IND vs SL Man of the Match 2nd ODI: The Indian pacer won his first Man of the Match award in his fifth ODI today.
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During the second ODI of the ongoing India’s tour of Sri Lanka in Colombo, India beat Sri Lanka by 3 wickets to gain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
After Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and chose to bat, the hosts put on display a much-improved performance by scoring 275/9 in 50 overs on the back of individual half-centuries from Charith Asalanka (65) and Avishka Fernando (50).
Having somewhat lost their way in the middle-order for the second time in a row, Sri Lanka were once again rescued by Chamika Karunaratne who scored 44* (33) with the help of five fours after coming in to bat at No. 8 in the 40th over.
With bowling figures of 10-0-50-3, India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick of their bowlers. Vice-captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had leaked runs in the slog overs in the first ODI, picked bowling figures of 10-0-54-3 to return to rhythm at the highest level.
Apart from Chahal and Bhuvneshwar, pacer Deepak Chahar was also among the wickets as he dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva (32) and Wanidu Hasaranga (8) in his second spell.
IND vs SL Man of the Match 2nd ODI
A 276-run chase was nowhere near a cakewalk for the Indian batsmen like the first ODI. Made work extremely hard for the victory, the visitors were clearly on the back foot after losing half their side in the 18th over.
Having scored 53 (44) with the help of six fours, Suryakumar Yadav’s maiden ODI half-century did bring back his team into the match. Having said that, it was Chahar’s maiden half-century which played a titular role behind India sealing the chase in the last over on the back of a match-winning 84-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Chahar and Bhuvneshwar (19*).
Coming in to bat at No. 8 in the 28th over, Chahar grabbed the opportunity with both hands to score a career-best 69* (82). Chahar, who scored a couple of runs in his first 18 deliveries, broke the shackles by driving Lakshan Sandakan for a convincing boundary in the 33rd over.
Playing the Sri Lankan bowlers on merit, Chahar never gave the impression of being bogged down under pressure of a challenging run-chase. Taking calculated risks when needed, Chahar hit seven fours and a six including two lucky boundaries in the last five overs.
“It was hot there, we did well. Got two wickets. Only one thing that was going on in my mind [while chasing] – this is the kind of innings I’ve been dreaming of. No better way to win the match for the country.
“Rahul [Dravid, head coach] sir told me to play all the balls. I’ve played a few innings with India A and I think he has belief in me. He told me he thinks I’m good enough to be a No. 7,” Chahar was quoted as saying after winning his first ODI ‘Man of the Match’ award.
