PUNE: Dasun Shanaka led from the front with a record half-century and two wickets in Sri Lanka’s series-levelling 16-run win in the second T20 International of the three-game series here on Thursday.

Shanaka hit an unbeaten 56 off 22 balls laced with two fours and six sixes to steer Sri Lanka to 206-6 after being invited to bat first.

Bowlers led by pacer Kasun Rajitha removed openers Ishan Kishan (2) and Shubman Gill (5) early to help his team keep down India to 190-8 despite a threatening 91-run sixth-wicket stand between Suryakumar Yadav (51) and Axar Patel (65).

Captain Shanaka turned up with his medium-pace bowling for the 20th over to send back Axar and Shivam Mavi, who hit 26 off 15 balls.

But it was Shanaka’s batting that set up victory as he smashed a 20-ball fifty, the fastest by a Sri Lankan batsman in T20s. He bettered Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, both of whom got fifties in 21 balls.

Shanaka raised his fifty with a six and put on an unbeaten 68-run stand with Chamika Karunaratne.

Kusal Mendis (52 off 31) put together 80 runs with opening partner Pathum Nissanka (33) to lay the foundations for the winning total.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA:

P. Nissanka c Tripathi b Patel 33

K. Mendis lbw b Chahal 52

B. Rajapaksa b Malik 2

C. Asalanka c Gill b Malik 37

D. de Silva c Hooda b Patel 3

D. Shanaka not out 56

W. Hasaranga b Malik 0

C. Karunaratne not out 11

EXTRAS (LB-1, NB-7, W-4) 12

TOTAL (for six wickets, 20 overs) 206

DID NOT BAT: M. Theekshana, K. Rajitha, D. Madushanka

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-80 (Mendis), 2-83 (Rajapaksa), 3-96 (Nissanka), 4-110 (de Silva, 13.4 ov), 5-138 (Asalanka), 6-138 (Hasaranga)

BOWLING: Pandya 2-0-13-0 (1w), Singh 2-0-37-0 (5nb), Mavi 4-0-53-0 (2w, 1nb), Patel 4-0-24-2, Chahal 4-0-30-1, Malik 4-0-48-3 (1w, 1nb)

INDIA:

I. Kishan b Rajitha 2

S. Gill c Theekshana b Rajitha 5

R. Tripathi c Mendis b Madushanka 5

S. Yadav c Hasaranga b Madushanka 51

H. Pandya c Mendis b Karunaratne 12

D. Hooda c de Silva b Hasaranga 9

A. Patel c Karunaratne b Shanaka 65

S. Mavi c Theekshana b Shanaka 26

U. Malik not out 1

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-10) 14

TOTAL (for eight wickets, 20 overs) 190

DID NOT BAT: Y. Chahal, A. Singh

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-12 (Kishan), 2-21 (Gill), 3-21 (Tripathi), 4-34 (Pandya), 5-57 (Hooda), 6-148 (Yadav), 7-189 (Patel), 8-190 (Mavi)

BOWLING: Madushanka 4-0-45-2 (3w), Rajitha 4-0-22-2 (2w), Karunaratne 4-0-41-1, Hasaranga 3-0-41-1 (1w), Theekshana 4-0-33-0, Shanaka 1-0-4-2.

RESULT: Sri Lanka won by 16 runs.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2023