Rahul anchors India's series-clinching win

Kolkata: KL Rahul showed some glimpses of form with a gutsy half-century as he anchored India to a hard-earned four-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the second ODI on Thursday.

Rahul scored an unbeaten 64 off 103 balls on a difficult track as India chased down a modest target of 216 in 43.2 overs. The second highest score for India was vice-captain Hardik Pandya's 36.

Earlier,Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj produced excellent three-fers to help India bowl out Sri Lanka for 215.

While Siraj overcame a wayward start to pick 3/30 in 5.4 overs, Kuldeep produced another excellent performance in the middle overs to take 3/51 in his ten overs. Umran Malik shined with 2/48 in seven overs while Axar Patel was miserly in his 1/16 off five overs.

Sri Lanka were going good, including debutant Nuwanidu Fernando getting a fifty on debut and stitching a 73-run partnership with Kusal Mendis. But the introduction of spin from the 17th over saw them implode from 102/2 to 126/6. It took some lofty hitting from Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage and Kasun Rajith to take Sri Lanka over 200.

Pushed into bowling first, India found early movement through Siraj and Mohammed Shami. While some deliveries missed the outside edge, two of them went for boundaries. While Shami operated with nagging line and length, Siraj was a bit wayward as Avishka Fernando hit him for a hat-trick of boundaries.

But the right-arm pacer had the last laugh by getting a wobble-seam delivery to nip back in and take Fernando's inside edge to crash into the stumps. Nuwanidu, who got off the mark after ten deliveries, started to be more comfortable and looked compact in his punches, drives and upper-cutting Umran over the slip cordon.

Mendis was quick in dispatching anything overpitched, too short and down leg for boundaries. His stay came to an end when Kuldeep trapped him lbw with a googly spinning past outside edge and hitting high on back leg. Mendis reviewed, but couldn't change the on-field decision.

One brought two as Axar sneaked through the gate of Dhananjaya de Silva and brushed the pad before ricocheting into middle and off stump, sending the batter back for a first-ball duck. More trouble followed Sri Lanka as Nuwanidu, after reaching his fifty, was run out after a horrible mix-up and Shubman Gill firing in a sharp throw from mid-wicket.

Kuldeep's good day continued when he uprooted the leg-stump of captain Dasun Shanaka, who was shaping up for a sweep and then got a good dip on a googly to Charith Asalanka for completing a soft caught and bowled dismissal.

Hasaranga took on Kuldeep by hitting three fours and a six, but he failed to keep a short of length ball down off Umran and gave a catch to backward point. Karunaratne hit Umran for three fours, but couldn't keep a punch down off him and gave another catch to backward point.

Wellalage swept, hooked and steered well in his 34-ball 32, before punching straight to backward point off Siraj. The right-arm pacer ended the Sri Lankan innings in 39.4 overs by castling Lahiru Kumara with a fast, straight delivery.

Brief Scores:

Sri Lanka 215 all out in 39.4 overs (Nuwanidu Fernando 50, Kusal Mendis 34, Mohammed Siraj 3/30, Kuldeep Yadav 3/51) against India 219/6 in 43.2 overs (KL Rahul 64 not out, Lahiru Kumara 2/64, Chamika Karunaratne 2/51).