this is the model we’d like to follow. With the weather, anything under 160 would have been good. The games we’ve seen here before have always been tricky. The rain helped us. The way the boys batted was wonderful. I’m really happy for the boys the way they showed their skill and talent and a lot of character in tough situations,” a delighted SKY said after the second T20I win.
Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav, the duo started their run with a series win and a dominant victory. The third 20I will be played on Tuesday.
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