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India vs Sri Lanka 2015-16, 2nd T20I at Ranchi: Rohit Sharma vs Kasun Rajitha, Suresh Raina vs Dasun Shanaka, and other Key Battles

After losing round 1, India will want to win as many of few battles listed down below heading into the second T20I vs Sri Lanka at Ranchi.

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Rohit Sharma will look to avenage his second ball duck by  © Getty Images
Rohit Sharma will look to avenge his second ball duck off Kasun Rajitha © Getty Images

After having been handed a thrashing by a young and lively Sri Lankan side, India will look to improve massively in all departments of the game. The host’s lost the opening match of the three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series at Pune by five wickets, trailing the visitors by 0-1 in the process. Even though the end result is accounted for a loss, India did manage to give early scares to the Sri Lankan batsmen but it was Kasun Rajitha, who made a dream start to his international career, finishing with 3 for 29. With two more matches to go in the series, India will look to get their combinations right and look to deny Sri Lanka of memorable series victory. Vishal Mehra, takes a keen look at the battles that Indian players will need to win, to re-kindle hopes of a series victory. Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs Sri Lanka 2015-16, 2nd T20I at Ranchi

1. Rohit Sharma vs Kasun Rajitha: Getting the wicket of Rohit Sharma’s caliber in the second ball of one’s career is no easy feat, and Kasun Rajitha managed to do just that. Rajitha, playing only his first international game for Sri Lanka was able to get a control over the hit man, who tore Australian bowlers apart Down Under, scoring couple of fifties in the T20I series. Rohit coming into this game will surely be aware of the skills and movement Rajitha can produce. Rohit will want to make a magnanimous comeback, which makes this one of most exciting fight in recent times between bat and ball.

2. Suresh Raina vs Dasun Shanaka: Even though Suresh Raina made a run-a-ball 20, he will know the fact that he gave away his wicket to a perfect yorker by Dasun Shanaka. Shanaka having played only one international match, came into the game as an unknown entity, only to end up as one of the most searched cricketer by Indian fans. In his fiery spell Shanaka just gave away 16 runs nabbing 3 wickets, that of Raina, MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya. Raina will look to provide the much-needed shield to the lower middle-order by showing his class and power-hitting abilities to the young lad.

3. Ravichandran Ashwin vs Dinesh Chandimal: Ravinchandran Ashwin had a good match with both bat and ball. Ashwin in his spell picked up two wickets that of Chamara Kapugedara and Milinda Siriwardana. Ashwin will know that only if Dinesh Chandimal could have one of his victims just then India might have managed to sneak a victory. Chandimal on the other hand, batted beautifully and calmly during his innings of 35.  Even though it was a low total, Chandimal made it a point not to go overboard and start hitting from the first ball. In Ashwin’s defence, one could say that he only bowled 4 deliveries to Chandimal.

4. Jasprit Bumrah vs Danushka Gunathilaka: Jasprit Bumrah, who has impressed one and all with this spot on bowling, must have felt unlucky not to pick up a wicket in the first match. Bumrah got close a few times getting Danushka Gunathilaka to nick once or twice. Whereas, Gunathilaka was somehow managing to survive for 18 painstaking balls, only to have fallen under the pressure of some tight bowling by Bumrah and Ashish Nehra. Gunathilaka only made one solitary run off Bumrah, taking nine balls in the process. With psychological edge in Bumrah’s favour, he will want to one the one to give the first knockout punch.

5.  Ashish Nehra vs Milinda Siriwardana: This in all likelihood will be test of the finishers —  India’s main death bowling specialist Ashish Nehra will take on Sri Lanka final over specialist Milinda Siriwardana. Nehra bowled superbly in the match picking 2 for 21, off which 10 runs came from the very first over. Siriwardana was able to guide his team to victory, making 21 crucial runs. Siriwardana tore apart Bumrah scoring  11 runs of 3 balls off him, making Nehra the more of an apt candidate to bowl at him at the fag end of the innings. (Nehra did not bowl at him in the first match).

(Vishal Mehra is a reporter at CricketCountry, who enjoys his weekly dose of anime, and plays cricket once a white moon. His twitter handle is @vishal_oxyjinn)

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