Dambulla, Aug. 16: When Virender Sehwag comes to the party, India rocks. And so it was on Monday with the opener making a timely return to form with 100-ball 99 not out that included 11 boundaries and two sixes, as India coasted past Sri Lanka by six wickets and the bonus point to take second place on the points table behind New Zealand on net run rate.
Suraj Randiv overstepped by a massive margin to concede the no-ball with India needing one run to win and Sehwag on 99 to deny the Nawab of Najafgarh his 13th ODI century. The gesture left the game poorer and showed Sri Lanka’s inability to uphold the spirit of the game.
M.S. Dhoni’s bad luck with the coin continued but India’s all-round effort kept them in the game all the way.
Chasing a moderate target of 171, India sailed home in 34.3 overs after surviving initial hiccups.
It was Sehwag’s first score in excess of 50 after 11 innings. The start was a confident one with Dinesh Karthik and Sehwag playing themselves in on a testing track till Karthik threw his wicket by slashing a short ball down third man’s throat.
Virat Kohli nicked an outswinger from Dhilara Fernando to be taken by a diving Kumar Sangakkara and Rohit Sharma then got a thick inside edge onto his pads, one that went unnoticed by the umpire.
It was a testing period for Suresh Raina and Sehwag as they began to rebuild the innings. After initial moments of indecision, Raina played a perfect lofted drive and Sehwag followed a well balanced straight drive and a supreme square drive. The three quick blows helped lift the pressure.
Raina fell while attempting a pull off Fernando. The 59-run stand took India closer but there was considerable work still to be done. Dhoni’s composure helped Sehwag. At the end of 30 overs, 38 runs were required and a clinical dash capped off a fine comeback.
Earlier, when Sri Lanka batted, India looked nothing like the side that had lost their opener by a thumping 200 runs. Other than an irksome eighth wicket stand, Dhoni’s lads did everything to restrict the hosts to 170 in 46.1 overs.
Utilising prodigious swing, Praveen Kumar castled the in-form Upul Tharanga, making it only the fifth time in ODIs that India have managed a wicket off the first ball. Ashish Nehra, boosted by Praveen’s strike got the ball to kick off a length to snaffle Kumar Sangakkara on the hook. Praveen then took out Mahela Jayawardene leg before to leave Lanka gasping at 23/3.
Scoreboard
Sri Lanka
U. Tharanga b Praveen 0, T. Dilshan c Rohit b Ojha 45, K. Sangakkara c Ojha b Nehra 2, M. Jayawardene lbw b Praveen 4, T. Samarweera c Jadeja b Ishant 7, A. Mathews lbw b Jadeja 15, C. Kapugedera b Jadeja 10, S. Randiv c Raina b Ojha 43, N. Kulasekara c Dhoni b Ishant 22, S. Malinga st Dhoni b Ojha 5, D. Fernando not out 6
Extras (b1, lb3, w7) 11
Total (in 46.1 overs) 170
FoW: 1-0, 2-14, 3-23, 4-44, 5-82, 6-83, 7-103, 8-142, 9-158, 10-170
Bowling: Praveen Kumar 8-2-20-2 (1w), A Nehra 9-0-39-1 (2w), I Sharma 9-1-32-2 (1w), P Ojha 9.1-0-36-3 (2w), R Jadeja 10-2-34-2 (1w), V Sehwag 1-0-5-0
India
D. Karthik c Kulasekara b Mathews 10, V. Sehwag not out 99, V. Kohli c Sangakkara b Fernando 0, R. Sharma lbw b Mathews 0, S. Raina c Tharanga b Fernando 21, M.S. Dhoni not out 23
Extras (b5, lb 6, w 1, nb 6) 18
Total (in 34.3 overs) 171/4
FoW: 1-30, 2-31, 3-32, 4-91
Bowling: Malinga 7-0-34-0 (2nb), Kulasekera 5-0-23-0 (1w), Mathews 7-1-32-2 (1nb), Fernando 8-0-33-2 (2nb), Randiv 7.3-0-38-0 (1nb)