India vs Sri Lanka, Gabba ODI: cricket live scores, commentary
Roar Guru By Suneer Chowdhary, 21 Feb 2012 Suneer Chowdhary is a Roar Guru
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- Cricket, India v Sri Lanka, live blog, Mahela Jayawardene, MS Dhoni, One day cricket, one day international cricket
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India v Sri Lanka BRISBANE CRICKET GROUND, FEBRUARY 21, 2012 Match 8 - IND v SLA |
|---|
| Sri Lanka 1st Inn | 6/289 |
| India 1st Inn | 238 All Out |
| Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat | |
| Sri Lanka won by 51 runs | |
| India | RR:5.27 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batsmen | Runs | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| IK Pathan* | 47 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 138.24 |
| U Yadav | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sri Lanka | |||||
| Bowlers | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| NLTC Perera* | 7.1 | 0 | 37 | 4 | 5.16 |
| SL Malinga | 8.0 | 0 | 55 | 2 | 6.88 |
| Recent Overs: | ||
| 1 1 1 2 1lb 1 | | 1 1 1 1 1 . | | . 1 . . . . | |
| Last Wicket: | Pathan, 47 (c&b:Perera) |
| Current Partnership: | 5 runs, 7 balls, RR:71.43 |
India take on Sri Lanka in the eighth game of the ODI series and we’ll bring you the live scores and commentary of the action starting at 1.50pm on Tuesday.
One round of matches to go, India and Australia looked to be breaking away from Sri Lanka in the points table. As things stand before this game, a win will take Sri Lanka ahead of India on points.
To be fair, Sri Lanka had run their opponents close in both their opening games before the tie against MS Dhoni put them on board.
It was the crushing win over Australia that would have not only given them the bonus-point but also the confidence to win in a country they have a poor record.
Against Australia, Tillakaratne Dilshan got Sri Lanka the kind of start he was famous for before he was turned into a captain, while captain Mahela Jayawardene relished the opening role rather well.
With Dinesh Chandimal in a good nick in the middle of the innings, Sri Lanka seemed to have turned the corner as far as their batting is concerned.
Their bowling has shaped up well so far and on a bouncy Gabba track, their pace bowlers will test the Indian batsmen.
India, on the other hand, have an unsettled look about them. Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni are the two batsmen who have exhibited form and of them, the latter will miss the game.
Captain Dhoni was banned for a game by the ICC for his second minor offence in an year related to slow over-rates. Virender Sehwag, if fit, could take over the captaincy or it could well be Gambhir shouldering the responsibility.
Parthiv Patel will replace Dhoni behind the stumps for this game while it remains to be seen whether India will go in with the same bowling combination – four pace bowlers and a spinner.
Strangely, India’s lone frontline spinner, Ravindra Jadeja, did not bowl a single over in the previous game while part-timer Suresh Raina sent down his full quota. It needs to be seen how the stand-in captain utilises the spinners’ overs in this game.
India’s middle-order needs to get going – Virat Kohli’s form has seen a bit of a dip while Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina have failed to get going. Manoj Tiwary is waiting in the wings and could get a chance here.
The pressure will be on the World Cup champions to get back to their winning ways against a resurgent Sri Lankan side.
We will bring you the coverage throughout this eighth CB series ODI from the Gabba in Brisbane and hope to receive your thoughts as the action unfolds.
Recommend this story.
The Crowd Says (197) | Page 1 of Comments
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10:12pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 10:12pm | Report comment
That’s it from me, we shall be back with the live coverage of the next game between Australia and Sri Lanka on Friday at Hobart.
10:08pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 10:08pm | Report comment
The win takes Sri Lanka to 11 points from five games, to India’s 10 from six. Australia have 14 from five.
This means that if Sri Lanka beat Australia in their next game, India could well be left with a difficult task of winning both their remaining games – and probably one of them with a bonus point. Even if Australia beat Sri Lanka, India will at least need to beat Sri Lanka and hope for Australia to beat Sri Lanka again too.
But all of that is for later, for now, need to doff our hats to the way Nuwan Kulasekera bowled – he is the man of the match tonight.
10:04pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 10:04pm | Report comment
Quite the opposite can be said about India. They seemed to have continued from where they left off against Australia with the ball, allowing Sri Lanka to get to that mammoth total.
Then, they lost their top three for almost next to nothing and despite Virat Kohli’s half-century in his 90-run stand with Suresh Raina and a late flourish from Irfan Pathan, they were always behind the eight-ball.
10:02pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 10:02pm | Report comment
Excellent performance from Sri Lanka and barring that run-out controversy and the three dropped catches, they were all over the Indian team.
They batted well throughout their 50 overs to get to an almost match-winning 289 thanks to a concerted effort from their batsmen and then defended it superbly through Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera.
9:59pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:59pm | Report comment
OUT!
That is the end of that then. It was a full-toss and Pathan drilled it back to the bowler. Perera just brought his hand out and snapped that out of thin air.
Sri Lanka have won the game by 51 runs to go above India in the points table.
9:58pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:58pm | Report comment
Two yorkers dug out well by Umesh Yadav.
Five more overs to go now and India need 52. One wicket standing.
9:57pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:57pm | Report comment
Takes a single off the fourth ball of the over. 52 needed from 32 and it is number 11, Umesh Yadav on strike.
9:56pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:56pm | Report comment
Four!
After two dot deliveries, where Pathan refused the singles, he scoops Malinga over short fine-leg for four.
He is all by himself now.
53 needed from 33.
9:53pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:53pm | Report comment
OUT!
Vinay Kumar is sent back now. Short and wide outside the off-stump and Vinay Kumar punches it straight to the point fielder.
Senanayake grabs hold of a sharp chance.
India need 57 from six overs and Pathan is probably left with no option but to take all the batting now.
9:52pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:52pm | Report comment
A couple of dot balls, and Mahela Jayawardene gets himself into the slips.
57 from 37 needed.
9:50pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:50pm | Report comment
Vinay Kumar is the new man. He had a poor day with the ball, 0/48 from his eight.
57 needed from 40.
9:48pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:48pm | Report comment
OUT!
Lasith Malinga has stuck in a manner which is not so Malinga-like. Slower ball, short of length and Ashwin tries to late cut it.
Gets a slight edge and the wicket-keeper takes a simple catch.
58 needed from 42 now.
9:44pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:44pm | Report comment
Lasith Malinga, 1/45 in six overs, takes up the attack now.
9:43pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:43pm | Report comment
Seven runs from the Kulasekara over without too much risk.
63 needed from eight overs.
9:39pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:39pm | Report comment
70 needed from nine overs. The required rate is still around eight, which is good. It is the three wickets standing.
Pathan’s on 35 from 21.
9:37pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:37pm | Report comment
Four!
Short and Pathan continues to attack! Smashes it to backward square-leg and it goes to the fence. He is playing a gem here.
9:36pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:36pm | Report comment
OUT!
Poor shot from Patel there, especially with Pathan playing so well at the other end. He tried to cut it and could only top-edge it for Malinga to take an easy catch.
75 needed from 56 now but with three wickets standing.
9:35pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:35pm | Report comment
78 needed from the last 10 overs. This is quite achievable but the wickets will remain the key for India.
Jayawardene has already been at the receiving end of a tie after it looked he had sealed it against India.
9:32pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:32pm | Report comment
Patel has opened the innings for India on occasions, and he can certainly hold the bat.
The problem with him is that he has not played too much cricket in recent times.
46 runs from that Batting Powerplay – a big, big passage – but two wickets.
9:30pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:30pm | Report comment
Four!
Four!
Two stunning blows and Pathan gets a couple to the fence! Kulasekara, who has bowled all night with a lot of aplomb has suddenly two boundaries.
6/210 in 39.3
9:27pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:27pm | Report comment
India bring up their 200 through a single for Pathan.
6/200 in 39, which means they need 90 in 11.
9:24pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:24pm | Report comment
Four!
Pathan has come out with an aggressive approach and he is taking Malinga on as well.
92 needed off 70.
9:20pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:20pm | Report comment
OUT!
Kulasekara has had an excellent day tonight but he will agree that this wasn’t the best of deliveries. Wide outside off and Jadeja looked to smack him through the covers. Inside-edge to the stumps and Jadeja is on his way.
That’s the second such dismissal, bowled off the inside-edge, today.
9:18pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:18pm | Report comment
Four!
Pathan’s going to go down swinging, this time it goes over the slips – which are conspicuous by their absence.
He tried to swing him over the leg-side but the edge carries to the third-man. Maharoof dived but failed to save the boundary.
9:17pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:17pm | Report comment
Kulasekara will bowling the third over of the Powerplay. The 38th of the innings.
9:16pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:16pm | Report comment
Four!
Down the leg-side, and Pathan swung his bat. It needed a bit of the bat and it went down to fine-leg for four.
That was a fast, furious over from Malinga. A bouncer interspersed with those toe-crushing yorkers and yet, India got 10 runs from it.
5/184 in 37.
9:14pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:14pm | Report comment
Lasith Malinga bowling the 37th. He has bowled only four overs and he possesses the ability to run through the Indian lower-order.
9:09pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:09pm | Report comment
That was a strange sort of an innings from Kohli, he struggled through most part, was dropped twice and still went on to score 66.
5/174 in 36.
9:08pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:08pm | Report comment
OUT!
Big, big wicket for Sri Lanka. Short ball from Perera and Kohli tries to pull it over mid-on. Does not get too much of a bat and it is caught rather easily.
India staring at the barrel.
9:06pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:06pm | Report comment
Four!
Intelligent batting from Kohli. Third-man was up in the circle and Kohli cut it in that very area.
9:05pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:05pm | Report comment
It is Thisara Perera replacing Herath for the first over of the Powerplay.
A couple of runs over mid-on. Kohli moves on to 64.
9:04pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 9:04pm | Report comment
Four!
Finally something to cheer about for India. Driven back straight off the bowling of Maharoof and Jadeja moves on to 12.
4/166 in 35.
Batting Powerplay on.
8:59pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:59pm | Report comment
Drinks break, and the only reason I can think of having the break is to allow the umpires some refreshments. The players have been ingesting themselves with the potables every second or third over.
8:57pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:57pm | Report comment
Herath hasn’t been as inexpensive as earlier but he has done a decent job. Only four runs off that over.
4/159 in 34.
India need 131 in 16 overs, which is an asking rate of 8.2. Batting Powerplay will be crucial.
8:55pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:55pm | Report comment
Again, only three runs off that over.
4/155 in 33 overs.
8:50pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:50pm | Report comment
Three runs from the Herath over. The wicket will peg the scoring down now.
Jadeja’s not had too much time at the crease after his exploits in the first win against Sri Lanka.
4/151 in 32.
8:45pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:45pm | Report comment
OUT!
Raina is gone, dismissed, trying to take a single through a nurdle. Leading edge goes to short-cover and a simple catch for Thirimanne.
Four down and it’s going to be Ravindra Jadeja at the number six position for India. A promotion for him.
8:43pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:43pm | Report comment
Five runs in that Herath over. India have gotten themselves to 145 in 30 overs and now they need another 145 in the next 20.
Normally they say that the scores can be doubled from the 30th over. We will know soon whether it works in this case.
8:41pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:41pm | Report comment
Half-century!
50 for Kohli with only one boundary for him. 66 balls to get there.
It may not be a chanceless innings but he will know that it hardly matters if he can guide his side to a win. Long way to go for that now.
8:39pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:39pm | Report comment
Dhoni is running out the drinks, but more vitally, he is carrying out a few messages as well I feel.
Herath to continue.
8:38pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:38pm | Report comment
Maharoof brought on for another spell after Malinga bowls only two of them again. He has bowled four overs across two spells.
Seven runs in the over.
3/140 in 29 overs.
8:35pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:35pm | Report comment
Three runs from the Herath over. Not too much of an attempt to up the ante yet from Raina and Kohli.
3/133 in 28.
The Batting Powerplay could be an option that India could look to take up earlier than usual, but whenever they take it, these two need to be at the crease.
8:31pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:31pm | Report comment
The Raina-Kohli pair see off another over from Malinga, without any casualties. Five runs off it.
The constant entry and exit of the drinksman has failed to relent. Incidentally, it is Dhoni, who is carrying the drinks. Is he giving them his favourite milk-shakes?
3/130 in 27.
8:26pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:26pm | Report comment
A bit of sloppiness coming in now. An overthrow from Malinga gets Raina a couple instead of one.
Seven runs off the over.
3/125 in 26., nudging up to five an over.
8:24pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:24pm | Report comment
Kohli has now been dropped twice, Raina has been put down once. Despite that, India has an asking rate of seven with half the innings remaining.
8:23pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:23pm | Report comment
Dropped!
He may be a good batsman but currently, Chandimal is having some trouble catching the ball.
This was another short ball and Kohli tried to pull Malinga again. It spooned right up and went straight into the hands of Chandimal. The fielder floors it. He is immediately called away from that fielding position.
3/118 in 25.
8:19pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:19pm | Report comment
Eight runs from that Herath over.
3/111 in 24. And Lasith Malinga has been brought back.
Malinga took the wicket of Sehwag off his second ball but conceded 17 in his first two overs.
8:17pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:17pm | Report comment
Four!
Short ball from Herath, just fractionally. And Kohli is quick to get to the back-foot, slapping the ball to the mid-wicket for four.
Some respite for Kohli.
8:16pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:16pm | Report comment
A single for Kohli brings up the 50-run stand between Raina and Kohli. They needed 12 overs to get to their 50.
8:15pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:15pm | Report comment
Four runs off that over from Perera. He has also had a decent spell, having conceded 20 off his four overs (including 10 off the previous one).
3/103 in 23. Herath to continue.
8:11pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:11pm | Report comment
Five runs from the Herath over.
3/99 in 22 overs. The two batsmen have settled down now but they will be aware of the ever mounting required rate. It is touching 7 currently.
8:09pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:09pm | Report comment
First signs of spin. Rangana Gerath has been introduced into the attack now.
Kohli is on 17 from 37 balls.
8:06pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:06pm | Report comment
Dropped!
Second catch put down, and this time it is Kohli who survives it. Pulled by Kohli and went straight to Chandimal at deep square-leg. Went in and out very quickly.
It was hit really flat.
3/93 in the 21st.
8:05pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:05pm | Report comment
Four!
Finally a boundary and how does it come? Inside-edge through to the fine-leg fence. Some pressure relieved.
8:04pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:04pm | Report comment
Only a single from that over from Mathew, who has now bowled four overs for 12.
End of the Bowling Powerplay, 3/84 in 20.
206 needed from 30 overs now.
8:00pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 8:00pm | Report comment
The choke-a-thon continues from Sri Lanka. India going nowhere and seem to be on the path of self-destruction.
Two runs from the over.
3/83 in 19.
7:56pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:56pm | Report comment
Another decent over from Mathews, in which he concedes only three.
We have seen in this tournament that India has struggled with scoring in the Batting and Bowling Powerplay overs.
Only 12 from the three Powerplay overs here.
7:54pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:54pm | Report comment
Three runs from the Perera over. Kohli, in particular, has been hitting them in the middle of the bat but not piercing the field enough.
3/78 in 17 overs.
7:50pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:50pm | Report comment
The game resumes after the drinks break. Bowling Powerplay is on, one over into it.
Thisara Perera has taken over from Maharoof here.
7:46pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:46pm | Report comment
Six runs from that over takes India to 3/75 in 16 overs.
7:44pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:44pm | Report comment
Dropped!
Dilshan should have taken that one, life for Raina. The batsman tried to play it to the leg-side, but gets a leading edge that goes flying to his left. He gets a hand to it but fails to latch on. Should have caught that one.
3/70
7:42pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:42pm | Report comment
Suresh Raina gets three over the covers.
Raina was getting frustrated with the bowling and his own inability to get it away. The hurting leg would also be a concern and he went after the ball, almost getting a boundary.
3/69 in 15.
7:37pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:37pm | Report comment
Raina looks like he is struggling with his leg. He was hit by a throw previously and it still seems to be stinging.
Three from that over. 3/63 in 14.
7:36pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:36pm | Report comment
A couple of runs for Kohli, punched through the covers, gets him off the mark. Taken him 12 balls to get going.
7:34pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:34pm | Report comment
Angelo Mathews, who had earlier propelled the Lankan innings forward with an unbeaten 49, now has the ball.
7:33pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:33pm | Report comment
A maiden over from Maharoof there. Raina content to play most of those deliveries from the back-foot.
3/60 in 13.
7:29pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:29pm | Report comment
Four!
Leg-byes, but it was a poor delivery from Kulasekara, drifting down the leg-side and flicks the Raina pads.
A single for Raina off the last ball.
3/60 in 12.
7:27pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:27pm | Report comment
Don’t quite know what Gambhir was doing there. He came two steps down the pitch and then with the ball moving away from him, he poked at the delivery. Just like he did all through the Tests.
7:26pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:26pm | Report comment
Suresh Raina comes in at number five. He hasn’t had a great CB series.
7:25pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:25pm | Report comment
OUT!
And for the second time, an Indian batsman looking good, gets out against the run of play to Kulasekara. Gambhir tries to run the bowler down to third-man and can only manage to guide it to the gully fielder.
3/54 in 11.1 and in trouble.
7:23pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:23pm | Report comment
Four!
No hits to the roof alright but this is another four through the covers. Similar to the previous one, short and wide and cut away.
Gambhir races along to 28.
7:22pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:22pm | Report comment
Four!
Gambhir cuts a short ball from Maharoof through the covers and it goes to the fence. Moves on to 24.
I haven’t had the chance to say ‘Maharoof has been hit to the roof’ yet.
7:20pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:20pm | Report comment
Six from the Kulasekara over. He had given away five in his first four and six off his fifth now.
2/45 in 10.
7:17pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:17pm | Report comment
Four!
Driven straight and for once it goes to the fence off the bowling of Kulasekara. Gambhir moves on to 19.
2/43.
7:15pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:15pm | Report comment
And now Maharoof begins to show signs of settling down into a nice rhythm. Only one from that over.
2/39 in 8.
7:12pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:12pm | Report comment
This has been an excellent spell from Kulasekara, he has looked like taking a wicket throughout and Tendulkar’s dismissal is a just reward.
7:10pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:10pm | Report comment
OUT!
Tendulkar’s good start has come to nothing again, he is bowled! He tried to leave the ball from Kulasekara alone, but in doing so, the ball took the edge of the bat and ricocheted into the stumps. India two down in their chase of 290.
2/38 in 8 and Kohli comes to the crease.
7:07pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:07pm | Report comment
A better over from Maharoof, in which Gambhir almost got a leading edge through to the cover fielder.
Still six from it, 1/37 in 7 overs.
7:03pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:03pm | Report comment
Just a couple of runs in that over, through the square-leg. Gambhir trudges on to 8. Tendulkar’s on 21 from only 17.
1/31 in 6. Kulasekara has bowled half those overs and conceded only 4.
7:00pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 7:00pm | Report comment
Four!
Not the best of starts there for Maharoof. If he pitched it up to Gambhir earlier, this time it is short and wide to Tendulkar and the batsman wasted no time in getting in away through the covers.
1/29 in 5.
6:57pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:57pm | Report comment
Four!
Shot! Pitched up to Gambhir, who drives him through mid-off for a four. Runs continue to flow from that end.
6:56pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:56pm | Report comment
Wasn’t too off the mark there, Malinga has been removed from the attack. Farveez Maharoof comes on.
6:55pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:55pm | Report comment
Nuwan Kulasekara, an often underrated bowler. is getting it to nip around. First he beats the left-handed Gambhir outside the off-stump and then gets one to swing away from the right-handed Tendulkar.
Just one from it.
1/20 in 4.
6:52pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:52pm | Report comment
Four!
Tendulkar, for the first time in this ODI series is looking in some kind of fluent touch. He flicks an over-pitched ball from Malinga through the mid-wicket region and it has the legs to go all the way.
13 runs from that over. Could well be Malinga’s last over of the spell!
1/19 in 3.
6:50pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:50pm | Report comment
Slip and a leg-gully for Gambhir. Malinga bowls a yorker which is dug away for a single. Leg-bye it was.
6:49pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:49pm | Report comment
And this time Tendulkar drives off the front-foot, through the covers again. Three runs to him, takes him to 13.
1/14 in 2.3.
6:47pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:47pm | Report comment
Four!
Tendulkar of old, stands up tall and cracks Malinga through the cover field. Loose ball alright given that it allowed the batsman some room.
6:46pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:46pm | Report comment
And only a single to Tendulkar off that over. Gautam Gambhir is India’s number three.
1/6 in 2.
6:43pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:43pm | Report comment
Nuwan Kulasekara to take up the bowling from the other end.
6:42pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:42pm | Report comment
Two and three through mid-wicket and square-leg respectively for Tendulkar to take him and India to five.
1/5 in 1.
6:41pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:41pm | Report comment
Since scoring that double-century in the ODI against West Indies, Sehwag has scored 255 runs at an average of 21 in all forms of international cricket. Vagaries of cricket? Over-confidence? Over the hill?
6:38pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:38pm | Report comment
OUT!
Duck for the captain and how often can one get out in that manner before being taken to task?
Short, wide and Sehwag slashes it to the third-man fielder. Simple catch and India are one down as soon as they start the chase.
0/1 in 0.2
6:36pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:36pm | Report comment
It is Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag who will open the innings, with Gautam Gambhir slated to bat at three.
If India can get anywhere near this target, it could turn out to be exciting game. No Dhoni though.
Lasith Malinga with the ball.
6:12pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:12pm | Report comment
India need a monstrous 290 to win this one. Will Sachin Tendulkar overcome his form issues to get ‘that’ 100 of his, will Gambhir get another of his match-winning 90 and will the Indian middle-order fire?
Back in 20 minutes with the chase.
6:09pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:09pm | Report comment
That was an excellent effort from Sri Lanka with the bat. They got off to their best start in the competition through Mahela Jayawardene and T Dilshan and never allowed the pressure to mount.
Even after the side lost three wickets, the openers and the number three Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal rescued the team with his partnership of 71 with Lahiru Thirimanne, who batted at 5. Thirimanne’s Mankaded non-dismissal will be the talk of the night for sure, but that aside, his was the match-turning innings. He made 62 from 62 and seemed to have shocked the Indians with his batting.
Mathews came in later to score an unbeaten 49 from 37 deliveries. 91 came from the last 10 overs and for the second game in a row, the bowlers looked clueless about bowling in the slog overs.
6:02pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:02pm | Report comment
Sri Lanka have ended on 6/289 in their 50 overs and that will need some getting.
Remember India do not have Dhoni in their line-up, but they do have Gambhir, Sehwag and Tendulkar in their line-up.
6:00pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 6:00pm | Report comment
Four!
Fine-leg, Kohli drifts down the leg-side and the ball goes to the fence. Poor bowling and must say that it was bizarre to give Kohli the ball so late in the innings.
5:59pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:59pm | Report comment
The perils of bowling part-timers for the first time towards the end of the innings. Wide and four from it!
Sri Lanka have gotten themselves to 281. Four balls to go.
5:57pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:57pm | Report comment
And now, we have Virat Kohli bowling the 50th over. Where were these guys in the first 40 overs of the innings?
Kohli to bowl his first over now.
6/275 with an over to go.
5:55pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:55pm | Report comment
SIX!
Flat six off Raina this time, over long-on where Kohli tried to get his hand to it. No chance there and it goes all the way.
6/274 with 7 balls remaining.
5:52pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:52pm | Report comment
OUT!
Quicker one, shorter but breaches the defence. Perera is bowled! Where was Raina till now?
5:51pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:51pm | Report comment
Suresh Raina to bowl the 49th. This is his first over. Interesting.
5:50pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:50pm | Report comment
11 from that Yadav over, who has been rather costly today. 1/58 in 8 overs.
49 runs from the last five overs.
5/265 in 48.
5:48pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:48pm | Report comment
Four!
Hammer! Four to Perera, the new batsman has smacked the slower, shorter ball to the mid-wicket fence. Sri Lanka have run away with the game in these last few overs.
5:44pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:44pm | Report comment
Vinay Kumar had leaked aplenty towards the end in that previous game against Australia and he gives another indication that he isn’t the best when it comes to bowling in the slog.
10 from that over and Sri Lanka have moved to 5/254 in 47.
5:39pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:39pm | Report comment
Thirimanne scored 62 from 62. That was Ashwin’s second wicket, who ends his quota on 2/50 in 10 overs.
5:38pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:38pm | Report comment
OUT!
Thirimanne is out (again) and this time there is no Tendulkar to bail him out. Tried to go inside out and hit it in the air, caught well by Suresh Raina at sweeper.
An excellent innings by Thirimanne nevertheless, and it will be safe to say that it left India a tad shell-shocked given the way he went about his batting.
5/244 in 46.
5:33pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:33pm | Report comment
14 runs from that Vinay Kumar over. A very good one for the Lankans after they got eight in the last.
Sri Lanka 4/238 in 45.
Ashwin to bowl his last over.
5:32pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:32pm | Report comment
Four!
And he continues to benefit from being reprieved. Scoops it over the short fine-leg for a boundary.
Good shot that.
5:30pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:30pm | Report comment
Four!
No-ball for the height and Mathews has flicked Vinay Kumar over short fine-leg.
4/230 in 44.2
And at the expense of being repetitive, Thirimanne continues to leave his crease with a brazen disregard to the rules.
5:26pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:26pm | Report comment
Four!
Mathews cuts Ashwin’s last ball of his ninth over and that evades Tendulkar’s outstretched hands and goes quickly to the third-man fence.
4/224 in 44. Sri Lanka will fancy anything between 270 and 280 here.
5:24pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:24pm | Report comment
Thirimanne has a 50 to his name, and barring that run-out appeal, it has been an excellent knock. Used up only 53 balls and it came at a time when Sri Lanka had lost three wickets in quick succession.
5:22pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:22pm | Report comment
Here is the rel=”nofollow”>Kapil Dev-Peter Kirsten incident I was referring to…
Eight runs off that over.
4/216 in 43.
5:20pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:20pm | Report comment
Four!
Short, shot and four!
Yep, they are taking Yadav on. Mathews smashes it to square-leg for a four.
5:20pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:20pm | Report comment
Umesh Yadav has come on. And Mathews smashes the first ball to long-off for a two.
I get the sense that each time Yadav has come on, Sri Lanka have used the tactic of fighting fire with fire. They have gone after him.
5:18pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:18pm | Report comment
I think the message has now gotten to Thirimanne during the break.
Never seen someone get a warning after getting run-out and allowed to continue. Or even bowled, caught or LBW. All those dismissals are a part of the rule-book. So is Mankaded. No question of being diplomatic here.
Five runs off the Sehwag over. 4/208 in 42.
5:15pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:15pm | Report comment
This is getting sillier. Thirimanne continues to back out of the crease, completely oblivious of the rules. The Indians have been rather kind to him by not running him out each time.
4/203 in 41.
5:12pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:12pm | Report comment
Three runs from the Ashwin over.
Sri Lanka 4/198 in 40.
The reason why I am against calling batsmen back after they have been run-out Mankaded is that till about a few months ago, this wasn’t a part of the rule-book – so the batsmen could get away with doing what Thirimanne did.
The rules were changed to allow the ‘Mankaded’ dismissal as well and that means the ICC does think that dismissing a batsman out in that manner was well within the spirit of the game as well. Sorry, that should have remained out.
5:06pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:06pm | Report comment
OUT?
Run-out? Mankaded! Rarely has this happened before and Ashwin has dislodged the bail at the non-striker’s end.
And Sachin Tendulkar intervenes and calls the batsman back, don’t quite know why. That was ridiculous backing up by Thirimanne and Ashwin did the right thing by running him out, Mankaded. To me, it was out because it was within the rules of the game.
5:10pm
Red Kev said | 5:10pm | Report comment
Man-cat run-out?
Withdrawn appeal making it a warning … gold. Now that is some stupid batting that would get David Lord firing.
Edit – what is the origin of Mankahed? I have never seen it spelled out before.
5:14pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:14pm | Report comment
Mankaded, after Vinoo Mankad, who ran out Bill Brown, an Australian cricketer for backing out too much.
Check Kapil Dev’s YouTube video Mankading Peter Kirsten. Super stuff.
5:16pm
Red Kev said | 5:16pm | Report comment
Thanks
5:05pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:05pm | Report comment
Angelo Mathews is the new man, he is a busy cricketer and has the time to settle down before striking.
5:04pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 5:04pm | Report comment
OUT!
The dangerous-looking partnership has finally been broken by Pathan. It was a fullish delivery and Chandial converted that into a yorker by pushing a tad forward.
The batsman may even have been trying to move around in the crease.
An excellent stand though, 71 added between the two off 71 balls and that has brought Sri Lanka back to the top after three quick wickets had threatened to rock the boat.
4:58pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:58pm | Report comment
The run-rate’s gone over five yet again. Thirimanne has reached 41 from 40, Chandimal’s on 37.
3/191 in 38.
Pathan to continue, 1/45 in 8.
4:58pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:58pm | Report comment
Four!
Sloppy work, over-throws gets Sri Lanka four. Suresh Raina had to attempt throwing the stumps down but there was no-one backing up. Or rather, there were two of them, but it went in the gap between them.
Eight runs from that Ashwin over.
4:55pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:55pm | Report comment
Four!
Superb shot-making from Thirimanne there. Again, it is an upper-cut, hit really fine and your normal third-man would have never been able to stop that one.
Nine from the Pathan over and Sri Lanka getting a move on here.
32 from the last five overs and a partnership of 60 in 10 overs.
4:53pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:53pm | Report comment
Irfan Pathan to bowl the second over in the Batting Powerplay.
4:50pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:50pm | Report comment
Four!
Intentional upper cut to fine third-man and Thirimanne gets his fourth boundary.
Thirimanne has been a revelation so far. He has barely been troubled by the bowling, pace or spin and has been able to maintain a good rate – 33 from 35.
Six from the Vinay Kumar over. 3/174 in 36.
4:48pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:48pm | Report comment
Batting Powerplay time. Vinay Kumar with the ball in his hands.
4:42pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:42pm | Report comment
A much better over for Sri Lanka, nine runs from it and that takes them to 3/168 in 35.
Jadeja has bowled out his spell of 10 overs, conceding only 43 but without a wicket to his name.
Drinks for the players.
4:39pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:39pm | Report comment
Four singles in that Sehwag over including an appeal for a run-out. Chandimal was just in.
3/159 in 34.
4:36pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:36pm | Report comment
With Yadav going for aplenty, it is a bowling change for now.
Captain of the day, Virender Sehwag comes in to bowl now.
4:35pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:35pm | Report comment
And there are four more singles off Jadeja’s ninth over.
0/34 in 9 overs for him. Sri Lanka move to 3/155 in 33, 250-260 looks like a bare minimum for Sri Lanka.
4:32pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:32pm | Report comment
Expensive over from Yadav. That four aside, the customary singles and a wide makes it nine off it.
3/151 in 32.
4:30pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:30pm | Report comment
Four!
Shot, punched through the covers. Thirimanne takes advantage of the field being brought up and gets it through the region. Yadav’s leaked a lot today.
Thirimanne, on the other hand, has really looked comfortable at the crease, not too much of an issue, playing either pace or spin here.
4:28pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:28pm | Report comment
Four singles from the Jadeja over.
3/142 in 31. Thirimanne, who has scores of 3 and 7 in this series so far, is looking comfortable so far.
4:24pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:24pm | Report comment
Five from that Yadav over.
3/138 in 30.
4:23pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:23pm | Report comment
Four!
Guided it away to the third-man fence for four.
The pace of Yadav was the villain as Thirimanne allowed the ball to hit the bat and used his wrists to guide through the second slip region. Not too much of a chance for the third-man.
4:22pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:22pm | Report comment
Five singles off that Jadeja over.
3/133 in 29.
Since the fall of the first wicket, Sri Lanka has scored 38 runs in 10.2 overs.
4:18pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:18pm | Report comment
Four!
Four dot balls followed that dismissal before Thirimanne cuts Yadav through the covers. The field was up for the new batsman and he takes advantage of it.
3/128 in 28.
Sri Lanka still have a decent run-rate of 4.6 but they will hope to keep their wickets intact for the final assault.
4:15pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:15pm | Report comment
India did not have any aggressive field placements there for Yadav, which was a bit of a surprise given that the decision to bring in Yadav would have been based on the need to pick up a wicket.
Lucky they got the wicket off a not-so-special delivery.
Lahiru Thirimanne is at five.
4:14pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:14pm | Report comment
OUT!
First ball from the new Yadav spell and Sangakkara has pulled the bowler straight to Sachin Tendulkar at fine-leg.
It was short and deserved that shot and Sangakkara seemed to have timed it well too. Unfortunately for him, he timed it straight into the fine-leg’s hands!
4:12pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:12pm | Report comment
Umesh Yadav replaces Ashwin.
4:11pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:11pm | Report comment
Jadeja stifles them further, gives away two singles. Must say that India could have been more aggressive with their bowling and tried getting another wicket when Sri Lanka lost Dilshan.
2/124 in 27.
4:09pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:09pm | Report comment
This time Ashwin concedes five runs.
1/25 in six overs for him while Jadeja has given away only 19 from his five.
19 from the last five overs – the wickets of Jayawardene and Dilshan have slowed it down obviously.
4:06pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:06pm | Report comment
It is that portion of the innings where the batsmen gets those singles easily and the fielding team is content is allowing that to happen.
Three in that over takes Sri Lanka to 2/117 in 25.
4:03pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:03pm | Report comment
Three singles from that Ashwin over. Things are going well for India in terms of controlling the run-rate.
4:00pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 4:00pm | Report comment
Five singles from that Jadeja over.
2/111 in 23.
May not be such a bad idea to test Chandimal with some pace of the Umesh Yadav variety.
3:57pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:57pm | Report comment
Dinesh Chandimal, Sri Lanka’s best batsman on current form, replaces Dilshan.
Two 50s, a 37 and an unbeaten 6 for him so far in the series.
3:55pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:55pm | Report comment
OUT!
Dilshan’s gone, caught behind!
So this time he only gets till 51 before giving it away, trying to cut the ball away from Ashwin. The bounce defeated the batsman on that occasion.
2/104 in 21.5.
3:51pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:51pm | Report comment
Two singles off that Jadeja over, the 21st in the innings.
1/103 in 21.
3:48pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:48pm | Report comment
And an on-drive to long-on gets Dilshan his fifty. First 50 after four scores of 40 in ODI cricket.
Beware India!
1/101 in 20. End of the bowling Powerplay overs.
3:46pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:46pm | Report comment
Four!
Dilshan cuts Ashwin away through the cover region and it goes racing away. He is now on 49, after three successive 40s in the tournament, he will want to get there quickly.
3:44pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:44pm | Report comment
Four off the Pathan over. And a wicket to reduce the opening sting.
1/95 in 19.
3:43pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:43pm | Report comment
Kumar Sangakkara comes in at three to join Dilshan.
3:42pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:42pm | Report comment
OUT!
Against the run of play, Jayawardene pulls it off the middle of the bat and one of those ‘slow’ fielders in the team completes a very good catch. Sehwag at short mid-wicket grabs one diving to the left.
India and Pathan desperately needed that one.
3:40pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:40pm | Report comment
Misfield at third-man allows Sri Lanka a second run. Vinay Kumar was the culprit.
3:39pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:39pm | Report comment
Seven from that over from Ashwin.
0/91 in 18.
India in a dire need for wickets here.
3:38pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:38pm | Report comment
Four!
Long time coming, a bit of a short ball and Jayawardene rocked on to the back-foot and smashed him through the covers.
Moves on to 40.
3:37pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:37pm | Report comment
That was the day’s first scheduled drinks break. And 265th in all.
R Ashwin to continue.
3:32pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:32pm | Report comment
The openers have spotted Sachin Tendulkar as one of the weak links at mid-off/mid-on.
Four singles, including two driven to Tendulkar, who fails to stop them from getting home.
0/84 in 17.
3:29pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:29pm | Report comment
This is Sri Lanka’s best opening stand this series. Earlier, they had scored 12, 11, 0 and 74 in their first four matches.
3:28pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:28pm | Report comment
Bowling Powerplay taken.
R Ashwin gets his first bowl for a couple of games. Single off the first ball and five dots to Dilshan.
0/80 in 16.
3:25pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:25pm | Report comment
Four runs from that Pathan over – 26 runs in the last five overs since the end of the Powerplay.
Off that last ball, there was a loud appeal for an lbw and almost a confusion between the two batsmen, running between the wickets.
0/79 in 15.
3:20pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:20pm | Report comment
Six runs from that Jadeja over including that bye.
0/75 in 14.
Another unscheduled break for drinks. The third of the innings already.
3:18pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:18pm | Report comment
Jadeja to continue and oooooh! Some bounce for the left-arm spinner.
Took the batsman and the wicket-keeper by surprise. A bye conceded.
3:17pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:17pm | Report comment
Five singles from that Pathan over.
0/69 in 13.
3:15pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:15pm | Report comment
Pathan to continue, he has been easy pickings for the Sri Lankan openers so far.
3:14pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:14pm | Report comment
Four singles off that Jadeja over. Sri Lanka have made an excellent start here despite a bit of a slowdown in the last four overs.
0/64 in 12.
3:12pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:12pm | Report comment
My, my, look who we have here! Ravindra Jadeja been given the ball in the 12th over, he was India’s lone frontline spinner in the previous game and did not get an over.
3:10pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:10pm | Report comment
The field was spread and Sri Lanka easily get seven from that over.
Pathan’s now bowled three overs for 22.
3:08pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:08pm | Report comment
Interesting to see that the likes of Dhoni and Zaheer are all looking on earnestly from the players’ area. Is it me or did I get that sense of nerves from that area?
3:06pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:06pm | Report comment
Only two singles from Yadav’s third over and India pull things back for the moment. Every now and then, there is a ball that swings a tad but nothing alarming so far.
0/53 in 10.
Irfan Pathan replaces Vinay Kumar. There have been a lot of stoppages already – Sri Lankan batsmen stopping play for the drinks and then Indian fielders sharing a few of those spoils too.
3:01pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 3:01pm | Report comment
Some respite for India as Vinay Kumar bowls a maiden. Mixed things around in that over, with a few pitched right up but deviating into the batsman and some others short and pushing Jayawardene on the back-foot.
0/51 in 9.
Vinay Kumar is now off the field.
2:56pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:56pm | Report comment
Another good over for Sri Lanka, where Yadav concedes nine from.
0/51 in 8.
India could be looking at bringing the spinners on earlier than they would have thought.
2:54pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:54pm | Report comment
And this time, Jayawardene unleashes the pull at Yadav! Sri Lanka are motoring along after having surely decided to come out with this tactic of going hard at the pace bowlers.
Shoulders dropping a little here.
0/51 in 7.3
2:53pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:53pm | Report comment
Four!
Good timing there from Jayawardene. Umesh Yadav has good pace and he pitches the ball up to the Sri Lankan captain, who chips it to mid-wicket for another boundary.
2:52pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:52pm | Report comment
Four!
Flicked away, my my, with some power!
It wasn’t even pitched up and Dilshan played him like he was some spinner and he was playing it to the leg-side for a single. It goes to the mid-wicket for a four.
0/42 in 7. The run-rate’s at 6 now.
2:51pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:51pm | Report comment
Some poor fielding from India in that over. Poor backing almost leads to an overthrow and then Jadeja allows one to pass through for a couple.
0/38 in 6.2
2:48pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:48pm | Report comment
Four!
And this time, it goes through the covers. Dilshan does not care too much about pace or probably he has played a lot of Yadav in the Delhi Daredevils nets in the IPL – either ways, he smacks him through cover and it goes to the fence.
0/33 in 6.
2:47pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:47pm | Report comment
SIX!
Whoa! It was a quick delivery and Dilshan tried to hook it. The edge carries it over third-man for the first maximum of the innings.
Since the time he was stripped of his captaincy, Dilshan has looked like that of the old.
2:45pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:45pm | Report comment
Aah, Jayawardene was beaten for pace off the first couple of balls, and he came down the track for the third.
Hits the middle of the bat but to the fielder. Misfield allows a single.
2:44pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:44pm | Report comment
Umesh Yadav comes in to bowl slightly earlier that he had in the previous game. It was after 22 overs that he got the ball against Australia.
He should be thankful to the captain, Jadeja did not even the ball last match!
2:43pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:43pm | Report comment
A much better over from Vinay Kumar. The swing continued to be a bit of a hassle for the batsmen and only a single from it.
The last ball swung into Dilshan and cramped him for room.
0/22 in 5.
2:39pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:39pm | Report comment
There is a bit of swing for both the bowlers but they aren’t rushing the batsmen into their shots. And Sri Lanka is taking advantage with some good running between the wickets as well.
Bit of overcast conditions, and the lights are already on.
0/21 in 4.
2:38pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:38pm | Report comment
Three more for Jayawardene, they are racing away now.
Flicked over square-leg and Vinay Kumar has to rush from fine-leg by which time the batsmen have taken three. India missing Zaheer Khan’s experience at the top.
0/21 in 3.5.
2:36pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:36pm | Report comment
Four!
Cut away to third-man for four! Dilshan’s making his intentions known and the ball has gone racing away to the left of the slightly squarer fielder there.
0/17 in the fourth.
2:35pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:35pm | Report comment
Close!
…but no cigar for India! Could have been a run-out had he hit direct. Dabbed by Dilshan in front and went away for the single. The fielder swooped down upon the ball and almost threw the stumps down. Jayawardene survives.
Another single for Jayawardene in a similar fashion.
0/12 in 3.
2:31pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:31pm | Report comment
Four!
The first of the match, a bit of width from Vinay Kumar, a touch short and Dilshan punched it off the back-foot.
0/10 in 2.2
2:30pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:30pm | Report comment
Four runs from that Pathan over.
Sri Lanka 0/5 in 2.
2:29pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:29pm | Report comment
Lofted!
Jayawardene had enough of seeing out deliveries and lofted Pathan into the leg-side outfield. A couple of runs for him though they could have run three.
2:27pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:27pm | Report comment
Irfan Pathan has the ‘second’ new ball.
Some swing, getting the ball to deviate in and that goes down the leg-side for a wide.
2:26pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:26pm | Report comment
A single off that Vinay Kumar over.
0/1 in 1.
Just as the Australians were reacting to Ponting’s dismissal from the ODI team and his consequent decision to play on, Indian fans were treated to another Dhoni-special – he called the seniors in the team rather slow on the field and worth 20 less than what they scored.
Ruffled a few feathers I must add.
2:22pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:22pm | Report comment
Vinay Kumar with the ball, Mahela Jayawardene on strike against him. He had scored a match-winning half-century in the previous game.
Dilshan, at the other end, has had a few starts in the tournament so far. A big one expected from him.
2:11pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:11pm | Report comment
Sri Lanka go into the game without any changes to the line-up that crushed Australia in the previous game.
There are three changes to the Indian team – unsurprisingly given the Dhoni suspension and poor performance in the previous game.
Virender Sehwag is fit and will lead the team and he replaces Rohit Sharma, Parthiv Patel comes in to keep wickets while Zaheer Khan has been rested and R Ashwin brought into the 11.
This means that all three, Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir, play together for the first time in this series.
2:11pm
Suneer Chowdhary said | 2:11pm | Report comment
Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the eighth game of the CB series. India play Sri Lanka today and the news from the ground is that the Lankans have won the toss and will bat first.
Mahela Jayawardene would have seen how difficult it is to chase at the Gabba and without MS Dhoni in the Indian line-up, things will become even more difficult for them.