Team India will play Sri Lanka in the second T20I of the three-match series. Thursday’s match will be at the MCA Stadium in Pune (January 7).
India has won two of three T20s in Pune.
The MCA Stadium in Pune, near where the first T20I was played, helps batsmen and spin bowlers. At MCA Stadium, teams batting first (34 times) have won more T20 games than chasing teams (29 times). On a black-soil surface, spinners’ economy is 7.37 compared to over 8 for seamers.
Pune last hosted a T20I in 2020. Pune hosted India and Sri Lanka’s series deciding T20I. The first T20I was abandoned due to weather, but India won the second.
Lasith Malinga invited India to bat first after winning the third T20I toss. KL Rahul (54) and Shikhar Dhawan (52) added 97 runs in the first 11 overs to set up India. India lost four wickets in two overs and was 122/4 after 13 overs.
Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey steadied the ship with a 42-run stand. Pandey and Shardul Thakur took 34 runs off the last two overs after Kohli was run out in the 18th.
Sri Lanka’s reply never got going. Sri Lankan batsmen had to punch above their weight to score 202. The chase was effectively over when the islanders lost their first four wickets.
Dhananjaya de Silva scored a half-century but got little support. Sri Lanka was bowled out for 123 in 15.5 overs by Bumrah, Thakur, and Navdeep Saini. Thakur was named Player of the Match for his all-around heroics in India’s 78-run win.
Jitesh Sharma replaces Sanju Samson in India’s T20I squad.
Vidharbha wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma has replaced Sanju Samson for the two remaining T20Is against Sri Lanka.
Samson injured his left knee while fielding near the boundary ropes in the first T20I in Mumbai.
Yesterday, BCCI said:
Samson injured his left knee while fielding near the boundary ropes in the 1st T20I in Mumbai.
Then:
“The BCCI Medical Team scanned and evaluated him in Mumbai this afternoon and suggested rest and rehabilitation. Jitesh Sharma is Sanju Samson’s replacement.”
Jitesh, 29, is a wicketkeeper-batsman from Vidarbha, Maharashtra. He gained prominence for smashing boundaries for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2022, often in brief cameos. Jitesh scored 234 runs in 12 matches with 163.64 strike rate.
