Kochi: India came close to losing to the young Sri Lankans but was saved by the medium pacer and tail ender Deepak Chahar who not only took a couple of wickets but hit his highest score of 69 to sail to victory by helping India win the three limited overs series.
Playing only his fifth ODI, Chahar was ably supported by his bowling partner Bhuvneshwar Kumar to establish a 84-run stand for the eighth wicket. Though the two played a number of risky shots, they remained safe as the islanders started showing signs of desperation and fatigue. Playing his fifth ODI, Chahar hit seven boundaries and one six at a strike rate of 84.14. Indian opening batsmen appeared complacent from their previous victory due to which they failed to lay the foundation for the team. Captain Shikar Dhawan did not show the maturity and patience which he displayed in the first ODI.
Inexperienced player Prithvi Shaw, 13, showed his inconsistency by playing carelessly as if he was playing a 20 -20 match. He tried to repeat the show he displayed in the first ODI, but failed. Thereafter wickets kept falling at regular intervals. The worst situation came when Manish Pandey, 37, threw up his wicket when the ball struck by Surya kumar yadav, 53, banged the non striker’s stumps when Pandey was out of the crease. Krunal Pandya could make only 35 runs.
Winning the toss did not help the host to take advantage of the situation as their batsmen could not make a challenging score. For Sri Lanka Asalanka made a fiery 65 with a strike rate of 95.59 and Fernando 50 while Minod Bhanuka, 36 and Dhanjaya de Silva 32, contributed their might.
For Sri Lanka, Wanindu Hasaranga took 3 for 37 and for India Yuzvendra Chahal took 3 for 50 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3 for 54. The final match will be played on Friday. It was Sri Lanka’s 10th successive ODI series loss to India.
