Indian National Cricket Team all-rounder Hardik Pandya gave a cold stare to Sri Lanka National Cricket Team history-maker Kusal Perera in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele on Sunday, July 28.
Kusal Perera emerged as Sri Lanka’s top performer in the second match of the series. The veteran batsman scored 53 runs off 34 balls, with 6 fours and 2 sixes.
He also created history with his 53-run knock. This was the 14th half-century for Kusal Perera, and he has now joined Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kusal Mendis in the elite list of players with the most 50+ scores for the Lankan Lions in the shortest format of the game. Notably, both Dilshan and Mendis also have 14 50+ scores to their name.
Perera’s innings came to an end thanks to Hardik Pandya in the 16th over of the innings. On the last ball of the over, Pandya bowled a short ball at 122 kmph and Perera attempted a drag shot. He could not make a good connection with the ball and was caught by Rinku Singh at deep square leg. The Indian player who had dropped a few catches earlier caught the ball and kissed it. Pandya also gave the batsman a cold look after dismissing him.
Watch – Hardik Pandya gives Kusal Perera a cold stare in IND vs SL 2nd T20I
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Hardik 🤝 Rinku
Twice in one over 🤩
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In the end, the Sri Lanka national cricket team scored 161/9. At the time of writing this article, the match had been abandoned due to rain in the city.
How did Indian batsmen perform in the 1st T20I?
The Indian National Cricket Team batsmen put up an impressive performance in the first T20I match against the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team on July 27.
After being invited to bat first, it was the responsibility of new white-ball vice-captain Shubman Gill and explosive opener Yashasvi Jaiswal to get their team off to a flying start and that was exactly what they did.
Both batsmen played attacking cricket and were in no mood to be conservative against the Sri Lankan bowling unit. Gill and Jaiswal tore Sri Lanka’s bowling all around the Pallekele Stadium and were involved in a sensational 74-run partnership that came in just 36 deliveries.
Shubman Gill was the first to fall and scored 34 runs before setting out on a long walk back to the pavilion. He scored his runs at a strike rate of 212.50 and his innings consisted of 6 fours and a six. Jaiswal also departed very early but only after scoring 40 runs in 21 balls. His brilliant innings was littered with 5 fours and 2 sixes.
After the openers retired, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant joined forces with the aim of building on the momentum generated by Gill and Jaiswal. Captain Suryakumar Yadav batted with equal aggression but his partner Pant struggled to get going.
Suryakumar Yadav entertained the fans with his 360-degree game, which proved to be a nightmare for the bowlers. He scored 58 runs in 26 balls, with 8 fours and 2 sixes, before being dismissed.
Talking about Rishabh Pant, the wicketkeeper-batsman struggled initially but managed to hit a few boundaries after receiving the ball, which helped him finish with a score of 49 runs off 33 balls. The rest of the batsmen — Riyan Parag, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh and Axar Patel — could not make much of a contribution as India posted 213/7 on the board.
