KL Rahul maintained his upper hand over Shikhar Dhawan in the race for the opener’s slot with a classy knock as India outplayed Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second T20I here on Tuesday.

The convincing win gave the hosts an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

After reducing an inexperienced Sri Lanka to 142 for nine, Rahul (45 off 32) provided a perfect start, taking India to 54 for no loss in six overs.

Eventually, Virat Kohli (30 not out off 17) and Shreyas Iyer (34 off 26), who batted ahead of the skipper at No. 3, fired India home in 17.3 overs.

Iyer fell just before India crossed the finishing line as Kohli finished things with a spectacular six over deep fine leg. The third and final game of the series will be played in Pune on Friday.

Dhawan (32 off 29), returning to action after missing the limited-overs series against the West Indies due to injury, was not at his fluent best and could not keep up with Rahul at the other end.

Earlier, a disciplined Indian bowling attack proved too good for the struggling Sri Lankans, reducing the visitors to a paltry total.