Team India registered a four-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the second ODI at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Thursday (January 12).
Opting to bat first, the visitors were bowled out for a paltry 215 in 39.4 overs. It was a listless batting display from the Lankans as no one managed to cross the 50-run mark. Nuwanidu Fernando was the top scorer with 50 off 63 balls.
Kuldeep Yadav (3-51) and Mohammed Siraj (3-30) were the pick of the bowlers for India, claiming three wickets each.
The hosts were expected to chase this modest target comfortably but they've been made to toil hard. India lost Rohit Sharma (17), Shubman Gill (21), Virat Kohli (4) and Shreyas Iyer (28) cheaply and found themselves in a spot of bother at 86/4.
Amid the pressure situation, wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul stepped up to the plate, playing a responsible knock of 64 from 103 balls to take the home side over the line in 43.2 overs.
Speaking after the game, India skipper Rohit Sharma praised Rahul for his composed knock under pressure.
“It was a close game but games like these teach you a lot. We had to build an innings under pressure. KL has been batting at five for a long period of time now and it gives us the depth. Gives you the confidence as well at the top of the order for us to go and bat freely. It was a good display of batsmanship,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“It'll be nice to have a left-hander, but I don't believe too much into it. Ideally we would like to have a left-hander, but we know the quality of the right-handers who are out there in the middle. They can tackle situations when put under pressure,” he added.
With this victory, the Men in Blue took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
When asked if they will change the combination in the third ODI, the Indian captain replied: “We haven't thought about it yet, once we get there we'll have a look at the pitch and have a look at some of our guys. There are 3 ODIs coming up against New Zealand as well, so we need to keep the guys fresh. We've got a long season now and we need to keep everything in mind. If needed, we'll make some changes.”
For his stunning bowling figures, Kuldeep Yadav earned the Player of the Match award and Rohit showered rich praise on the wrist-spinner.
“For him (Kuldeep Yadav) to come back and play the game he played today, it was fantastic. Literally got us back in the game. They were batting run-a-ball and Kuldeep, as we've seen quite often, comes and gets the wicket. He's quite confident as a bowler right now and it definitely augurs well with the team,” he concluded.
The third and final ODI will be played in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday (January 15).
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
