Ravi Shastri calls Bhuvi-Dhoni rearguard as ‘jail break’

Since his appointment as the head coach of India, Ravi Shastri hasn’t tasted defeat yet. Such has been the form of India that they have not allowed Sri Lanka to get a sniff. In the Test series, India deflated the hosts by 3-0 and went on to win the 1st ODI by a convincing margin of 9 wickets. On Thursday, though, the home side had more than a sniff.

Dhawan-Rohit get off to a flier

Chasing a revised target of 231 in 47 overs in the second ODI in Kandy, India looked on course as Rohit and Dhawan added more than a 100 for the opening wicket without breaking into a sweat. That India will struggle to knock off the remaining 122 runs was not envisaged by anyone till Akila Dananjaya was called on to bowl by Upul Tharanga.

The 23-year old spun a web around the Indian batting, reducing them to 131 for 7 courtesy a magnificent six-wicket haul. With 100 runs to get and just three wickets in hand, India looked like losing their first game on the ongoing tour. Sri Lanka were wary of one MS Dhoni but Bhuvneshwar Kumar, known for his sedate batting, became a pain in the neck for the hosts. The duo began the resurrection by looking to get singles and bat for time. Both remained unbowed when the last runs were scored with the former skipper getting 45 and Bhuvi, a career best 54.

Ravi Shastri was delighted that the pair bailed India out of a tricky situation. He took to Twitter to underline how good the effort was from Dhoni and Bhuvi.

Sri Lanka finally turned up

‘Jail break’ is the right word to describe how Dhoni-Bhuvi partnership snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Sri Lanka looked very disappointed but on a positive front, they put up a brave show and challenged the visitors for the first time in the series. They must look to build on this to secure a couple of victories in the remainder of the series.