For the second night running, the bottom fell out of Sri Lanka’s batting as they again frittered away a position of promise at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. If it was a collapse of nine for 30 on Saturday, the hosts lost seven for 31 in 30 deliveries in the second T20I on Sunday to go from 130 for two after 15 overs to 161 for nine when their misery came to a halt.

Kusal Perera’s attacking half-century, coupled with a cameo from Pathum Nissanka and successive half-century stands for the second and third wickets, had kept the Lankans in the hunt on being put in by Suryakumar Yadav—play started 45 minutes late due to a wet outfield—when an otherwise tardy Hardik Pandya brought India back into the contest with the scalps of Ramesh Mendis and Perera in the 16th over.