Sri Lanka won the second T20I against India on Wednesday, 28 July. The contest was an enthralling one and Sri Lanka chasing 133 won with two balls to spare. A COVID-19 hit Indian camp had to field the available 11 players, which resulted in only five proper batsmen playing.
Batting first, India put up 132/5 with contributions from Shikhar Dhawan, and the two debutants, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devdutt Padikkal on a slow, turning pitch.
In reply, Sri Lanka was struggling at 66/4 in the 12th over. This is when experienced campaigner Dhananjaya de Silva, who had a poor ODI series and an underwhelming first T20I, took matters into his own hands and guided Sri Lanka with an unbeaten and calm 34-ball 40. The knock included just one four and a solitary six.
The match turned its tide in the 19th over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Needing 20 to win off the last two overs, Chamika Karunaratne smashed a six off a full-toss and along with Dhananjaya de Silva managed to get 12 runs off the penultimate over. De Silva then finished the match off in the final over with a couple of balls to spare.
De Silva won the Player of the Match for his knock. Talking about the game, he said he knew that one big over was all that was needed to win in such a low-scoring match.
"We were looking for this win. I am happy to contribute to a win for SL. I always thought and knew it was about one big over. I decided to bat till the end. We held our nerves today. It is always tough against India," Dhananjaya de Silva said after receiving the Player of the Match award.
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka was visibly delighted after the win and said that they believed they could win if they restricted their opponents to a low score. He also praised Dhananjaya de Silva and Wanindu Hasaranga for their efforts.
"I thought if we can keep them under a low score, we can chase it. The strategy was to go hard in the first six overs. Then I went into the middle but couldn't do much. But DDS and Hasaranga did well in the middle overs. When it comes to international cricket, different boys are performing. I should thank BCCI and SLC to allow us this opportunity during these tough times," stated captain Dasun Shanaka.
