IND vs SL 2nd T20I: Sri Lanka win nail-biting contest despite Axar Patel's valiant effort, level series at 1-1

IND vs SL 2nd T20I: Sri Lanka won a thrilling contest in Pune on Thursday (January 5) despite Axar Patel's valiant effort with both bat and ball as India lost by 16 runsSri Lanka won a thrilling contest in Pune on Thursday (January 5) in the final over despite valiant efforts from Axar Patel (65) and Suryakumar Yadav (51). India lost the contest by 16 runs and were restricted to 190/8 while chasing the 207-run target. The win for Sri Lanka now sees them level the series at 1-1 with the third T20I in Rajkot being the deciding contest on Saturday.

India make poor start

Asked to chase 207 runs, the Indian team had a tough day at the office and lost early wickets. India lost four wickets in the powerplays and looked done for the day. However, Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav came up with a superb partnership that saw India take the match to the last over. Both Axar and Suryakumar put in a 91-run stand in 40 deliveries that saw India make a superb comeback but ultimately fall short by 16 runs. The teams will next meet on Saturday (January 7) at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot in what will be the series decider.