India vs Sri Lanka: KL Rahul steps up as India chase down 216 to secure series at Eden Gardens

India beats Sri Lanka by four wickets in the second ODI to take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match series on Thursday. KL Rahul’s composed fifty after Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav’s brilliance with the ball helped India. Rahul (64*), along with Hardik Pandya, had to dig deep following an early collapse of India’s top order.

The openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill started off the 216-run chase cautiously. However, just when the duo changed their gears, Sri Lanka got the much-needed breakthrough. The former India captain Kohli, who was flying high with back-to-back ODI hundreds, was bowled cheaply for four. Shreyas Iyer (28) tried to see off the storm but could not stay in the crease for long.

Pandya joined Rahul in the middle and the two formed a composed stand of 75 runs, ensuring India stayed alive in the match. Rahul and Pandya steadily built a partnership for the fifth wicket in an attempt to take India closer to the 200-run mark. Sri Lanka removed Pandya (36) and Axar Patel (21) before Rahul finally took India home. Earlier, Siraj and Kuldeep shared six wickets as India bundled out Sri Lanka for 215 inside 40 overs. Siraj struck early as he cleaned up Avishka Fernando for 20.

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