Rahul Chahar showed exquisite reflexes and awareness to snag an exceptional catch to send back Avishka Fernando
After Krunal Pandya had ended up testing positive for COVID on Tuesday, India find themselves massively depleted. All the players in close contact of the player returned negative Coronavirus tests but owing to the protocols, they were required to remain in self isolation.
It saw India dish out a massively shuffled playing 11, one which saw the side feature just four proper batsmen. And with the pitch being a tricky surface to bat on, India’s lack of batting depth costed the side on the day.
Batting first, the visitors could only put on a scanty 132 on the board. Apart from Shikhar Dhawan who scored 20 and Devdutt Padikkal who managed to rake up 29 on his debut, the rest of the team’s batting unit was largely dismissal.
India needed a heroic effort if they were to defend the meagre score. And the side’s bowlers ensured they compensated for their batsmen’s failures with India’s snaring wicket at regular intervals.
Sri Lanka vs India 2nd T20: Rahul Chahar Sends Back Avishka Fernando With Running Catch
One of the most important was of opener Avishka Fernando who had been in menacing touch in the ODI series. Flicking Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avishka looked set to clear the fence.
However, Rahul Chahar had other plans with him covering immense distance before his got his hands around the ball. However, realising how close he was to the boundary, Rahul showed exemplary presence of mind to throw the ball back onto the pitch before he crossed the boundary and subsequently came into the ground to complete the catch.
What a Catch from Rahul Chahar!
That's also Bhuvi's 50th T20I Wicket.pic.twitter.com/n7dnWg4QwJ— Anushanth R (@Anushanth_R) July 28, 2021
The wicket in the third over was the start of India’s fight on the night. The team put on a sturdy and determined fight, taking the contest all the way down into the last over before Dhananjay de Silva’s 34 ball 40 run cameo ended up taking the hosts past the finishing line.
With the win, Sri Lanka managed to level the series ahead of tomorrow’s decider.
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