(Reuters Photo)
India won the 2nd T20I by 7 wickets and chased down the set target inside 18 overs. Things went exactly how India wanted but not so for the Islanders.
Let’s take a look at 3 things Sri Lanka need to do to level the series
Angelo Mathews is an experienced campaigner and knows how to shift gears at the right time. He was surprisingly not picked for the first and the second T20Is and they picked Oshada Fernando ahead of Mathews.
The veteran all-rounder loves to play against India and he has scored 3 ODI centuries against them. The experience of Mathews at No.4 also allows the naturally attacking Kusal Perera to play his normal game and also takes the pressure out of him.
KL Rahul hammered the Lankan bowlers in the 2nd T20I with no difficulty whatsoever. Chasing a small total of 143, Rahul came out with positive intent and almost closed the game within the power play. The opener tackled Lasith Malinga very well and scored at a fair clip against him.
If Sri Lankans has to stand a chance, they should come up with a neat plan to knock KL Rahul early as it might open up the game early in the innings for them with which they can try to make further inroads.
Kusal Perera was the standout batsman for Sri Lanka in the 2nd T20I. Perera top-scored for them with 34 runs of 28 balls which included 3 maximums. It was quite evident that Kusal Perera was not playing his natural game as the wickets from the other end kept tumbling.
The wicketkeeper-batsman loves extra pace on the ball which his fellow teammates were uncomfortable with. If Kusal Perera opens the batting, he can take full advantage of the fielding restrictions.