He Indian cricket team clinched the ongoing three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka with a one-sided seven-wicket victory in the rain-affected second match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele on Sunday, July 28.
Team India handled the rain-affected game with remarkable ease. With this win, India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ongoing three-match T20I series, marking a successful start for both new coaches. Gautama Gambhir and full-time T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav.
Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav’s post-match chat goes viral
The second T20I match between India and Sri Lanka was marred by multiple interruptions. The match was initially delayed by 45 minutes before the contest was further disrupted during India’s chase, reducing the second innings to just eight overs in the second game.
Amid difficult conditions, India’s chase was effectively shortened to 78 runs in eight overs after rain halted play after just three deliveries against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
It is noteworthy that Sri Lanka had earlier posted a total of 161/9 in their 20 overs. While chasing 78 runs for victory, the Indian team suffered a setback in the form of Sanju Samson, who was dismissed by Maheesh Theekshana for a golden duck.
However, Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (30), captain Suryakumar Yadav (26) and all-rounder Hardik Pandya (22*) easily took the Men in Blue over the line with nine balls to spare and seven wickets in hand against the hosts Islanders.
After the match, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir were seen holding long and intense sessions at Pallekele. However, the details of their conversation were not clear but it was evident that they were reviewing the game, possibly discussing the pitch conditions or strategies.
Now, the clip of their argument is going viral on social media with no audio available.
Watch the viral clip here:
—hiri_azam (@HiriAzam) July 28, 2024
Very happy for the boys and the way they showed their skills: Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav said at the post-match press conference: “We talked about this before this tournament – what kind of cricket we want to play. Even if it is a shorter target or whatever target we are chasing, this is the model we would like to go ahead with. With the weather, anything under 160 would have been nice.
“The games we have seen here before have always been tough. The rain helped us. The way the boys batted was wonderful. We will sit down and decide what we want to do in the future (when asked if they will test the strength of their bench). I am very happy for the boys for the way they showed their skill and talent and a lot of character in difficult situations.”
Notably, the third T20I will be played on Tuesday, July 30 at the same venue, the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, and the hosts will be hoping to avoid a drubbing in the ongoing T20I series to give the home fans something to cheer about before the action shifts to the ODI series. The three-match ODI series will begin on August 2 in Colombo.
