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Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer has praised India’s clinical showing in the second T20I against Sri Lanka, where they secured a comfortable seven-wicket victory to clinch the series.
In a rain-affected match, India was set a target of 79 runs in 8 overs for victory. The young Indian team successfully chased down the target with an over and three balls to spare. Yashasvi Jaiswal provided a solid start with his quickfire 30 off 15 balls, setting the tone for the chase. Hardik Pandya played a decisive innings, smashing 22 off just nine deliveries, including consecutive boundaries that sealed the win. Pandya also made significant contributions with the ball, claiming two wickets. However, it was Ravi Bishnoi’s impressive three-wicket haul that earned him the Man of the Match award.
Wasim Jaffer took to Twitter to express his delight at India’s triumph, highlighting it as a collective team effort. He specifically mentioned Riyan Parag’s bowling performance as a standout aspect from India’s series victory.
Wasim Jaffer lauds India’s series win over Sri Lanka.
“2/2 for team India in SL. Good combined effort from the bowlers and then batters ensured no hiccups in the chase. Biggest plus so far has been Riyan Parag’s bowling. 3 wkts last game and bowled four overs today. Well played #SLvIND” Jaffer said.
India won the toss earlier in the match and chose to bowl first due to prevailing weather conditions and prior rain. Kusal Mendis departed early for just 10 runs. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera then steadied the innings with a 54-run partnership, followed by another fruitful stand between Perera and Kamindu Mendis. However, Sri Lanka faltered after the dismissal of Kamindu Mendis, collapsing from 130/3 in the 13th over to 169/9 by the end of their innings, losing six wickets for just 39 runs.
This collapse mirrored their performance in the first T20I, where they lost 9 wickets for 30 runs, and continued to highlight the instability in the Sri Lankan T20I lineup. Conversely, it underscored the adeptness of the Indian bowlers in striking crucial blows at pivotal moments.
In the first T20I, Axar Patel’s double strike in the 16th over was pivotal, while in the second T20I, Hardik Pandya’s dismissals of Mendis and Perera in the same over turned the tide decisively against Sri Lanka. Yashasvi Jaiswal then displayed aggressive intent with the bat, scoring 30 runs off just 15 balls to initiate India’s chase. Suryakumar Yadav contributed 22 runs off 12 balls, and Hardik Pandya’s two consecutive boundaries at the end showcased his prowess as a finisher in T20 cricket, highlighting his immense value as an all-rounder for India.
“We spoke about this before this tournament – what brand of cricket we want to play. Even if it’s a shorter target or whatever target we are chasing, this is the template that we would like to go ahead with. With the weather around, anything below 160 would have been nice. The games which we have seen here before have always been tricky. Rain helped us. The way the boys batted was wonderful. Very happy for the boys the way they showed their skill and talent and lot of character in tough situations” said a happy SKY after the second T20I win.
Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav kicked off their partnership with a resounding series victory. The third T20I is scheduled for Tuesday.
