The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by 4 wickets in the 2nd ODI match to take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the ongoing series. Team India chased down a total of 216 runs in 43.2 overs for the loss of 6 wickets. KL Rahul was the top-scorer with the bat as he played a gritty knock of 64 runs off 103 balls to take India home.
Earlier, as debutants Nuwanidu Fernando and Kusal Mendis were leading Sri Lanka to make a comeback, Rohit Sharma decided to introduce spin. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, While India’s comeback man Kuldeep Yadav picked up three wickets in his 10 overs, on the other hand, Axar Patel picked up one wicket in his 5 overs while giving away runs at an economy of 3.20. Umran Malik also contributed by picking two wickets and Siraj dismissed the last two batters to bundle out Sri Lanka for 215.
During India’s run chase, the Indian side started on the worst possible note as they lost the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer inside 15 overs. But KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya brought the momentum back toward India as they stitched together 75 runs in 119 balls.
Batting maestro Virat Kohli walked out to bat at no.3 but unlike his previous two ODI outings, where he scored back-to-back centuries, this time he failed to fire up and was dismissed after scoring just 4 runs. His stay at the middle was cut short by bowler Lahiru Kumara, who rattled Virat’s stumps.
Gautam Gambhir Backed Virat Kohli
After Kohli failed to fire up in the 2nd ODI match, he was backed by former Indian opening batter Gautam Gambhir, who was quick to remind everyone about Kohli’s contributions to Indian cricket.
Gautam Gambhir said that Kohli has scored enough tough runs for the Indian cricket team whenever the side needed him to. He said: “Virat Kohli is there because he is Virat Kohli. He has scored tough runs for India whenever needed,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.
It has to be noted that recently Gambhir came under the scanner of criticism and trolling after he claimed that the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli cannot be compared as the rules have changed. After Kohli registered his 45th century, Gambhir had said: “You can’t compare Virat with Sachin. In Sachin’s era there weren’t five players inside the 30-yard circle,”
