India didn’t do too many things wrong at the Manuka Oval on Tuesday, and yet found themselves on the wrong side of the result. That’s the way the cookie crumbles in the limited-overs game, and particularly when the elements intervene.
As galling as their eight-wicket thumping at the hands of the Sri Lankans will be to Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men, the triangular series is now well and truly alive, holding the promise of shaping into a classic struggle for berths to next month’s finals. India lead with eight points; Australia (7) and Sri Lanka (6), who have a game in hand, face off at the WACA on Friday to complete second-round action.
Mahela Jayawardene winning a crucial toss — play began three and a half hours behind schedule due to sharp morning showers, originally reducing it to a 29-over contest — necessitated India to see off a tricky early period when sweating from the covers bestowed some ‘juice’ on the Oval strip. Rohit Sharma provided another glimpse of his exceptional talent with a beautifully paced and brilliantly conceived half-century which, allied with useful contributions through the order, propelled the Indians to 195 for five, a daunting, intimidating total.
Then came the unkind cut in the form of further rains during the break, effectively tilting the scales in Sri Lanka’s favour. In these days of Twenty20 cricket, 154 in 21 overs is child’s play. Especially with Sanath Jayasuriya in the mood and Tillakaratne Dilshan making the most of being pushed up the order, India simply had no chance. Sri Lanka raced to their goal only two down and with 12 deliveries to spare, Dilshan with the dodgy knee the man of the match for an innings that competed almost favourably with Rohit’s effort earlier on.
Whatever hope India might have entertained despite the simplification of Sri Lanka’s run chase evaporated inside the first three overs. Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was at the receiving end of a ferocious mauling from Jayasuriya which lasted but briefly; by then, the 38-year-old had wreaked irreparable damage and delighted a few thousand singing, dancing, cheering Sri Lankan fans.
Sreesanth eventually finished with none for 48 from three overs, of which 23 came in his second over alone. It might suggest a diet of half-trackers and long hops, but nothing can be further from the truth. The Kerala pacer was left shell-shocked by the audacity and brutality of Jayasuriya’s onslaught as the veteran punished everything in sight, two towering sixes — over square-leg and square point — sandwiching a stunning cover drive. Game over, you might have said then and there.
Neither his dismissal, nor a tidy Harbhajan Singh’s first-ball strike to get rid of Kumar Sangakkara, did anything to redress the balance. Dilshan, at one stage uncertain to play on Tuesday because of a right knee infection, showed few signs of physical discomfort though early on, he struggled for timing and fluency. Jayasuriya’s blitzkrieg seemed to calm his nerves as he himself then opened out to play with typical brazen aggression, striking up an excellent tandem with his captain to realise 85 (71b) for the third-wicket and pilot the team home.
Dilshan’s elevation to the opener’s role had come because Jayawardene felt the need for a fifth specialist bowler in a truncated game on an excellent batting deck. Chaminda Vaas began superbly with the only maiden of the game, but from then on, it was India’s batsmen all the way. Sachin Tendulkar set the tone with an innings of sheer class, Gautam Gambhir was gracefully elegant during his cameo and Dhoni himself was all intent and bustle in the third — and biggest — stand of substance, but the cynosure was Rohit.
The 20-year-old walked in after Virender Sehwag and Tendulkar had fallen within three runs of each other after putting on 45 (45b). Alongside Gambhir, he found it difficult to maintain the tempo to start with, but in another convincing display of maturity, he never panicked. A sparkling cut-drive off Farveez Maharoof was the first sign that he was warming to the task. Soon, he was shedding the shackles more emphatically, as in a massive slog-sweep off a tame, tamed Muttiah Muralitharan, and a succession of walk-across-the-stumps- scoop-over-short-fine delicacies against the quicks.
Rohit was the equal partner in successive stands of 64 (70b) and 68 (46b) with Gambhir and Dhoni respectively, and that’s saying something, given the form the latter two have shown in the tri-series. India exploded towards the end as 43 came off the last four, until the revised target emphatically spoilt their party.
SCOREBOARD
INDIA
Sehwag c M’tharan b K’kara 14
(18b, 2x4)
Tendulkar c K’sekara b M’oof 32
(30b, 4x4)
Gambhir (run out) 35
(33b, 3x4)
Rohit (not out) 70
(64b, 6x4, 1x6)
Dhoni (run out) 31
(26b, 3x4)
Yuvraj c M’tharan b Malinga 6
(3b, 1x4)
Uthappa (not out) 0
(0b)
Extras (LB-1, W-6) 7
Total (for 5 wkts, 29 overs) 195
Fall of wickets: 1-45 (Sehwag), 2-49 (Tendulkar), 3-113 (Gambhir), 4-181 (Dhoni), 5-192 (Yuvraj).
Bowling: Vaas 6-1-39-0, Malinga 6-0-45-1, Maharoof 6-0-33-1, Kulasekara 6-0-41-1, Muralitharan 5-0-36-0 (w-6).
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 21/0; 10: 54/2; 15: 74/2; 20: 113/3; 25: 152/3; end of innings: 195/5 in 29 overs.
Runs in Power Play 1: 1-6 overs: 35/0; PP 2 (three men out): 7-9 overs: 16/2; PP 3: 10-11 overs: 6/0.
SRI LANKA
(Revised target 154 in 21 overs)
Dilshan (not out) 62
(59b, 6x4, 1x6)
Jayasuriya c Dhoni b Ishant 27
(13b, 2x4, 2x6)
S’kara c Ishant b Harbhajan 10
(10b, 1x4)
Jayawardene (not out) 36
(34b, 1x4)
Extras (LB-6, W-10, NB-3) 19
Total (for 2 wkts, 19 overs) 154
Fall of wickets: 1-45 (Jayasuriya), 2-69 (Sangakkara).
Bowling: Sreesanth 3-0-48-0 (w-2, nb-1), Ishant 4-0-26-1 (nb-2), Pathan 4-0-30-0, Harbhajan 4-0-15-1, Tendulkar 2-0-15-0 (w-8), Sehwag 2-0-14-0.
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 48/1; 10: 83/2; 15: 124/2; end of innings: 154/2 in 19 overs.
Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-4 overs: 45/1; Power Play 2: 5-6 overs: 12/0; Power Play 3 (three men out): 7-8 overs: 15/1.
