India Win as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, MS Dhoni Undo Akila Dananjaya’s Six-Wicket Haul

New Delhi : After a middle-order collapse triggered by spinner Akila Dananjaya’s 6/54 while India chased a D/L-corrected 231 in 47 overs, Bhvuneshwar Kumar (53) and MS Dhoni (45) added 100 runs for the 8th wicket to help India beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in the second ODI at Pallekele on Thursday.
Electing to bowl, India restricted Sri Lanka to 236/8 – thanks to Jasprit Bumrah’s 4/43, following which rain delayed India’s chase and the target was reset to 231 in 47 overs. For Sri Lanka, Milinda Siriwardana was the top scorer with 58 runs.
India were cruising at one stage after a 109-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma (54) and Shikhar Dhawan (49), but Dananjaya’s six wickets, including three in an over, dislodged India from a healthy 109/1 to 131/7.
However, Dhoni’s calming effect and Bhuvneshwar’s all-round skills came to the fore for India to get out of a hole and win in the 45th over of their run-chase.
Dhoni had a lucky escape during the partnership when the ball hit the stumps ricocheting off his body but the bails did not get dislodged. And that proved to be the turning point in the match. Dhoni, whose finishing skills have been put to test in recent times showed that experience worth its weight in gold as he tapped around for singles and doubles. The target being a modest one and the run-rate being under check also helped his cause as his innings only had one boundary.