India, which after winning the CB series earlier this year, has lost two finals, ensured the fifth ODI wouldn’t be another virtual final. S. Ram Mahesh reports.
With the teams tied 1-1, the last three games of the five-match ODI series, all played at the Premadasa Stadium (once a marsh monks used to ferry through to get to the adjacent Khettarama temple), was a series in itself. Sri Lanka held the edge going into the third ODI, more so for having won two-thirds of its matches at the Premadasa than anything else. But India, which after winning the CB series earlier this year, has lost two finals, ensured the fifth ODI wouldn’ t be another virtual final, sealing the series by the fourth game.
In the third ODI, Dhoni continued his winning streak with the toss, choosing to bat first, eyeing, he later said, a total of 250 to 260. That India made 237 was thanks to the partnerships the Indian captain established with Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, both of whom were batting lower than they had in the first two games.
Dhoni’s 80-ball 76 was a masterpiece in managing an innings, although its final act was cut short by Mendis. “You can say that my batting has transformed after my role has changed,” said Dhoni, attempting to explain how he had retained a high strike-rate despite batting differently. “In the first two years I was one of the batsmen who would accelerate the scoring, and even if I got out, it was alright.
“Now I need to build an innings, and I give myself a chance to also score quickly, which I am happy with. Of course a strike-rate of 100 is a dream, but over 90 is good.”
Raina’s half-century came at four, the left-hander displaced so Yuvraj Singh could have time to settle before spin. Raina handled spin well, slog-sweeping Mendis for six and driving Muralitharan over cover for four, as India expressed its intent in no uncertain terms. Dhoni felt the side was 20 runs short, particularly since it was playing the extra batsman, but its seamers Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel all but settled the contest early in Sri Lanka’s innings. The Premadasa under lights offered movement off the track — another of those curiosities that cricket abounds with — and Sri Lanka’s batsmen fell to a combination of controlled seam bowling and poor stroke selection.
Only captain Mahela Jayawardene showed what skill and patience could achieve, compiling a 94 that was both a treat and a threat. He had the Indians briefly worried. With Thilan Thushara, who is fast earning all-rounder stripes in this format, Jayawardene eased the Indian bowlers around the dial with his top-handed touch, after starting cautiously. But so well had India started the evening that it was a matter of one wicket, and Zaheer and Munaf returned to settle matters. “I don’t think we deserved to win this match, we made far too many mistakes,” said Jayawardene. “It was a question of playing out the early overs, with them a bowler short. But we lost so many wickets even before their fifth bowler came on that it was always an uphill climb.”
Dhoni won his fourth consecutive toss to set up a third straight win. After Kohli had scored his maiden ODI half-century, by far his best innings of the tour, Raina (76, 78b, 6x4, 1x6) and Dhoni (71, 80b, 4x4) played leading roles again, sharing a 143-run partnership (141b) for the fourth wicket. But from 224 for three in the 41st over, India crashed to 258.
Thushara bowled briskly without doing anything out of the ordinary to return figures of five for 47. He will bowl better for fewer rewards, such is the nature of cricket, but he hindered India, nipping three half-centuries before they could further blossom.
Thushara later threatened during the Sri Lankan chase, rattling the Indian bowlers before Zaheer ended another magnificent display of seam bowling by having him caught on the boundary. Sanath Jayasuriya had earlier powered the innings, hitting Praveen out of the attack, and pick-up pulling Munaf out of the ground. But Harbhajan Singh had the dangerous left-hander caught off a beautifully weighted off-break, before having a hand in the Jayawardene run out.
Sri Lanka took the fifth game with ease, Jayawardene winning his first toss of the series to reap the benefits of better bowling conditions under lights. Thushara again made runs, notching up his maiden half-century in the process, and adding an undefeated 94 with Jehan Mubarak for the seventh wicket to turn 133 for six to a competitive 227. India’s innings was wrecked by Nuwan Kulasekara’s deceptive mix of seam and swing, bowled gently for a new-ball bowler, before Mendis helped himself to four wickets.
“I think we negotiated Murali really well,” said Dhoni, explaining India’s success in a low-scoring series dominated by bowlers. “We also handled Mendis pretty well, I thought, we had to score off him, and we didn’t let him bowl his 10 overs for 20. The more we played him the better we got.”
THE SCORESFifth ODI, Colombo, August 29. Sri Lanka won by 112 runs (D/L method).
Sri Lanka: S. Jayasuriya c Ojha b Zaheer 1; M. Warnapura c Gambhir b Pathan 30; M. Udawatte lbw b Pathan 43; K. Sangakkara c Gambhir b R. P. Singh 1; M. Jayawardene c Yuvraj b Ojha 12; C. Kapugedera c R. P. Singh b Ojha 26; J. Mubarak (not out) 47; T. Thushara (not out) 54; Extras (lb-6, w-6, nb-1) 13. Total (for six wkts., in 50 overs) 227.
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-78, 3-80, 4-82, 5-104, 6-133.
India bowling: Munaf 7-1-20-0; Zaheer 10-1-49-1; R. P. Singh 8-0-54-1; Pathan 10-0-52-2; Ojha 10-4-28-2; R. Sharma 2-0-7-0; Yuvraj 3-0-11-0.
India: V. Kohli lbw b Kulasekara 31; G. Gambhir c Sangakkara b Kulasekara 11; Yuvraj Singh b Mendis 17; S. Raina c Fernando b Kulasekara 10; R. Sharma lbw b Kulasekara 3; M. Dhoni b Fernando 1; I. Pathan c Warnapura b Mendis 7; Zaheer Khan lbw b Mendis 3; R. P. Singh c Jayawardene b Fernando 4; P. Ojha c Kulasekara b Mendis 5; Munaf Patel (not out) 4; Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-4) 7. Total (in 26.3 overs) 103.
Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-45, 3-70, 4-76, 5-79, 6-85, 7-90, 8-91, 9-95.
Sri Lanka bowling: Kulasekara 9-2-40-4; Thushara 6-0-26-0; Fernando 7-1-24-2; Mendis 4.3-2-10-4.
***Fourth ODI, Colombo, August 27. India won by 46 runs.
India: V. Kohli b Thushara 54; G. Gambhir c Dilshan b Kulasekara 17; Yuvraj Singh c Jayawardene b Vaas 0; S. Raina c Kulasekara b Thushara 76; M. Dhoni c Jayasuriya b Thushara 71; R. Sharma c Warnapura b Mendis 18; S. Badrinath c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 6; Harbhajan Singh (run out) 2; P. Kumar b Thushara 2; Zaheer Khan c Warnapura b Thushara 0; Munaf Patel (not out) 1; Extras (b-1, lb-5, w-5) 11. Total (in 49.4 overs) 258.
Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-51, 3-81, 4-224, 5-232, 6-243, 7-253, 8-256, 9-257.
Sri Lanka bowling: Vaas 9-1-40-1; Kulasekara 8-0-38-1; Thushara 8.4-0-47-5; Mendis 10-1-43-1; Muralitharan 10-0-56-1; Jayasuriya 4-0-28-0.
Sri Lanka: S. Jayasuriya c Raina b Harbhajan 60; M. Warnapura lbw b Munaf 0; K. Sangakkara b Munaf 6; M. Jayawardene (run out) 16; C. Kapugedera lbw b Yuvraj 30; T. Dilshan lbw b Harbhajan 12; C. Vaas lbw b Yuvraj 17; N. Kulasekara st. Dhoni b Harbhajan 12; T. Thushara c Raina b Zaheer 40; A. Mendis (run out) 2; M. Muralitharan (not out) 1; Extras (b-4, lb-2, w-10) 16. Total (in 46.3 overs) 212.
Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-38, 3-74, 4-106, 5-131, 6-140, 7-157, 8-190, 9-206.
India bowling: Kumar 4-0-25-0; Zaheer 9.3-3-27-1; Munaf 9-0-48-2; Harbhajan 10-0-40-3; Yuvraj 10-0-53-2; R. Sharma 4-1-13-0.
***Third ODI, Colombo, August 24. India won by 33 runs.
India: V. Kohli (run out) 25; G. Gambhir lbw b Kulasekara 8; Yuvraj Singh c Jayawardene b Kulasekara 12; S. Raina (run out) 53; S. Badrinath c Vaas b Mendis 6; M. Dhoni c Jayawardene b Mendis 76; R. Sharma c Kapugedera b Thushara 32; Harbhajan Singh c Sangakkara b Mendis 2; P. Kumar (not out) 2; Zaheer Khan c Muralitharan b Thushara 1; Extras (b-2, lb-6, w-11, nb-1) 20. Total (for nine wkts., in 50 overs) 237.
Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-40, 3-62, 4-91, 5-145, 6-212, 7-229, 8-229, 9-237.
Sri Lanka bowling: Vaas 10-2-33-0; Kulasekara 7-1-32-2; Thushara 9-1-36-2; Mendis 10-0-56-3; Muralitharan 9-0-48-0; Jayasuriya 5-0-24-0.
Sri Lanka: S. Jayasuriya c Dhoni b Kumar 13; K. Sangakkara lbw b Zaheer 9; C. Kapugedera lbw b Kumar 12; M. Jayawardene c Kumar b Munaf 94; C. Silva lbw b Zaheer 1; T. Dilshan c Dhoni b Munaf 16; C. Vaas b Harbhajan 0; N. Kulasekara lbw b Yuvraj 11; T. Thushara b Zaheer 30; A. Mendis (not out) 6; M. Muralitharan b Munaf 6; Extras (lb-2, w-4) 6. Total (in 49 overs) 204.
Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-26, 3-37, 4-40, 5-58, 6-59, 7-94, 8-175, 9-192.
India bowling: Kumar 10-0-62-2; Zaheer 10-3-23-3; Munaf 10-1-42-3; Harbhajan 10-0-29-1; Yuvraj 8-0-37-1; R. Sharma 1-0-9-0.
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