IND vs SL: Kamindu Mendis drags Sri Lanka to 240 in second ODI

IND vs SL: Indian bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 240 in the second ODI at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Washington Sundar was the pick of the bowlers from India who claimed three-wicket haul. Sri Lanka managed well to reach the 200+ mark after being reduced to 136/6. Dunith Wellalage stepped up again in lower order with partner in Kamindu Mendis. Notably, Sri Lanka made changes in playing XIs and the ploy to lengthen their batting worked well. 

As it happened

Star bowler Mohammed Siraj provided early breakthrough by getting Pathum Nissanka's first ball of the game. Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis set a strong foundation for Sri Lanka with a crucial 74-run partnership for the second wicket. Their efforts were later thwarted as Indian spinners Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav spun a web around the Sri Lankan batters, taking five wickets for just 62 runs.

Sri Lanka set a target of 241 for India to chase! 🇱🇰💪 Let's bring our A-game in the field, defend this total with everything we've got! #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/2lTOQclIKJ

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) August 4, 2024

Middle-order resistance

Amidst the collapse, Dunith Wellalage and Kamindu Mendis put together a valuable 72-run stand, providing some much-needed stability to the innings. Dananjaya de Silva also chipped in with a crucial 15 runs, as Sri Lanka managed to post a competitive total of 240 runs despite India’s late comeback.

India’s challenge against spin

India faces a challenging chase with the tricky pitch conditions, as the ball is stopping and turning. With only one frontline pacer in their lineup today, Sri Lanka is expected to rely heavily on their spinners to apply pressure on the Indian batters. The pitch conditions make this a challenging chase for India, promising an exciting contest.

Earlier, Sri Lankan skipper Charith Asalanka won the toss and opted to bat first in Colombo.

2nd ODI: Charith Asalanka won the toss and elected to bat first! #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/zlq9TC6iOE

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) August 4, 2024

Playing lineups for IND vs SL

India Paying XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.

Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay, Akila Dananjaya, Asitha Fernando.