Dasun Shanaka bats during the first T20 match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday. AP

Dasun Shanaka led from the front with a record half-century and two wickets in Sri Lanka's series-levelling 16-run win in the second Twenty20 international on Thursday night at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium,.

Shanaka hit an unbeaten 56 off 22 balls laced with two fours and six sixes to steer Sri Lanka to 206-6 after being invited to bat first in Pune.

Bowlers led by Kasun Rajitha kept down India to 190-8 despite a threatening 91-run sixth-wicket stand between Suryakumar Yadav (51) and Axar Patel (65).

Captain Shanaka turned up with his medium-pace bowling for the 20th over to send back Axar and Shivam Mavi, who hit 26 off 15 balls, and take the series into the decider on Saturday in Rajkot.

"They took the game away from us but still we managed to hold our nerve," said Shanaka, who was named man of the match for his all-round show. "Really good to defend the total, especially against Indai  in these conditions."

Shanaka's batting set up victory as he tore into the Indian attack with his fifty off 20 balls the fastest by a Sri Lankan batsman in the T20 format. He beat two stalwarts of Sri Lankan cricket, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, both of whom got fifties in 21 balls.

Shanaka raised his fifty with a six and put on an unbeaten 68-run stand with Chamika Karunaratne. Kusal Mendis, who hit 52 off 31 balls, put together 80 runs with opening partner Pathum Nissanka, who made 33, to lay the foundations f

Chasing a big target, Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav rescued India from a precarious 34/5 to help them make a match of it before they fell short. Axar came up with sensational batting, blasting a half-century in 20 balls while Yadav scored 51 off 33 deliveries as India came roaring back from 57/5 to reach 148/5 when Suryakumar got out.

And though Axar Patel and Shivam Mavi struck some lusty blows and took India from 57 off 24 balls to 20 off six, in the end the target proved too far. Axar Patel hammered six sixes and two boundaries in his brilliant 31-ball 65 and Suryakumar and Mavi (26 off 15) dragged India from a precarious position to 20 off the last six deliveries. But in the end, the task was too stiff for the Gujarat batter who played some sensational shots including three sixes off successive deliveries in the 14th over. Dasun Shanaka got him out in the final over as India’s hopes ended.

Kusal Mendis plays a shot as Ishan Kishan watches during the second T20 match in Pune on Thursday. AFP

Suryakumar, who survived a clear run-out chance, brought out his customary 360-degree play and after Deepak Hooda was out for 9, found an able ally in Axar as they brought up the hundred of the innings.

Patel hammered Wanindu Hasaranga for a hat-trick of sixes in the 14th over and with Suryakumar Yadav helping himself to a six, the over cost Sri Lanka 26 runs.

They creamed 15 runs off the next over — thus ending up hitting six sixes in two overs as Axar Patel blazed his way to a half-century off 20 balls, hitting two fours and 6 sixes. India had lost Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi early and when skipper Pandya was out for 12 runs followed by Deepak Hooda for 9, it seemed their chase would fizzle out.

The Sri Lankan bowlers started brilliantly but lost their way in the middle overs when Yadav and Patel went hammer and tongs, taking off 41 runs off 12 balls (14th and 15th overs). They, however, regrouped and clawed their way back to victory.

The Indian bowlers started poorly with Arshdeep Singh sending down three wides to concede 17 runs in the second over, Mendis blasting him for two fours and a six.

Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel pulled them back into the game along with Umran Malik, who claimed two wickets off successive deliveries before the pacers again allowed Shanaka to take charge.

Arshdeep sent five no-balls in all, conceding 37 runs in two overs as Shanaka unleashed some sensational shots to take his team to a big total. Earlier, after a quiet first over sent down by Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep bowled a wild one, with three no-balls, and was carted around by Kusal Mendis for a four and six, conceding 19 runs in the over. Mendis top-edged Pandya for a six over deep third-man, and treated himself to a four straight down the ground off a no-ball by Shivam Mavi, who was brought in as Arshdeep was struggling with his run-up.

Sri Lanka were 55/0 at the end of the Power-play, Mendis continued in the same vein. He first drove Mavi for a four past mid-on and then slog-swept Axar Patel for a maximum over deep mid-wicket.

Another six off Umran Mailk helped him bring his half-century off just 27 deliveries. But India pulled back things a bit and Yuzvendra Chahal gave them the much-needed breakthrough when he caught Mendis (52, 31b, 3x4, 4x6) LBW with a slider that cramped the batter for space. The field umpire was unmoved but the DRS ruled in favour of the bowler. Umran Malik castled Bhanuka Rajapaksa (2) with a 147-kph thunderbolt and when debutant Rahul Tripathi brilliantly caught Nissanka near the boundary rope off Axar Patel, Sri Lanka were 96/3 in the 12th over.

India: Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul Tripathi, Hardik Pandya (captain), Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Shivam Mavi, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka.

Agencies