India vs Sri Lanka: Three Key takeaways from 2nd T20I

Arshdeep Singh steps out of line

Overstepping up to five times on Thursday stood out like a sore thumb. After recovering from illness, the left-arm seamer had a miserable performance in which he bowled just two overs and allowed 37 runs to be scored.

Captain Hardik Pandya addressed Arshdeep's issue with the front foot at the post-game conference. Arshdeep Singh, who made his India debut only six months ago, already holds the dubious record for the most no-balls in men's T20 Internationals.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&#39;It&#39;s a crime&#39;: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HardikPandya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HardikPandya</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ArshdeepSingh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ArshdeepSingh</a> bowling no-balls in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvsSL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvsSL</a> 2nd <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/T20?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#T20</a><a href="https://t.co/5ND2qsoU4H">https://t.co/5ND2qsoU4H</a></p>&mdash; Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) <a href="https://twitter.com/fpjindia/status/1611199945465548800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He is still a good bowler in all areas and will likely recover from his poor performance against Sri Lanka on Thursday. Arshdeep must eventually address his persistent propensity to overstep.

Failure of Shubman Gill and a fragile Top Order

Shubman Gill has only participated in two T20Is after making his debut in the first game of the series against Sri Lanka. However, given the level of competition for slots, time isn't the most valuable resource.

He attempted his go-to short-arm jab, hurled one down mid-neck, on's, and only managed five runs in Pune. Although another poor performance could only make things more difficult for him, he should be able to play the series-deciding game in Rajkot.

After his injury has healed, Sanju Samson should make a comeback, and Ruturaj Gaikwad is standing by. The third T20I will be key for Gill because Rahul Tripathi has just completed his debut and can open the innings by himself. 

India's remarkable fight back 

India primarily depended on Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli to carry most of the load despite advocating a careless batting approach before the T20 World Cup in 2022. On Thursday, however, Suryakumar appeared rusty for most of his stay as the hosts chased a considerable total.

However, these two T20Is against Sri Lanka have shown that this generation of players can face adversity head-on. In the opening T20I, Deepak Hooda and Axar delivered the goods, while Suryakumar and Shivam Mavi supported Axar last night.

At one point, the hosts were 57/5, and it appeared they would never catch up to the asking price.

Axar Patel gave his best with bat and ball, but Dasun Shanaka continued his all-around dominance against India to ensure a 16-run win for Sri Lanka in a thrilling match at the MCA Stadium in Pune.

The visitors, who were first to bat, got to 206 for 6 in their 20 overs with the help of some sloppy Indian bowling, including seven very expensive no-balls. Kusal Mendis (52 off 31) and Shanaka (56* off 22) were the top scorers.

The Sri Lankan bowlers broke India's back, taking the hosts to 57 for 5 in the 10th over.

The chase was over by then, but Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel fought back to score 91 runs off 40 balls for the sixth wicket. Even as Suryakumar fell, Axar and Shivam Mavi kept the game in the balance.

When India needed 21 runs for victory in the last over, Shanaka picked up the ball in his first over, taking two wickets and helping his team over the line.