Malik first dismissed Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the 10th over and then sent back Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga to the dugout on successive deliveries of the 16th over.
He took three wickets but conceded as many as 48 runs in four overs.
Umran, arguably the fastest Indian bowler, now has seven wickets to his name in five T20Is. However, he needs to improve his economy rate which is above 10.
Coming to the match, Sri Lanka posted a massive total of 206/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Thanks to their skipper Dasun Shanaka, who scored a quickfire 56 off just 22 balls and gave his side the much-needed momentum in the death overs. Sri Lanka piled up 93 runs in the last five overs with the help of some no-balls delivered by the Indian pacers.
In reply, India fought till the end but fell short by 16 runs. All-rounder Axar Patel (65 off 31) and Suryakumar Yadav (51 off 36) added a 91-run partnership for the sixth wicket, pulling their team out of trouble. With Yadav’s dismissal in the 16th over, India’s hopes almost came to an end.
Though Axar and Shivam Mavi (26 off 15) took the game to the last over, they could not match up to the required run rate. Shanaka dismissed both the batters on the third and the sixth delivery of his over.
With the series now locked at 1-1, the winner would be decided in the third and final game on Saturday, January 7.
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