Thisara Perera claims hattrick against India in 2nd T20I at Ranchi

Sri Lankan all-rounder and fast-bowler Thisara Perera claimed his maiden hattrick against India in the second of the three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium in Ranchi on Friday. His hattrick wickets included the likes of Hardik Pandya, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh. It was also the fourth T20I hattrick, and the first ever hattrick by a Sri Lankan. Also, it was the first-ever T20I hattrick on the Indian soil. India finished on a total of 196 for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs, leaving Sri Lanka to chase down 197 in the same alloted overs. Shakhar Dhawan was the top-scorer with the score of 51. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I at Ranchi

Earlier, Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal won the toss and elected to bowl first, as he made a change in the form of Tilakaratne Dilshan, who comes in for Niroshan Dickwella, while Indian skipper MS Dhoni moved in with an unchanged squad from the opening T20I loss at Pune. MS Dhoni leads India to face Sri Lanka in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) at his hometown Ranchi on Friday. The defeat in the first game against a young and inexperienced Sri Lankan side came as a shocker but the Men in Blue (well, Sri Lanka are, technically speaking, Men in Blue as well) remain positive, drawing confidence from their 3-0 win against Australia as they marched to the No. 1 ranking in this format. Live Cricket Blog and Updates, India vs Sri Lanka 2015-16, 2nd T20I at Ranchi

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Meanwhile, Dinesh Chandimal’s young Lankans will hope to continue building on the momentum they got at Pune. It will not be easy but we have seen that the game is full of surprises.