2nd T20I: Shanaka, Nissanka power Sri Lanka to 183/5 against India
Dharamsala, Feb 26: Skipper Dasun Shanaka blazed away to an unbeaten 47 off a mere 19 balls after opener Pathum Nissanka top-scored with a 53-ball 75 as Sri Lanka posted a stiff 183 for five against India in the second T20 International here on Saturday.
Having got himself in after his opening partner Danushka Gunathilaka (38 off 29 balls) laid the foundation, Nissanka cut loose and struck his runs at over 140. He found the fence 11 times until Bhuvneshwar Kumar got him on the final ball of the penultimate over.
However, Sri Lanka wouldn't have got to what they eventually managed had it not been for Shanaka's five massive sixes and two fours.
India's new ball operators, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah got the white ball to swing in the first few overs, beat the bat and hit the pads with the latter losing one review after a huge shout for an lbw in the second over.
The Sri Lankan openers got their acts together as the innings progressed with Danushka Gunathilaka, especially taking on the Indian bowling attack.
Gunathilaka's, as well as Sri Lanka's, first authoritative shot of the match came when he played Bumrah though the covers in the third over.
The attacking left-handed opener pulled Harshal Patel for his second boundary, even as the Indians managed to keep things fairly quiet in the middle.
Pathum Nissanka welcomed Yuzvendra Chahal with a boundary, rocking back to cut the leg-spinner's loosener through the cover point region, but the visitors were still not able to get the run rate they were looking for.
However, from a poor 32 for no loss after the six power play overs, Sri Lanka got a move-on with Gunathilaka clobbering Ravindra Jadeja for 18 runs in an eventful ninth over, which also saw the dismissal of the man in form.
The first ball was full outside off and Gunathilaka went down the wicket to smoke it over deep midwicket for the evening's first six.
A length ball outside off was played over the cover-point fielder for a four and having forced Jadeja to come around the stumps after the left-arm spinner had started from over the wicket, Gunathilaka got his second maximum when he smashed one over the deep midwicket boundary.
But Jadeja had the last laugh when, trying to go for one too many, Gunathilaka played one high up in the air towards long-on and Venkatesh Iyer managed to hold on to the skier after seeming to have misjudged it at the picturesque, floodlit Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium where a sizeable (50 percent full) crowd was making plenty of noises.
Using his resources well, skipper Rohit Sharma got another breakthrough, Charith Asalanka (2), who was trapped in front of the wicket by Chahal.
Kamil Mishara (1) too got out cheaply, falling to Bumrah's slow off-cutter.
But Nissanka found an able ally in Shanaka, adding 58 quick runs for the fifth wicket to prop up their team.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Train to Kashmir: 22-bogie train's trial run successful on Katra-Srinagar line
Jammu: A 22-bogie train chugged between Katra and Srinagar railway stations on Sunday, officials said, marking the first successful trial run on the newly completed line to connect Kashmir with the rest of the country via rail.
The train, comprising 18 AC coaches, two luggage carriers and two engines, left the Katra railway station at around 8 am, successfully reaching its destination within four hours under the watchful eyes of the railway authorities, the officials said.
This was the first trial run between Katra and Srinagar, and came within six days after the Commissioner of Railway Safety (Northern Circle) Dinesh Chand Deshwal authorised the opening of the newly constructed Broad Gauge line.
He had given the authorisation for the start of public carriage of goods and passenger traffic in a seven-page letter to the ministry and railway authorities, based on his detailed inspection of the track on January 7 and 8.
The CRS referred to his inspection of the newly constructed BG line between the Katra and Reasi section by a motor trolley and on foot, followed by a speed trial on the entire section from Katra to Banihal.
He had then authorised regular opening of the section for passengers and freight traffic at a maximum permissible speed of 85 Kmph on the main line and 15 Kmph on turnout.
The work on the dream project to link Kashmir by train was started in 1997 and it missed several deadlines given geological, topographical and meteorological challenges.
Out of the total 272 km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, 209 km was commissioned in phases with the first phase of the 118 km Qazigund-Baramulla section commissioned in October 2009, followed by 18 km Banihal-Qazigund in June 2013, 25 km Udhampur-Katra in July 2014 and 48.1 km long Banihal-Sangaldan stretch in February, last year.
The work on the 46-km Sangaldan-Reasi section was also completed in June last year, leaving a total of 17 km stretch between Reasi and Katra. And this section was finally completed in December 2024 as announced by the Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
On January 4, a successful trial run of an electric train was successfully conducted on the Katra-Banihal section. The railways has conducted six trials over the past month on various segments of the track, including the two major milestones of the Anji Khad and Chenab bridges.
Katra-Srinagar Rail Link: First 18-Coach Train Completes Trial Run Successfully pic.twitter.com/p68axcUClX
— Daily Excelsior (@DailyExcelsior1) January 19, 2025
