India’s preparation for the T20 World Cup seems to be on the right track as the Men in Blue registered a thumping seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the second T20I at Indore on Tuesday (January 7).
Thanks to a collective bowling performance, the hosts restricted Sri Lanka to 142/9 in 20 overs and overhauled the target with 15 balls to spare.
The pacers were brilliant for India as the trio of Jasprit Bumrah (1/32), Navdeep Saini (2/18) and Shardul Thakur (3/23) claimed six wickets between them.
Read Also: Navdeep Saini keen to be a part of India’s T20 World Cup squad
Speaking after the match, India skipper Virat Kohli heaped praise on his fast bowlers and hinted that Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna, who turns out for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, could be a "surprise package" going into the T20 World Cup.
“Navdeep has come into the ODI circuit as well, he is gaining more confidence in T20 cricket. You can really see him letting himself go. When he does that, he can clock those speeds which he did. It's great to see him getting people out with yorkers and bouncers and with pace. It's a really good sign for the team. Really pleased to have Jasprit back in the side. He's bowling with pace again,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“You'll have to figure out who are the people that are very similar in their bowling skills, and you pick the senior one. I think one guy will be a surprise package going to Australia, someone who can bowl with pace and has bounce. Prasidh Krishna has done well in the domestic arena as well. This group of bowlers, it is a great luxury to have in all formats. Looking at the big World Cup, we have enough options,” he added.
Virat was delighted with the outcome and the manner in which it was achieved.
Despite the absence of Rohit Sharma, India made the mockery of Sri Lankan batting line-up. KL Rahul was the top-scorer with 32-ball 45 while Shikhar Dhawan (32 off 29 balls), Shreyas Iyer (34 off 26 balls) and Virat Kohli (30* off 17 balls) also made vital contributions.
“Very happy. It was a clinical performance, something we wanted to do as a team. We have gone from strength to strength from the last series. Even though we didn't have Rohit, we had a convincing win, which is a very good sign for the team,” he remarked.
The third and final T20I will be played in Pune on Friday (January 10).
