Skipper Rohit Sharma led from front and others followed. India’s explosive batting at the second T20 in Indore on Friday ensured that the home team emerged a 2-0 winner in the 3-match T20 Series against Sri Lanka. India had similarly won at Cuttack 2 days ago. Though Sunday’s game at Mumbai is the last fixture of the Sri Lanka tour, India have already proved their supremacy in all formats of cricket. To Sri Lanka’s credit, it must be stated that they bravely took up the task of scoring 261 runs at Indore but fell far too short in the end.
Enthusiastic Indore never had it so good. The Holkar Stadium crowd had hardly a dull moment as they watched some devastating batting display in 3½ hours during which 432 runs were scored by the two contesting teams. First it was India who piled up 260/5. They, however, missed the all-time T20 highest scored by Australia’s 263/3 also against Sri Lanka in September 2016. India Skipper Rohit Sharma led the assault with a 43-ball 118 and in the process equaled South African David Miller’s record of fastest T20 century in 35 balls against Bangladesh 2 months ago. Besides Rohit’s 10 towering sixes, there were 21 more over-the-horizon hits from KL Rahul (8), MS Dhoni (2), Hardik Pandya (1), Dickwella (1), Tharanga (2) and Kushal Perera (7). Besides, the match also saw 32 boundaries. Thus 314 runs came from fours and sixes in the Indore batting fest that kept spectators on their feet on most times. In the end, India scored an easy 88-run victory, despite Sri Lanka notching up 172 all out. Though Holkar Stadium turned out to be a batting paradise, India’s bowlers also chipped in with some fine spin bowling. Yajuvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav shared 7 wickets between themselves but rejuvenated Lankan batting made them concede more than hundred runs from their 8 overs .
