The Indian bowlers once again put up an impressive performance to restrict Sri Lanka to 236 for eight in the second One Day International here on Thursday.
The Indians would rather be disappointed as they had the host on the mat at 121 for five before a 91-run stand between Milinda Siriwardana (58) and the experienced Chamara Kapugedera (40) enabled the home team post a total with a semblance of respectability.
This was after Virat Kohli won his fifth consecutive toss on this tour and opted to field.
Niroshan Dickwella (31) and Danushka Gunathilaka (19) made a quick start to their innings. India handed the new ball to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah even as the two openers showed aggressive intent.
Bumrah was taken for a few runs in his initial spell as Dickwella hit two sixes off him.
Lanka’s 50-mark came up in the ninth over but Bumrah had by then got his revenge when he had Dickwella caught at short mid-wicket in the eighth.
Kusal Mendis (19) then joined Gunathilaka and put on 29 for the second wicket before the latter was stumped off Yuzvendra Chahal in the 15th over. It was Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 99th stumping in ODI cricket, equalling Kumar Sangakkara’s record albeit in fewer games.
Skipper Upul Tharanga then edged a simple out-swinger from Hardik Pandya to slip in the next over. Mendis was out leg-before sweeping off Chahal in the 24th over as Lanka was reduced to 99 for four.
It seemed a familiar script as Angelo Mathews too followed back to the dressing room, out leg-before to Axar Patel five overs later.
Siriwardana and Kapugedara then pulled their team out of the hole with a resolute partnership. The duo played within itself and didn’t seem to be in any hurry to score runs, even as it didn’t let the scoring rate dip too far.
It was helped in that Pandya had to go off in the 28th over after seemed to be a strained left calf.
The all-rounder came back on the field twice, but finally hobbled off in the latter stages of the innings. Kedar Jadhav completed his quota of overs.
The Lankan pair, meanwhile, put on 50 off 63 balls and helped the team past the 200-mark in the 43rd. Siriwardana scored his third ODI half-century off 49 balls.
He was finally out caught in the 45th, lobbing a slower ball off Bumrah to Rohit Sharma at cover. Overall he faced 58 balls and hit two fours as well as a six.
It started another procession of wickets as Lanka’s lower order was restricted from scoring too many runs. Only 24 came in the final five overs.