Sri Lanka v India: 2nd ODI: India Player Ratings

India continued their dream run in Sri Lanka and won the nail-biting encounter by 3 wickets. The credit has to be given to the calmness of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni which won the game for their country. Sri Lanka, though would feel hard done today as they were ever so close when they had the visitors reeling at 131/7.

Virat Kohli won the toss for the 5th consecutive time on this tour and invited Sri Lanka to bat in their 800th One Day International. Sri Lanka never looked settled throughout their innings and kept losing wickets. The 6th wicket partnership of Siriwardana and Kapugedera took Sri Lanka to a respectable total of 236. Bumrah was superb throughout his 10 overs and scalped 4 wickets.

In reply, India was set a target of 231 off 47 overs as rain delayed the resumption after mid innings break. Rohit and Dhawan started off in spanking fashion and added more than 100 in around 15 overs. But then Akila Dananjaya suddenly spun a web around the Indian batsmen as India collapsed from 109/0 to 131/7 out of which the youngster picked 6 wickets. He scalped the likes of Jadhav, Kohli and Rahul in the same over.

Here we reflect the performance of Indian players in the 2nd ODI:

Rohit Sharma: 7/10

The opener made amends straight away after the bizarre run out in the first game. He was aggressive from the moment he stepped on to the field. Rohit dominated the pacers as he hit Malinga and Chameera for maximums. He scored his half century at better than run a ball but could not carry on and was caught plumb in front of the stumps off Akila Dananjaya which triggered the staggering collapse. He would surely like to make it big once he gets set in the upcoming games.

Shikhar Dhawan: 6.5/10

The left-hander backed up his hundred in the first game and looked solid in his approach along with his partner. Dhawan started off cautiously as Sharma was going great guns. But soon he too thumped the bowlers as India looked to repeat what happened in Dambulla. But the centurion of the first game could not get to his 50 and was dismissed off Siriwardana’s bowling as Mathews took a stunner to send him packing. Dhawan made 49 runs which comprised of 6 fours and a towering six.

Virat Kohli: 2.5/10

Virat Kohli, for a change, had an off day with the bat. He was bowled off a beauty by Dananjaya who was on a roll by then. Kohli could only muster 4 runs coming in at no.5 before getting out. He led India well on the field though and made clever bowling changes to unsettle the hosts. The skipper is a quick learner and he will soon display his maturity in the next game.

KL Rahul: 2/10

KL Rahul once again, could not contribute to the team’s cause. He had the opportunity today as he was sent in at no.3 ahead of his skipper but was tamely dismissed by the Sri Lankan spinner. The right hander could only make 4 as he left his team in deep trouble at 119/5. Rahul has to start contributing soon as the likes of Manish Pandey and Ajinkya Rahane are waiting in the ranks to grab his place in the side.

Kedar Jadhav: 1.5/10

The right hander had a forgettable day as he could make any impact with both bat and ball. Like the top order, Jadhav was also bowled off the mystery spinner Akila Dananjaya and he too was sent back to the dressing room cheaply. While bowling too Jadhav could not pick wickets or could not stem the flow runs and conceded runs at 6.85 per over. Alike Rahul, Jadhav also has to keep performing to justify his place in the side.

MS Dhoni: 8.5/10

Many must have realised Dhoni’s importance in the today’s game. Time and again he proves his worth to the team and if it was not for Dhoni’s calmness in the middle, India would have lost the match by a reasonable margin. The veteran kept his cool when the batsmen were committing hara-kiri at the other end.

He formed a match winning 100* run stand with Bhuvi and constantly mentored him which made the difference in the end. The wicketkeeper batsman scored 45 off 68 deliveries with just a solitary boundary which shows the way he approached the chase in the panic situation.

Hardik Pandya: 4/10

Hardik Pandya today had a great chance to justify himself as an all-rounder when India badly needed his credentials with the bat. But the youngster threw it away by charging aimlessly to the bowler who had already picked 4 top order wickets and was stumped by Dickwella. Though he was decent with the ball and scalped Tharanga who edged the ball to the first slip. He could complete his quota of overs as he went off the field while delivering his sixth over.

Axar Patel: 7/10

The left arm spinner was once again canny and kept the opposition batsmen quite. Axar conceded only 30 runs off his 10 overs and caught Mathews in front of the stumps when he had started to look threatening. Alike Pandya, Axar too could not display his batting skills today as he was out leg before to the hero of the day. Though he has done enough with the ball which is his crucial job and should secure his place in the side for the next game.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 8.5/10

Bhuvneshwar would have never thought his batting would come after having a forgettable day with the ball and the start provided by the openers. He conceded 53 off his 10 overs and was wayward with his line and length. But when he came to bat India had almost the game with only MS Dhoni at the other end.

He first got in and played a lot more dot balls as there was no pressure of the asking rate. Slowly he grew in confidence and started playing his strokes as India came ever so close to the target. He even took Dananjaya on when he came back for his final spell and blazed him away for a four and six. He scored a match winning half century for his team and sealed the game with 53* off 80 deliveries. Though he would love to improve his bowling in the next game.

Yuzvendra Chahal: 7/10

Chahal was once again brilliant with his leg spin bowling and kept Sri Lanka batsman wondering. He scalped the crucial wicket of the opener Gunathilaka as he charged him only to be stumped by Dhoni. Mendis too lost his wicket leg before off Chahal as the youngster threatened to take more wickets. Chahal is surely making no harm to his chances and performing extremely well.

Jasprit Bumrah: 8.5/10

Jasprit Bumrah was the best bowler for India today as he looked unflustered even after being hit by Dickwella. He came back strongly though to dismiss the opener and continued to hurt Sri Lanka with his superb variations. He picked wickets of the set batsmen, Siriwardana and Kapugedera. The yorker he bowled to dismiss Kapugedera was the best of the day. Bumrah ended with the brilliant figures of 10-2-43-4. The right hander is quickly becoming India’s lead bowler and Kohli would love to have him in the side for long time.