India tour of Sri Lanka: Visitors cruise to win in second T20I; clinch series

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal powered India to a seven-wicket win in the rain-hit second T20 international against Sri Lanka and clinch the series on Sunday.

Chasing a rain-revised target of 78 in eight overs, India raced to victory with nine balls to spare at Kandy’s Pallekele International Stadium.

India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series to mark a strong beginning with their new-age team under Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir.

Stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20 internationals after the team’s World Cup triumph in Barbados last month.

Yadav has shown early signs of leading from the front after playing key parts in the two wins including his quickfire 26 in the latest outing.

Bowlers set up the victory after Ravi Bishnoi and Hardik Pandya shared five wickets between them to limit Sri Lanka to 161-9 despite Kusal Perera’s 53.

Sri Lanka collapsed from 130-2 to 140-6 and lost three further wickets, including two in the final over by Axar Patel.

Rain interrupted India’s chase after just three balls and six runs without a wicket lost when intermittent showers kept the players off the field for over an hour.

Play resumed with revised playing conditions and Yadav put on 39 runs with left-handed Jaiswal, who smashed 30,...

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