Sri Lanka’s unceremonious slump

As for team Sri Lanka, the intent just wasn’t there. Be it their bowling, fielding or batting, the fire was lacking in the body language of the team and it reflected in the way they went about with their game. Even if they would’ve hoped to turn things around in the second innings with some good partnerships and solid knocks, their hopes were extinguished by the unceremonious slump of the top and the middle order.

Both opener, Niroshan Dickwella and Upul Tharanga started off on a positive note, only to give away their wickets recklessly and Kusal Perera followed suit. From thereon, there was only one way that the game could go. Sri Lanka lost 7 wickets for just 30 runs, leading to an inevitable crushing defeat for themselves.

Yuzvendra Chahal gets a 4-wicket haul

The star bowler for the Indian side was the seemingly frail, Yuzvendra Chahal. His four-for was instrumental in steering India’s ship towards victory and he was recognised as the ‘Man of the Match’
for his efforts. Chahal took full advantage of the two-paced pitch, restricted the run flow, fielded exceptionally well on a dew-laden ground, picked up wickets at regular intervals and did not give the Lankan batsmen any opportunity to settle. His caught and bowled scalp of Angelo Mathews, in particular, was a treat to the eyes. Chahal ended the game with figures of 4-0-23-4.

Dhoni finishes off in style

If finishing the innings in style is your need, MSD is the man for your deed! The veteran batsman joined the party a little early as he came in at No.4 ahead of the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya, a move that is being hailed by fans and critics alike.

Dhoni scampered through for the quick singles, ran the 2’s hard and punished the loose deliveries for their merit. His well-paced unbeaten innings worth 39 runs off just 22 runs helped India get to a total that was beyond good on the sticky wicket of the Barabati Stadium. The 36-year old hit 4 boundaries and 1 sixer in the proceedings.

Manish Pandey joins the party

The Sri Lankan bowling attack was in for a terrible day at the office as they were knocked out of the park left, right and centre. Manish Pandey came in lower in the order than his usual spot but did not fail to deliver. His partnership with former skipper, MS Dhoni was the cement that constructed the Indian innings.

Pandey hit a quickfire 32 off 18 balls. It was Nuwan Pradeep, who got hit by Pandey for a mammoth six, followed up by a smashing boundary in the next delivery in the second last over, taking India’s total to the next beyond reachable.

Lokesh Rahul’s sensational knock

Although Indian opener, Rohit Sharma failed to contribute significantly, KL Rahul filled the void aptly. Having gone through a lull in recent times,
the swashbuckling right-hander proved his mettle with panache. He started off on a slightly slow note and paced his innings fabulously as the match progressed.

Clinical bowling performance by India

India excelled in all three departments in the second ODI as they defended the mammoth total they’d put up without any hint of complacency. The Indian bowlers were immaculate and clinical in their performances in the second innings, bagging regular scalps and providing crucial breakthroughs to keep the scales tipped in their favour.

While pacer Jasprit Bumrah picked up 2 wickets, Yuzvendra Chahal got 3 scalps to his name. With wickets falling constantly, Sri Lanka would’ve hardly hoped to have any shot at winning the game and the clinical Indian bowling and fielding ensured that the Rohit Sharma-led side levelled the 3-match series at 1-1.

Forgettable outings for Lakmal and Pradeep

It was a bad day at the office for the Sri Lankan bowlers, to say the least. Not only did they fail to pick up wickets at regular intervals, they were utterly unsuccessful in stemming the Indian run-flow in any way. Pacers,
Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep were the ones who had to take a severe beating as they leaked runs like a damaged sink-tap. Pradeep conceded 106 runs in his quota of 10 overs while Lakmal gave away 71 runs in his 8 overs, leaving Sri Lanka with barely a sliver of a chance to make a contest out of the game in the second innings.

Rohit Sharma’s third ODI double ton at Mohali

The more one speaks about Rohit Sharma‘s batting prowess, the less it seems. The talented batsman slammed his third double century in the format, leaving the spectators gaping at the sheer volume of his talent and skill.
Not one Sri Lankan bowler seemed to be able to come up with an antidote to the ‘Hitman’ as he continued scoring runs with remarkable fluidity throughout the innings. The right-handed batsman scored 208 runs off just 153 balls, that included 13 boundaries and 12 sixes, and helped India to get to the gargantuan total of 392 runs.

Shreyas Iyer’s maiden fifty

23-year old, Iyer’s joy would’ve known no bounds after he finally brought up his maiden half-century in the ODI format. The youngster took the field at number 3 in Virat Kohli‘s absence, after the dismissal of Dhawan and delivered exactly what was expected of him.
He scored 88 runs off just 70 deliveries and could’ve very well gone on to get to his first ODI century, before being caught by substitute fielder, Chaturanga de Silva off the bowling of Lankan skipper, Thisara Perera.

Shikhar Dhawan’s dazzling start at Mohali

After the unceremonious failure in the first ODI, the swashbuckling Indian opener, Shikhar Dhawan redeemed himself with panache as he registered 68 valuable runs on the scoreboard next to his name.
It was his 115-run partnership with Rohit that helped the Indian innings to congeal into an insurmountable mountain for the opposition to scale. Dhawan played with his usual aura of confidence and fluent ease as he hit 9 boundaries to bring up his almost run-a-ball innings.

Niroshan Dickwella’s counterpunch

While Tharanga had already made the chase easier for Sri Lanka with a stroke filled 49, the game was still not completely in the grasp of the visitors when the veteran left-hander got out. A couple of quick wickets there would have made things interesting again.

But Dickwella came out and played his natural game and made sure Sri Lanka didn’t give India any sniff. He went for his shots and took his chances. The wicketkeeper-batsman finished with the score of 26 off 24 balls, which in the context of a low scoring game was invaluable.

Upul Tharanga’s knock

He was struggling to put bat on ball initially as the ball was hooping around corners for the first 5 overs, but India later fed him with wide deliveries which allowed him to free his arms and score boundaries on the off side which is his strong side.

While the Indian bowlers didn’t get the line right giving him too much room, they erred with the length as well bowling either too short or too full. Tharanga, to his credit, pounced on every bad delivery that came his way and kept the scoreboard ticking. He, however, couldn’t complete his half-century as he edged one to first slip off the bowling of Hardik Pandya on the score of 49.

Jasprit Bumrah’s no ball

No Indian fan would have forgotten the no ball Bumrah bowled in the final of the Champions Trophy earlier this year against Pakistan. That mistake cost India the title as Fakhar Zaman who was the batsman on that occasion went on to score a match winning hundred and guided Pakistan to a score of 339 which proved to be a match winning total in the end.

Bumrah who had bowled just one no ball since repeated that mistake again today. He got Upul Tharanga out caught behind the wickets when Sri Lanka’s score was just 19, but when the umpires checked it, the Gujarat fast bowler had overstepped the line which meant Tharanga got a life and he carried on. It was such a crunch moment in the game as India were looking for early wickets defending a tiny total of 112 and Tharanga’s wicket there would have been huge.

MS Dhoni’s 67th half century

With the kind of technique Dhoni has, one would generally think that he would be in all sorts of troubles batting in conditions where the ball seams around. But he has shown time and again that temperament is a greater supplement over technique and he showed it one more time in this today’s game with a sparkling half century and fought a lone battle for India while the wickets were tumbling down at the other end.

Dhoni often stepped out of the crease to negate the movement of the ball and at times also shuffled towards off stump to take the lbw out of the equation. The former captain was the last man dismissed for India at the score of 65 having faced 87 deliveries and hit 10 boundaries and 2 sixes.

Suranga Lakmal’s spell at Dharamsala

The pitch in Dharamsala was definitely bowler friendly. It had a green tinge on it and carried a lot of moisture since it has been raining and snowing in Himachal Pradesh on the days leading into the game. However, pitching the ball in the right areas was still important for the bowlers to make the batsmen commit mistakes and Lakmal did that with perfection.
He bowled around the off-stump channel and got movement in the air as well as off the track. None of the Indian batsmen looked comfortable against him as he finished with the figures of 10-4-13-4.

Vijay has scored three hundreds in overseas conditions

Vijay has been one of the most consistent players, when it comes to playing in foreign conditions. He has scored 1548 runs at an average of 36.85 in the overseas conditions and has played crucial knocks in the process.

On Australian soil, Vijay has scored 482 runs in four Tests at an average of 60.25. Apart from this, he was player of the series in the last England last tour, as he scored 402 runs in 5 Tests at an average 40.2.

Vijay has strong defensive technique which is important for any overseas tour

Murali Vijay is one of the traditional openers, who leaves the ball outside off-stump and plays a patient game until the bowlers tire. This was one of the primary reasons why he was so successful in the English tour, where most of the Indian batsmen struggled to score.

On Vijay's technique during his early days, former Australian captain Allan Border said "His defensive shots are so assured. And he looks comfortable on both front and back foot. And when he attacks, he doesn't go hard at the deliveries. I can see why this young man is playing".

Murali Vijay And Cheteshwar Pujara have 10 century stands between them

During the second test, Vijay and Pujara had a mammoth partnership of 209 runs. They currently have ten century stands between them, along with three double century partnerships in Tests. The Vijay-Pujara combination has 2740 runs in 38 innings, at an average of 72.10 per partnership.

In overseas condition, the average drops to 48, while in home condition, it is 89. Over the next year or so, they should get several opportunities to add to their century tally overseas.

Vijay plays well against spin and takes attack to them when needed

In the last overseas tours, India had surprisingly struggled against spin where they were expected to dominate. In both England and Australia tours, it was Moeen Ali and Nathan Lyon who created havoc in the Indian batting line-up.

India's average against spin has slipped to 34.22 since the beginning of 2012. Between 1990 and 2011, they averaged 45 against spin. So if India has to win the overseas tour, then they need someone like Vijay who can tackle the spin threat.

Murali Vijay has been the mainstay opener of Indian Team after Sehwag and Gambhir

Murali Vijay made his Test debut in 2008 against Australia and was the reserve opener after Sehwag and Gambhir. Vijay became regular opener post 2013 when both the openers were dropped due to poor form.

Before 2013, Vijay had just one hundred and 2 half-centuries in 12 Tests. After getting another opportunity in 2013, he scored 2935 runs in 40 Tests at an average of 43.66, with 9 hundreds and 13 half-centuries to his name.