KL Rahul Showing some semblance of form with a blistering half-century, he powered India to a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second ODI on Thursday. On a difficult pitch, Rahul scored an unbeaten 64 off 103 balls as India chased down a modest target of 216 in 43.2 overs.
Second highest score for India was Vice-captain hardik pandya36. Earlier, Sri Lanka were all out for 215 in 39.4 overs, with debutant Nuwanido Fernando scoring 50. Mohammad Siraj (3/30) and Kuldeep Yadav (3/51) was the most successful bowler for the hosts.
KL Rahul shines for India
After being repeatedly snubbed by the Indian think-tank, Kuldeep Yadav proved his mettle yet again when he stitched a beautiful bowling partnership with pacer Mohammed Siraj and after opting to bat Sri Lanka were bowled out in 40 overs. Stacked on 215 runs. Chasing the target on a fast Eden outfield, however, did not come easy for the Indian team, who lost their top four batsmen for 86 runs in 14.2 overs.
Needing 130 off 214 balls, Rahul was the only designated batsman left as he once again proved his usefulness in the middle overs with an unbeaten 64 off 103 balls that took India home with 40 balls to spare. Although there was little seam movement on offer and the spinners were gripping the ball a bit, to be fair, there was no scoreboard pressure on the home side.
Kuldeep Yadav ahead of the ball
Time and again considered disposable by the current Indian team management, Kuldeep Yadav once again showcased his prowess with the ball and required calmness with the bat in his two boundaries at the end of the chase.
The left-arm wrist spinner, who was mysteriously dropped after taking five wickets in his comeback Test against Bangladesh in Chattogram last month, got a surprise call-up after the leg-spinner. Yuzvendra Chahal Pulled out with “pain in right shoulder”.
Kuldeep (3/51) answered the call by taking three wickets in his first five overs, in a spell that restricted the Sri Lankans to 102/1 when it looked like debutant Nuwanidu Fernando (63 balls in 50) and kusal mendis (34 off 34 balls) started to frustrate the Indian bowlers after the powerplay with a brisk counter-attack.
The win gave India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Trivandrum ODI on Sunday.