Dananjaya de Silva struck a match-winning 40 n.o. off 34 to become the Player of the Match and guided Sri Lanka to a four-wicket win to level the three-match T20I series at 1-1 against India at R. Premadasa. “We were looking forward to this win for a couple of months,” said de Silva after the match. Photo Pradeep Dambarage[/caption]
By Ranjika Perera at R. Premadasa Stadium
A disciplined bowling performance from the Lions and Minod Bhanuka played a vital knock at the top before wickets fell at the other end. The Indian spinners squeezed the middle overs as the Sri Lanakan batsmen struggled to rotate the strike.
However, Dhananjaya de Silva, aka DDS, and Chamika Karunaratne scored 28 off just 13 deliveries to take Sri Lanka home to level the three-match T20I series at 1-1 last night here at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
India was forced to make seven changes including four debuts, due to their Covid-19 outbreak within their bio-bubble. Once again, their immense depth in talent was shown as the four debutants, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Rana, and Chetan Sakariya settled in easily on the big stage. Gaikwad played a sensible inning at the top supporting Skipper Shikhar Dhawan to lay the perfect foundation for the visitors.
Sri Lanka used eight bowlers inside the first ten overs which slowed down scoring considerably as India scrambled through to 61/1 at the half-way mark.
Dhawan took it upon himself to get some quick runs, but he lost his wicket in the process, trying to slog a straight one off Akila Dananjaya. With five overs to spare, India were 94 for two. Few inside edges, some lack-lustre fielding, and too many extras helped India reach 132/5 in 20 overs.
Sri Lanka’s stuttering reply
Avishka Fernando got off to a promising start, scoring two boundaries off Sakariya in the second over, but he walked back in the next over after a brilliant piece of fielding in the boundary-line by Rahul Chahar.
After a quiet power-play, Sadeera Samarawickrama, who is making a comeback to the team, failed to capitalise on the chance as he failed to read Varun Chakaravarthy and got cleaned up in the seventh over.
Skipper Dasun Shanaka followed shortly afterwards as he continued his horrid run with the bat. Sri Lankan middle-order’s inability to rotate strike and their weakness against spin was exploited again as Kuldeep Yadav, Chakarawarthy, and Rahul Chahar spun a web around the Lankans.
The hosts needed 39 off the last five overs. De Silva’s smart batting and Karunaratne’s power hitting took the game till the final over where Sri Lanka needed eight runs to win. De Silva smartly manoeuvred the ball into gaps and got Sri Lanka home to seal the much-awaited win.
SCORECARD
India
Ruturaj Gaikwad c Minod b Shanaka 21
Shikhar Dhawan (Capt.) b Dananjaya 40
Devdutt Padikkal b Hasaranga 29
Sanju Samson (wk) b Dananjaya 7
Nitish Rana c De Silva b Chameera 9
Bhuveneshwar Kumar not out 13
Navdeep Saini not out 1
Extras (b 1, wd 11) 12
Total (for 5 wkts. in 20 overs) 132
Did not bat: Kuldeep Yadav, Chetan Sakariya, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rahul Chahar
Fall of wickets: 1-49 (Gaikwad), 2-81 (Dhawan), 3-99 (Padikkal), 4-104 (Samson), 5-130 (Rana)
Bowling: Dushmantha Chameera 4-10-23-1 (wd 5) Chamika Karunaratne 1-1-6-0, Akila Dananjaya 4-6-29-2 (wd 2) Isuru Udana 1-2-7-0, Wanindu Hasaranga 4-8-30-1 (wd 5), Dasun Shanaka 2-5-14-1 (wd 1), Ramesh Mendis 2-6-9-0, Dhananjaya de Silva 2-4-13-0
Sri Lanka
Avishka Fernando c R. Chahar b Kumar 11
Minod Bhanuka (wk) c R. Chahar b Yadav 36
Sadeera Samarawickrama b Chakaravarthy 8
Dasun Shanaka (Capt.) st Samson b Yadav 3
Dhananjaya de Silva not out 40
Wanindu Hasaranga c Kumar b R Chahar 15
Ramesh Mendis c Gaikwad b Sakariya 2
Chamika Karunarathne not out 12
Extras (lb 3, wd 3) 6
Total (for 6 wkts. in 19.4 overs) 133
Did not bat: Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dananjaya, Isuru Udana
Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Fernando), 2-39 (Samarawickrama), 3-55 (Shanaka), 4-66 (Bhanuka), 5-94 (Hasaranga), 6-105 (Mendis)
Bowling: Bhuveneshwar Kumar 4-11-21-1, Chetan Sakariya 3.4-7-34-1 (wd 1), Varun Chakaravarthy 4-9-18-1, Rahul Chahar 4-8-27-1, Kuldeep Yadav 4-6-30-2 (wd 1)
Venue: R. Premedasa Stadium, Colombo
Toss: Sri Lanka
Result: Sri Lanka won by 4 wickets
Player of the Match: Dhanajaya de Silva (Sri Lanka)
Series: Three-match series tied at 1-1
Next Match: Thursday, 30th July (D/N) at same venue (from 8 p.m.)
T20I No.: 1,206
Umpires: Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Prageeth Rambukwella
Referee: Ranjan Madugalle
... ... ...
[caption id="attachment_152330" align="alignleft" width="356"]
Krunal Pandya tested positive for Covid-19 making SLC and BCCI postpone the second T20I about five hours before its start[/caption]
The Morning Sports Wednesday's (28) report on the 2nd T20I -
The Krunal Pandya tests positive in mysterious circumstances!
Sri Lanka vs. India second T20I postponed
Sri Lanka vs. India T20Is
* Second T20I - Originally scheduled for Tuesday, 27 July, is postponed for Wednesday, 28 July, at 8 p.m. at the R. Premadasa Stadium
* Third T20I - Will be held as per the original schedule, today, Thursday, 29 July at 8 p.m. at R. Premadasa Stadium
Barely five hours before the start of the match, the second T20I between Sri Lanka and India, it was postponed as Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya tested positive for Covid-19.
The Morning Sports broke the news at 3.30 p.m. on Tuesday and at 4.12 p.m., Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officially confirmed the news by releasing the following statement issued by Jay Shah, Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Second Sri Lanka-India T20I postponed
The second T20I between Sri Lanka and India originally scheduled to be played on 27 July (Tuesday) has been pushed forward by a day and will now take place on Wednesday, 28 July (yesterday).
Following the Rapid Antigen Tests conducted ahead of the match on Tuesday morning, Team India all-rounder Krunal Pandya was found to be positive. The Medical Teams have identified eight members as close contacts.
The entire contingent is undergoing RT-PCR tests today (yesterday) to ascertain any further outbreak in the squad.
Strict bio-bubble
Pandya’s positive result is coming as a surprise for many as the team was under strict bio-security protocols in their team hotel, Taj Samudra in Colombo, since the day they arrived there, on 27 June. The entire hotel is reportedly coming under the bio-bubble of the Indo white-ball team.
They had been shuttling only from hotel to R. Premadasa for their practices and matches covering the barely six-kilometre distance which takes less than 15 minutes by the team bus.
SLC, BCCI confused
Both India and Sri Lanka teams were in isolation last evening after the second T20I, which was scheduled to get underway at 8 p.m., was officially postponed.
But both SLC and BCCI had been reportedly confused as to how Krunal Pandya contracted the virus.
There were no reports of any breach of the bio-bubble even by last evening. Furthermore, the entire hotel staff of Taj Samudra had come under the same bio-bubble restrictions, it is also reported.
“It was a mystery”
“Everyone is waiting for the RT-PCR test reports of the Indian cricketers. There are apprehensions that some more players could have caught the virus,” reported the Indian media quoting their team sources in Colombo Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile some reports added that Prof. Arjuna de Silva, who oversees SLC’s bio-bubble protocols for international tours, had said “it was a mystery” as to how (Krunal) Pandya could have contracted Covid-19.
Fate of Shaw, Suryakumar visit to England
There are only 20 members in the current Indo white-ball squad in Colombo, not around 24 as is the usual case under the current Covid-19 protocols. It means that almost half of the squad is now under isolation, including Hardik Pandya.
The Indo squad members Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw, who are currently in Sri Lanka, were set to fly to England to join their Test squad. But Tuesday’s developments made it uncertain whether the two could fly to England in time, as scheduled.
The two too are close contacts
“According to the information coming in from the BCCI sources, Parthiv Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav are part of those eight players (of Hardik Pandya’s close contacts) and will now not leave for England anytime soon,” reported the Inside Sports.
The BCCI on Monday (26) informed that the All-India Senior Selection Committee under Chetan Sharma had named Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav as replacements for the upcoming Test series against England, starting on 4 August, as all-rounder Washington Sundar, batsman Shubman Gill, and pacer Avesh Khan have all been ruled out of the tour due to injuries.
SLC had confirmed Indian media last evening that none of the Sri Lanka cricketers were suspected of Covid-19. They are to be tested again, though, Wednesday (28) morning.
Second rescheduling
Meanwhile BCCI Secretary Shah was quoted by PTI as saying that most of the close contacts of Pandya were players.
“The reports will come in the evening (around 6 p.m. last evening) and if everyone is in the clear, we can have the match on Wednesday. Maximum among the eight close contacts --who are also in mandatory isolation-- are players,” Shah had revealed.
This is the second time that the fixtures of the series had to be rescheduled. Ahead of the series opener, two support staff of Sri Lankan team --including Batting Coach Grant Flower-- tested positive for the virus, leading to the series being postponed by a few days.