Upul Tharanga handed a 2-match ban; Sri Lanka to find new captain

Troubles for the Sri Lankan team seem to not end as after a demoralizing 3-wicket defeat at the hands of the Indian team at Kandy their skipper Upul Tharanga has now been banned for two matches. Sri Lanka in their innings maintained a slow over rate and that being a repeat offence accumulated enough demerits in Tharanga’s account to keep him away for a couple of games.

The Sri Lankan selectors now have a meeting to decide upon who will lead the team in his absence. They brought in Test skipper Dinesh Chandimal to captain the team in Tharanga’s absence.

Sri Lanka in 2nd ODI

Indian skipper won his 5th toss on the tour and Virat Kohli wanted the hosts to bat first. Dickwella and his opening partner Danushka Gunathilaka gave them a decent start, Kusal Mendis carried on as well but once again all three of them didn’t convert the starts they got. Indian bowlers kept finding success at regular intervals and Sri Lanka were never off the hook. The middle order did kick in this time and half century from Milinda Siriwardhana and a 40 by Chamara Kapugedera helped Sri Lanka post 236/8 in 50 overs, 20 runs more than what they managed in the first game.

Was this going to challenge the Indian batting at all was the question? The kind of start they had with both Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma playing at ease and cluttering the ball around, it looked like India would better the 9-wicket win this time. The openers added 109 runs for the first wicket but as soon as Rohit’s failed sweep of Akila Dananjaya drew first blood, there was disarray. Dananjaya, an off-spinner who bowls wrist spin as well bamboozled the Indians.

He set them up with the conventional off-spinners and had four of them with googlies. He went through the gates of Kedar Jadhav, Kohli and KL Rahul. All of a sudden the Indian team was 7 down for 131 and the youngster had picked a 6-wicket haul. With only MS Dhoni left at the crease with Bhuvneshwar Kumar as his partner, the Men in Blue were on the verge of a defeat. But then, like he does so often the former Indian captain was calm in his composure and treated it like any other situation. That also calmed Bhuvi’s nerve and the duo took their time and with no pressure of the scoring rate took the team home with a hundred-run partnership.

But then, like he does so often the former Indian captain was calm in his composure and treated it like any other situation. That also calmed Bhuvi’s nerve and the duo took their time and with no pressure of the scoring rate took the team home with a hundred-run partnership.

Bhuvneshwar scored a half century to stay unbeaten on 53 while Dhoni at the other end, held his place with 45. The Indian team thus took a 2-0 lead in the series.