India lost the second T20I against Sri Lanka by a score of 16 runs, and the visiting captain Dasun Shanaka was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance with both bat and ball. The series finale will take place on Thursday in Rajkot.
In the loss at the MCA Stadium, bowling discipline was scrutinised because wides and no-balls were allowed to contribute to a Sri Lankan total of 206/6. At 34/4 in their response, India was having trouble with the bat, and despite Suryakumar Yadav’s (51 from 36 balls) and Axar Patel’s (65 from 31 balls) best efforts, they were ultimately unsuccessful.
Arshdeep Singh struggled with his run-up upon his return to the international team, bowling three consecutive no-balls in his first over before returning to bowl two more in the final over. He finished with a score of 0/37 from the two overs, and Sri Lanka took advantage of the extra chances.
Arshdeep and the young bowling group were quickly defended by Dravid for their inconsistent play, saying that practise will pay off.
“Nobody wants to bowl wides and no-balls in any format of the game, but especially in the T20 format of the game.
“The young kids will have games like this at times, and I think we all need to be patient with them, (but) we need to be understanding that games like this can’t happen.
“I think as they’re learning, it’s tough. It’s not easy learning in international cricket. You have to learn on the job. I think we’re going to have to have a little bit of patience with these guys.” (ICC reports)