Sri Lanka beat India in a thrilling match in the second T20 match played in Pune, tied 1-1 in the three-match T20 series and now the third match has become decisive.
Hardik Pandya made a big mistake in the second match. (AFP photo)
The Indian cricket team has faced defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the second T20 match played in Pune. Team India fought a good fight in this match but could not win. Akshar Patel played an excellent innings and tried to win India but he could not succeed. With this victory, Sri Lanka has equalized the series 1-1 and now the third T20 match will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium in Rajkot on Saturday, which will be decisive. Captain Hardik Pandya’s big mistake is the reason behind Team India’s defeat in the second match.
Had Pandya done a little preparation, maybe India would have won the series in the second match itself. But Pandya did not prepare and took such a decision which overshadowed him and the team. Murali Karthik brought this to his attention at the time of the toss.
Batting first was a better option
The second T20 match between India and Sri Lanka was played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. The team batting first on this ground gets more advantage. The team playing the first innings has won more on this ground. Pandya won the toss in the second T20 and decided to bowl first. Toss presenter and former India spinner Murali Karthik told Pandya at the time of the toss, “Batting first at this venue would have been a better option, according to statistics”.
To this Pandya replied, “Oh, I didn’t know. but it is OK.” It is clear that Pandya did not come down after his preparation and that is why he decided to bowl first after winning the toss.
— Guess Karo (@KuchNahiUkhada) January 5, 2023
match like this
Pandya won the toss and called Sri Lanka to bat first and the visiting team scored 206 runs losing six wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Captain Dasun Shanaka scored the maximum 56 runs for him. He returned unbeaten. In the end, he batted in a stormy manner and scored runs fiercely. He hit two fours and six sixes in his 22-ball innings. Apart from him, Kusal Mendis also scored a half-century for Sri Lanka. Mendis scored 52 runs in 31 balls with the help of three fours and four sixes.
The Indian team was able to score 190 runs after losing eight wickets even after a lot of effort. India’s top order failed completely. Ishan Kishan two, Shubman Gill five and Rahul Tripathi were dismissed after scoring five runs. Vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav once again batted and scored a half-century. He scored 51 runs in 36 balls with the help of three fours and three sixes. Akshar Patel faced 31 balls and scored 65 runs with the help of three fours and sixes. He fought fiercely in the end but could not win the team.