India Win 2nd ODI By 3 Wickets!

August 24, 2017 Dwayne Fernandes Cricket Scoops, Sports Scoops 2

Vishwa Fernando bowls a wide to finish the game. India come back from the dead to win the 2nd ODI by 3 wickets and lead the series 2-0.

India need 8 runs in 24 balls now.

This is now India’s highest ever 8th wicket partnership in ODIs – 90*

Bhuvi keeps the runs coming as India need just 14 more. 217/7 after 42 overs. Will Bhuvi get to his first ODI fifty? Got to say that this was horrible captaincy from Tharanga. He took off Dananjaya when was on a roll and brought in the pace and inexperience of Chameera when Dananjaya went for runs in his second spell. Not impressive with the bat. Not impressive as captain, Upul!

39.5 – Back to back boundaries now. FOUR. Another short delivery and Bhuvi goes the other way, pulling it for four. India need 30 in 42 now. The required rate is under control while the main concern is the wickets. Bhuvi now crosses his highest ODI score. What a time to get it. Is that the strategy from Dhoni? Let Bhuvi do the run scoring?

39.4 – Stress buster, that. FOUR! I wonder who the hero of this game is? Dhoni? Or Bhuvi? Rocks on the backfoot and pushes it through the covers for four. 34 needed in 44 now. India suddenly favourites again.

39 in 48 now. Dananjaya is back for his final 2 overs. How will India play him?

Out of all the defending and pushing back at the bowlers, Bhuvi suddenly lifts one over mid-wicket for SIX. India need 42 now in 54 balls.

What do you think from here?

India 181/7 after 37 overs. Dhoni 32*, Bhuvi 18*. The partnership reaches 50 in 91 balls. India, on the other hand, need 50 in the next 60 balls. Can they do it?

33.3 – We know who lady luck is favouring today – India. Dhoni looks to defend and plays the ball onto his own stumps. However, the bails don’t light up. In fact, they don’t even move half an inch. Dhoni survives. Indian fans all over the world world would’ve had their hearts in their mouths for a second or two there.

India 168/7 after 33 overs. Dhoni doing it in Dhoni style at the moment. Taking his time. Ensuring he’s there at the end. On the other hand, Bhuvi has been fighting hard, playing 17 consecutive dots before finally getting a run. He is now at 10(41)*, and India require 63 in 14 overs.

Bhuvi has to keep it up right now. Brilliant stuff by him so far:

I think Upul Tharanga has definitely missed a trick here. Akila Dananjaya was on a roll, having picked up 6 wickets in his 8 overs and instead of keeping him on and giving him a chance to clean up India’s tail, he brought on the quicks Chameera and Malinga.

No doubt, Chameera was fiery but Dhoni was calm as ever and Bhuvi is labouring along, playing a perfect test innings. On the other hand, Malinga has been wayward, bowling 6 wides so far and the hosts are slowly letting India creep back into the game. Now 163/7 in 31 overs. Dhoni 26*, Bhuvi 9*.

A name as long as the batting order he ripped through:

All he needs to do is support Dhoni now:

India 153/7 in 28 overs. Dhoni 19*, Bhuvi 9*. 78 runs still needed so it seems like a mountain to climb for india from here but they can do this in singles. No risk has to be taken at all. While most think Dhoni is past his time, I’d like to think that Dhoni is out there to prove his critics wrong once again.

However, Dananjaya still has 2 overs left. Drinks are on the field…

150 up for India. Something to cheer for.

A sense of calm has been restored in this game, thanks mostly to the legend MS Dhoni. From wickets falling in a heap, we suddenly have 4 overs since the last wicket fell. India 147/7 in 26 overs. Dhoni 16*, Bhuvi 6*.

Lots of unwanted records being broken here today:

Not much to come after this:

Equation – India need 94 in 143 balls. Sri Lanka need just 3 wickets.

Dananjaya now has 6/30 in just 6 overs. How can India play him off from here on? Dhoni now only has Bhuvneshwar Kumar as support. Didn’t this seem like a good batting track a while back?

21.5 – He gets another one. OUT! This time it’s an LBW. Dhoni looks like he doesn’t know what’s happening out there. The camera then moves to Kohli who looks clueless as well. From an easy chase, this has suddenly become a different kind of game altogether. 22/7. Possibly the worst collapse ever. Axar Patel out LBW to Dananjaya – 6(9).

We hear on air that Dananjaya got married just yesterday:

India have now collapsed from 109/0 to 121/6. 12/6 is what they’ve done. Self-destruct mode activated. Twitter is going crazy:

19.3 – Don’t go anywhere folks. It gets worse for India – OUT! Dananjaya didn’t play the 1st ODI but he is making sure he cements his place in the Sri Lankan team. This time, Hardik Pandya charges down at the bowler and misses completely. Dickwella doesn’t take too long to whip off the bails. Pandya stumped – 0(3). This is the same ground he scored a hundred at in the test series, but this was the most foolish piece of batting by the all-rounder.

Fans shocked as India have gone from 109/0 to 119/5:

17.5 – Hold on. This over isn’t over as yet. OUT. If you read ‘bowled by Dananjaya‘ don’t think that this is a repeated text. Bowling to KL Rahul, he’s gone past the defenses of another Indian batsman. Rahul bowled by Dananjaya – 4(6). Three wickets in that over from Dananjaya and this is what the 18th over looks like – W 4 W 1 W 0.

India, what is happening? We were busy deciding how many overs India would finish this game in. Now we got to ask how many overs India can survive?

Experimenting FAILED!

17.3 – Kohli bowled. OUT! Not sure if Kohli will ever want to change his batting position again. Misses the ball and he’s bowled. Kohli bowled by Dananjaya – 4(2). A boundary on that first ball. Castled on the second.

Fans shocked as India have gone from 109/0 to 118/4:

Virat Kohli is showing us what he meant by ‘experimentation’ at the toss. Usually, he bats out at #3, but he sent in KL Rahul at his spot, followed by Kedar Jadhav at #4.

However, Jadhav doesn’t last long either. 17.1 – Jadhav is unable to pick Dananjaya, just like the other batsman. The ball skids on and Jadhav defenses are shattered. OUT. Ball crashes straight into the middle stump. Kedar Jadhav bowled by Dananjaya – 1(3).

16.3 – After his partner left, Dhawan goes as well. OUT. Siriwardana was the bowler and Mathews takes a flying catch inches off the ground as Dhawan has to depart without another fifty to his name. Dhawan out by Siriwardana – 49(50).

15.3 – Rohit misses the sweep and is adjudged OUT LBW by umpire Ranmore Martinesz. Good decision there. And good bwling by Akila Dananjaya. He reviews but unsuccessfully. Rohit out LBW by Dananjaya – 54(45).

Good stuff by the openers:

India 102/0 after 15 overs. Rohit 54*, Shikhar 42*. And Rohit Sharma brings up fifty – only his second in 23 innings in Sri Lanka. What a pleasure it is to watch this Indian team where everyone is contributing and chances of a loss look slim.

Surprisingly:

India 75/0 after 11 overs. Rohit 44*, Shikhar 26*. These two are complementing each other and playing beautifully so far. No mercy for the islanders as India seem to be racing towards that target of 231.

Run rate: 6.82

Required run rate: 4.33

Here’s a Kohli fan now:

And here’s a Dhoni fan for you, hating the fact that MSD can’t come out and have a hit:

India 52/0 after 8 overs. Rohit 30*, Shikhar 18*. Can’t help but think that Sri Lanka are going to be trampled upon again today. A Sri Lankan fan thinks Upul isn’t getting his tactics right:

Is this the end of the road for Lasith Malinga? His pace and accuracy have both dropped and not only is he unable to pick up wickets anymore, but he is also going for a lot of runs. Currently 4-0-32-0.

Congratulations Rohit Sharma:

India 38/0 after 6 overs. Rohit 20*, Shikhar 14*. Both openers off to a good start and the chase masters Kohli and Dhoni wait to come and finish this game off in a hurry. The required run rate is only 4.73 at this stage. How many overs do you think India will take to wrap up this game?

I’m guessing 33!

First over bowled by Malinga goes for 6. Cricbuzz mentions that Rohit Sharma’s last 10 innings in Sri Lanka look like this:  4 0 11 5 5 0 0 4 4 4 (most recent first). A boundary in the first over takes him to 5 already, tied for his second highest score here in his last 10 innings.

Lets do some more voting before the game begins:

Players out on the ground warming up now..

Well, there was a slight drizzle that has delayed resumption in play. However, the rain has stop and play will resume soon. Estimated resumption is at 20:05 IST and the match has been reduced to a 47-over affair, with India having a revised target of 231.

18:15 IST: Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers, picking up 4 wickets while Kapugedara & Siriwardana were the batsmen who propelled the hosts to 220+. If you ask me, this game could very well be wrapped up in 35-40 overs once again.

India were fantastic in the death overs there, with Bhuvi giving away just four runs in the final over. They recovered after losing 5 wickets early and even though this is nothing more than a par total, Sri Lanka should be pretty proud of the fact that they managed to get up to 236/8.

Just as Sri Lanka were getting a move along, Bumrah strikes and he dismisses the well set Siriwardana, who will walk off for a well made run-a-ball 58. OUT!

Sri Lanka 200/5 after 43 overs. Siriwardana 54*, Kapugedara 31*. With Siriwardana having only 2 fours and a six in this innings, it goes to show that he has done pretty well in rotating the strike – something none of the other batsmen have done today. 7 overs to go. Can the hosts get to 250-260?

These two are getting more comfortable at the crease as the game goes on. 11 overs to go, with 171 on the board. Is 250 possible? Leave your comments and have your say. Sri Lanka 171/5 after 39 overs. Siriwardana 39*, Kapugedara 19*.

Sri Lanka 166/5 after 37 overs. Siriwardana 37*, Kapugedara 16*. A small partnership is forming between these two now.

Commentators on air talk about Kapugedara’s tally of 1,556 ODI runs is the lowest ever for a Sri Lankan front-line batsman to have played 100 ODIs. This goes to show that he has been given quite a few chances but he has never produced the goods. Can he change their opinions of him today?

Drinks on the field. Sri Lanka 149/5 after 34 overs.

Lets get out there and vote:

Sri Lanka 141/5 after 33 overs. Siriwardana 20*, Kapugedara 10*.

These two dealing a few counter-attacking blows at the moments. Nice to see the intent from the home team. They cannot be satisfied with what they have on the board at this point of time.

Sri Lanka 125/5 after 30 overs. Siriwardana 12*, Kapugedara 3*. Experts say that your 30 over score should be doubled in ODI cricket, but with 5 wickets down, the hosts should be happy if they get to 220 from here. Last recognized batting pair at the crease at the moment.

Who would’ve thought that the 2011 World Cup finalists would find themselves in this spot?

Chamara Kapugedara walks out to the center, in his 100th ODI for Sri Lanka today.

28.3 – Mathews misses and is adjudged OUT. LBW. No reviews remaining for Sri Lanka. Poor shot selection from Mathews after putting in all the hard work in that innings, as Axar gets his first wicket in his 6th over. Mathews out LBW to Axar Patel – 20(41).

Not really. Pandya walks off and Kedar Jadhav will bowl the last four balls of the over for Pandya:

Pandya has just tumbled over with a small knee issue. This will give the players a chance to grab a drink. Sri Lanka 118/4 after 27.1 overs. If these two bat a while, 250 is still possible. If not, another collapse may be seen today.

Thinking about his failure today, is Tharanga the right man to captain the team?

Sri Lanka 111/4 after 26 overs. Mathews 14*, Siriwardana 8*. Can Sri Lanka get to 220+? Leave your comments and let us know what you think.

A fight is certainly needed. Sri Lanka is better than this:

Sri Lanka 101/4 after 24 overs. Mathews 11*, Siriwardana 1*. Siriwardana has been sent up ahead of Kapugedara and why not? Kapugedara has been horrid since his return to the national team and this could be a good chance for Siriwardana.

However, none of the Sri Lanka batsmen have really applied themselves today. It’s been more of Sri Lanka giving wickets rather than India taking wickets.

23.3 – Kusal Mendis sweeps and given OUT. LBW. Chahal was brought back into the attack and he strikes as Kusal tried to sweep a quick, straight delivery. He reviewed it but all three reds and he has to make the long walk back. A labouring innings comes to an end. Kusal Mendis out lbw to Chahal – 19(48).

Sri Lanka 96/3 after 22 overs. Mathews 9*, Mendis 18*. Slow and steady wins the race! The Sri Lankan innings run rate has dropped to 4.4 but a partnership here could do wonders for the hosts. 

19.5 – FOUR. First wayward ball from Pandya. Pitched up and Mathews drives it straight past the bowler for his first boundary. 89/3.

Without the pressure of captaincy, maybe we could see a better performance from him today:

Sri Lanka 85/3 after 19 overs. Mathews 2*, Mendis 14*. Axar Patel was brought into the attack for Yuzvendra Chahal. Very tight bowling this by the Indians. This looks very similar to the story line of the 1st ODI – brisk start, collapse, sub par total. Hope we don’t see the same thing again.

Hopefully:

Sri Lanka 83/3 after 17 overs. Mathews 0*, Mendis 14*. Will Sri Lanka be able to play out their 50 overs?

What you do when you are a world class chaser:

15.6 – Pandya to Tharanga – OUT! Pandya keeps up with his barrage of bouncers and that’s does the trick. Last ball of the over and he bowls a good length delivery, which produces an outside edge straight to Kohli, who doesn’t drop any. Tharanga out by Pandya – 9(7).

Tharanga’s pathetic run of form continues. Sri Lanka 81/3 after 16 overs:

Sri Lanka 80/2 after 15 overs. The captain of the home teams walks out to the center and is given a nice juicy full toss to begin with. He smashes it for four and has raced to 9(4). He has a lot of experience but has been mediocre with the bat against India so far. Expect a good knock from him today? Leave your comments and let us know what you think.

OUT! Gunathilaka goes now – now both openers dismissed after getting a start. Shimmies down the wicket to Chahal, misses the ball and Dhoni has to regather before knocking off the bails. 99th ODI stumping that for Dhoni, equally a Kumar Sangakkara record. Gunathilaka out stumped – 19(37).

Sri Lanka 70/1 after 14 overs. India have pulled things back slightly after that brisk start:

  • 40/0 after 7 overs
  • 70/1 after 14 overs (30 runs and a wicket in the last 7)

From the other end, it was Hardik Pandya who was brought into thee attack. He started with a couple of bouncers, including one that was called a wide. However, he bowled a good over for just 3 runs. Sri Lanka 59/1 after 12 overs.

4 singles from the over – Sri Lanka 56/1 after 11 overs. Kusal Mendis 3*, Gunathilaka 16*

15:15 IST: There’s that change we were expecting then. Yuzvendra Chahal is on to bowl the 11th over….

India began with Hardik Pandya and Bhuvi in the first game. Today, however, Bumrah opened the bowling with Bhuvi and not many times do you see India bowling their opening bowlers for 5 overs straight each. No changes in the bowling after the first powerplay. Sri Lanka 52/1 after 10 overs.

Kohli won all three tosses in the tests and has now won both in the ODIs – 5 in a row. Also, he is appearing in his 300th international game for India, 9 years after making his debut here in Sri Lanka. 

Scratch that good start. They’ve thrown it away yet again, and it’s their leading run scorer of 2017 (Dickwella) who has to go. OUT. A brilliant change of pace by Bumrah led to Dickwella chipping the ball into the air and Dhawan taking a safe catch. A good start given away. Sri Lanka 41/1 in 7.4 overs.

15:05 IST: Like in the 1st ODI, Sri Lanka have begun brilliantly. A slow and steady start by Gunathilaka, while Dickwella has played his shots all over the ground in the opening half hour. After 7 overs, the hosts are looking good at 40/0.

Read Scoops India v Sri Lanka 2nd ODI

Kohli announced at the toss that there may be a few experiments with the batting order and bowling attack. However, they have played an unchanged team while Sri Lanka have had to go in with three changes – Milinda Siriwardana, Akila Dananjaya and Dushmantha Chameera will play this game.

We at Read Scoops are here to take you through the 2nd ODI, where captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to field first yet again. Of course, all Indian fans will back this decision as Kohli and the team itself are brilliant at chases and they are confident even when chasing 300+.

14:35 IST: The test series was a completely one-sided affair, with India whitewashing Sri Lanka 3-0. We thought Sri Lanka would put up a better fight in the shorter formats but India completed a 200+ chase in just 29 overs in the 1st ODI, winning by 9 wickets and taking a 1-0 lead in the series.

About Dwayne Fernandes 2314 Articles
Indian, 28 years old. Avid cricket fan. Business Management Graduate. Twitter and Instagram - @dwayneeeboy