India storm into title round

Success can do wonders and this Indian team seems to be showing just that. In another confident all-round display, they crushed Sri Lanka by five wickets to confirm their place in the final of the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament at the Sher-e- Bangla National stadium here on Tuesday.

Electing to field, Indian bowlers’ collective effort stalled Sri Lanka’s progress to 138 for nine in 20 overs before Virat Kohli (56 n.o.) once again led the batting charge in his inimitable counter-punching fashion to chase down the target with four balls to spare.

India lost its openers early but Kohli and Suresh Raina (25) calmed nerves and played the inspired Sri Lankan bowlers with positive intent. Yuvraj Singh (35) then joined Kohli and the senior pro came on his own this day with some free-flowing strikes.

Sri Lanka, expectedly, missed their regular captain and paceman Lasith Malinga and the bowling slowly lost the fizz in the face of some resolute Indian batting.

India’s both the openers were deemed fit to play. Rohit Sharma passed the fitness test and Shikhar Dhawan replaced Ajinkya Rahane to restore familiarity in the batting order. The two, though, didn’t stay for long.

Nuwan Kulasekara removed both in his successive overs. Dhawan came forward to drive it through the cover but the ball brushed past his willow to be caught behind by Dinesh Chandimal. Rohit, who had hit three fluent boundaries, edged to the slip.

The situation was tailor-made for Kohli to get into action. And he quickly immersed himself in the task of resurrecting the Indian innings with Raina playing the second fiddle. The two mustered 54 runs in 7.5 overs in their third-wicket stand and together helped India regain control. Raina was undone by a shorter delivery of Dasun Shanaka and his mistimed lofted shot found Kulasekara at the mid-off.

Kohli was not to be daunted by anything, though. The feature of his batting has been his counter-attack and he kept finding gaps with intent to steadily push India nearer to the victory target.

The job got only got easier with Yuvraj giving glimpse of yore by whacking three sixes, two of them coming back-to-back against Rangana Herath in the 13th over, over long on and mid-wicket. Runs came quickly during their fourth-wicket stand of 51 off 34 balls. Quick dismissals of Yuvraj and Hardik Pandey in 16th and 17th overs briefly slowed down India’s march. But Dhoni and Kohli comfortably carried India to victory, the latter smacking Milinda Siriwardana to boundary to bring his fifty.

Earlier, Sri Lanka couldn’t have any partnership going for them once their top order was scuttled down to 31 for three following the exploits of Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah. Hardik Pandya and R Ashwin took care of middle overs and snuffed out any chance of  Lankan fightback. Chamara Kapugedera and later Thisara Perera and Siriwardana scored the crucial runs to bail out Sri Lanka but it was India who dominated from start to finish.
DH News Service