India cut Lanka to size

Dhawan smashes unbeaten ton as Kohli's men record 9-wkt win to go 1-0

The measure of India’s dominance could only be understood by the stunning silence in the stands during the second half of the match.

The Lankan fans, who brought down the roof in the afternoon loudly cheering each Lankan run, didn’t get many chances to celebrate as India overhauled hosts’ modest total of 216 all out (43.2 overs) with ridiculous ease. With man of the match Shikhar Dhawan (132 n.o., 90b, 20x4, 3x6) and Virat Kohli (82, 70b, 10x4, 1x6) shepherding the chase, India replied with 220/1 in 28.5 overs to go 1-0 up in the five-match ODI series here at the packed Rangiri International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Kohli’s good luck with the toss continued as he called it right for the fourth time in a row and decided to bowl first. The home team got off to a solid start with Niroshan Dickwella (64, 74b, 8x4) and Danushka Gunathilaka (35, 44b, 4x4) raising a 50-plus partnership at the top of the order.

One-drop Kusal Mendis swept his way to 36 (37b, 5x4) as Lanka reached 139 for one before losing their way.           

Lanka found a ray of hope when Rohit Sharma was run out early in the chase but Kohli and Shikhar not only consolidated but always stayed well ahead of the required run-rate that deflated the Lankan spirits. Kohli was at his elegant best whipping and flicking, driving and punching which was a sight for the sore eyes. Dhawan, reprieved on 87, was equally entertaining without being as attractive. Right from the start he batted in top gear and never took his foot off the pedal. While Kohli cut open Lankan wounds with the precision of a surgeon, Dhawan bludgeoned them with the ruthlessness of a butcher. He reached 50 in 38 balls and needed just another 33 to added 50 more as he raced to his seventh ODI hundred in rollicking fashion. He added 197 runs (143b) for the unbroken second stand with Kohli in which his contribution was a dominant 114 off 73 balls.

Lankan batsmen raised high expectations with some entertaining stuff earlier in the day. The left-handed pair of Dickwella and Gunathilaka batted with the right mix of aggression and circumspection to raise Lanka’s first 50-run stand for the opening wicket on this tour. Both the batsmen negotiated Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya up front quite comfortably as runs flowed at a decent pace. Where Gunathilaka employed flicks, cuts and dabs to collect his boundaries, Dickwella was more adventurous. The wicketkeeper-batsman pulled and jabbed both Pandya and Bhuvneshwar as Lanka took just 53 balls to reach 50.

Against the run of play, Gunathilaka inexplicably got dismissed playing a reverse sweep off Yuzvendra Chahal, ending the most productive partnership (74 off 84 balls) of the innings. That linked up Dickwella with an even more compulsive sweeper Kusal Mendis who took a special liking for Chahal. The right-hander appeared in little trouble against the wrist spinner, punching and slogging him at will. Dickwella was equally busy and the two added 65 runs for the second wicket in a matter of 63 balls during which the opener also brought up his half-century.

And not unlike Gunathilaka, another avoidable shot spelt his doom off Kedar Jadhav (2/26) who was picked ahead of Manish Pandey. Dickwella tried to paddle a round-arm delivery and was hit flush on his pad. He was a sitting duck but went for the review and walked back after the TV umpire confirmed on-field official’s decision.

When Dickwella was out, Sri Lanka were 139 for two and Lanka lost their remaining wickets for just 77 runs as spinners and Jasprit Bumrah struck regularly. While Chahal (2/60) and Jadhav finished with two each, left-arm spinner Axar Patel bagged 3/34 which also included the scalp of Mendis. Only Angelo Mathews showed some stomach for fight with an unbeaten 36 but he ran out of partners with still 40 balls left in their innings.