In & out of team, Kuldeep turns things India's way in 2nd ODI as hosts bag series; under-fire KL Rahul too proves a point with fighting knock
KOLKATA: The last time India played a One-day International at the Eden Gardens, Kuldeep Yadav had picked up a hat-trick against Australia in 2017. On Thursday, he made the playing XI only after Yuzvendra Chahal had to sit out with a sore right shoulder.
But the Chinaman bowler is used to be in and out of the team, and like always grabbed the opportunity with both hands claiming three for 51 in his 10 overs to help India bowl out Sri Lanka for a below-par 215 runs in 39.4 overs in the second ODI.
India made heavy weather before winning by four wickets with 40 balls left, ending with 219 for six in 43. 2 overs to seal the three-match series taking an unassailable 2-0 lead. The hosts made a fluent start with both skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill smashing boundaries. But Lanka hit back picking up both the openers in consecutive overs and then Lahiru Kumara, who replaced Dilshan Madushanka, got one to cut back sharply to clean bowl Virat Kohli, who was beaten both by movement and pace.
India were in a spot of bother after being reduced to 86 for four, losing Shreyas Iyer in the 15th over, but KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya took it upon themselves to steady the ship. Without going for any heroics, they kept going with singles and twos mostly. But with no big scoreboard pressure, the asking rate always remained within control as the duo stitched a 75run fifth-wicket stand off 119 balls. Rahul re-established his credentials by staying unbeaten on 64 off 103 balls. India still needed 55 runs off 95 balls when Pandya (36, 53b) departed, but the wicketkeeper-batter soaked in the pressure and stayed till the end after Axar Patel played a run-a-ball innings of 21 to take the side home.
1/10:2nd ODI: KL Rahul anchors India's series win over Sri Lanka with fighting fifty
2/10:India beat Sri Lanka by 4 wickets
<p>Under-fire KL Rahul made amends for his poor run of form as he anchored India's series clinching four-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the second ODI with a dogged 64 on a tricky Eden Gardens track.</p>
3/10:Kuldeep proves his mettle
<p>Snubbed time and again, Kuldeep Yadav proved his mettle yet another time as he formed a lovely bowling alliance with pacer Mohammed Siraj (3/30) to demolish Sri Lanka for 215 inside 40 overs after they opted to bat.</p>
4/10:Win not a cakewalk for Team India
<p>The paltry chase on the quick Eden outfield however was not a cakewalk for the Indian team, which lost its top-four batters for 86 runs in 14.2 overs.</p>
5/10:Rahul scores 64* off 103 balls
<p>Needing 130 from 214 balls, Rahul was the only designated batter left as he once again proved his utility in the middle overs with an unbeaten 64 off 103 balls that took India home with 40 balls to spare.</p>
6/10:India look for series whitewash
<p>The win also gave India an unassailable 2-0 series lead going into the Thiruvananthapuram ODI on Sunday.</p>
7/10:'It was not a flat wicket'
<p>"I won't say it was a flat wicket, or it was doing a lot that it was impossible to bat. When Sri Lanka started, I thought it was a 280-300 wicket," Rahul said after the match.</p>
8/10:Rahul scores fighting 93-ball fifty
<p>Having started off with a boundary, Rahul was quick to slow down as he ran hard for his singles en route to a 93-ball fifty.</p>
9/10:Rahul-Hardik forge crucial partnership
<p>The need of the hour was to play sensibly as Rahul and Hardik Pandya (36 off 53 balls) curbed their natural strokeplay in a decisive 75-run partnership that came off 119 balls.</p>
10/10:India lose Rohit and Shubman early
<p>India earlier endured some tense moments inside the powerplay when Rohit Sharma (17) and Shubman Gill (21) departed in four deliveries after an attacking start.</p>Earlier Kuldeep got able support from another left-arm spinner Axar, who not only kept it tight claiming one for 16, but also took three well-judged catches at backward point.
The Lankan batters failed to flourish on a good batting track after skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to bat. They lost Avishka Fernando early when the opener inside edged a Mohammed Siraj delivery that came in sharply. But with no more seam movement on offer, Nuwanidu Fernando, coming place of injured Pathum Nissanka, and Kusal Mendis steadied the innings finding the occasional boundaries too.
But the introduction of spin in the 17th over changed the whole complexion of the match. Kuldeep broke the 73-run second-wicket stand by having Mendis trapped in front when the wicketkeeper-batter missed a straight one. Dhananjaya de Silva departed for a first-ball duck, getting bowled off his pad in the next over when Axar came into the attack.
However, it was the quick dismissals of Nuwanidu Fernando, younger brother of former Lankan international Vishwa and skipper Shanuka that tilted the balance in India's favour. Nuwanidu, who got his maiden fifty in his debut ODI match off 62 balls, departed in a rather unfortunate manner. Pushing one towards midwicket, he was off for a quick single, but Gill made a good diving stop as Nuwanidu found himself stranded halfway down the track when wicket-keeper Rahul dislodged the stumps.
Lanka suffered the biggest jolt when Kuldeep rattled the in-form skipper's stumps down the leg as Shanaka missed a sweep shot. Kuldeep returned to have Asalanka in his next over caught and bowled when the batter played one a bit early straight back to him. The Uttar Pradesh spinner bowled eight overs at a stretch to do the damage claiming three for 40 as Lanka lost five wickets for 36 runs in 10 overs to lose ground from a decent 99 for 1 in 16 overs.
