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India trounce Sri Lanka

Tuesday, March 11 2003

Sri Lanka won the toss and in a surprise move elected to bowl first. Sanath Jayasuriya declared himself fit to play on a glorious day at the New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. India were unchanged from their previous game, whereas Sri Lanka brought in Jehan Mubarak and Prabath Nissanka instead of Hashan Tillekeratne and Pulasthi Gunaratne.

India opened with Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag facing Chaminda Vaas, the batsmen exchanging the strike with ones and twos right from the off. Sehwag greeted the entry of Nissanka into the attack with a flowing cover drive for the first boundary of the day. Three deliveries later, the bowler dropped short and wide and Sehwag absolutely creamed it into the stands at point for six.

Tendulkar produced his first boundary of the day with a shot through the covers off Vaas, but it was the readiness of both batsmen to test out the fielders with quick singles which was keeping the scoreboard rattling along. Vaas responded by beating Sehwag twice outside the off stump and at the end of the fifth over India had moved on to 28 without loss.

Prabath Nissanka beat Tendulkar with one which nipped back, but when he strayed on to the leg stump the little master whipped a boundary through midwicket. A half-volley was despatched past the bowler for another Tendulkar boundary, and an over which had started promisingly for the Sri Lankans ended in dominance for the Indians

Tendulkar was looking in prime form as he turned a Vaas half-volley through midwicket for four. The fifty was raised in the eighth over when Sehwag clipped the wayward Nissanka to midwicket for a couple followed by yet another boundary through the same area. This prompted the first bowling change of the day, Dilhara Fernando coming on at the Corlett Drive end. In his first over, he dropped too short and Tendulkar cut the ball high into the crowd for his first six of the innings. At the end of over 10, India had progressed to 70 without loss.

Chaminda Vaas continued to impress with the ball, holding one back which deceived Tendulkar into almost offering a chance to a static Russel Arnold at backward point. It was from the other end, though, that Sri Lanka's problems were mounting as again Fernando was first driven straight and then cut for boundaries by Virender Sehwag. Vaas responded with the first maiden over of the day as Tendulkar treated him with the utmost respect.

For Sri Lanka, the flow of extras would have been a prime area of concern, a total of 16 sundries resulting from the first 13 overs. Dilhara Fernando also produced a fine maiden to Sehwag as gradually Sri Lanka stemmed the flow of free runs. It appeared to be a change of line from the Sri Lankan bowlers which had cut off the scoring as both seamers started pitching the ball well up a foot outside the off stump, so much so that a third successive maiden resulted. After 15 overs and the end of the fielding restrictions, India had moved on to 85 for 0 wickets.

Sehwag clipped a wide half-volley from Fernando for four behind point but in general the Sri Lankan bowling had a much tidier look to it. The spin of Muttiah Murulitharan was introduced in the 17th over and he immediately beat Tendulkar outside off stump. Sachin Tendulkar went to yet another one-day international half-century with a flick through midwicket off Fernando, and a turn behind square brought up the hundred opening partnership in the 18th over. Another neat flick through midwicket by Sehwag brought him an all-run four and after 20 overs, the score had reached 110.

Nissanka returned into the attack for just one over and Tendulkar smacked his first ball to the long off boundary with no apparent effort whatsoever. Sanath Jayasuriya continued to ring the changes and brought himself on to bowl at the start of the 22nd over. With the Sri Lankans in a totally defensive mode at this stage, there were singles to be had all around the wicket, a situation not helped from the Sri Lankan perspective by some shoddy ground fielding.

Virender Sehwag, holding himself in check a little for the first time in this World Cup, progressed to his personal half-century with a brace of twos off Jayasuriya and at the half way stage, India had moved on to 136 without loss and little alarm. Sehwag clubbed the flattest of flat sixes over long off from the bowling of Jayasuriya and at this stage a huge total seemed in the offing. Another six by Sehwag brought up the 150 partnership as Jayasuriya's over went for 16 in total.

Sehwag (66) finally went for one big shot too many, when he tried to hit Murali out of the ground against the spin. This time, he was comfortably caught by Aravinda de Silva five yards inside the long on boundary with the total on 153, the highest opening partnership of the tournament so far. Sourav Ganguly began his innings in cautious mode, just picking up singles rather than going for the big shots.

Dilhara Fernando returned to the attack in place of the profligate Jayasuriya, and immediately found the outside edge of Tendulkar's bat only to see the ball run past third man for another boundary. By the end of over number 30, India had progressed serenely to 167-1. Fernando dropped fractionally short to Ganguly and the Indian skipper was on to it in a flash, depositing the ball at least 15 rows back into the crowd. The Sri Lankan bowlers with the exception of Vaas and Muralitheran were being systematically taken apart.

Aravinda de Silva and Russel Arnold were both introduced in an attempt to put the brakes on proceedings by taking pace off the ball. It seemed to have little effect as far as the Sri Lankan cause was concerned as the runs continued to flow, helped not for the first time by some awful fielding. At the end of the 35th over, India had reached 194-1 and a target in the vicinity of 300 seemed within reach.

Ganguly avoided running himself out by the narrowest of margins following a second successive mix-up between the batsmen. The left-hander then clubbed de Silva to the point boundary to bring up the fifty partnership and the 200 total. Both batsmen continued to milk the friendly bowling, taking singles at will all around the wicket. With India on 214 and Sachin Tendulkar on 97, the batsman made his first - and last - error of the innings. A premeditated paddle to a ball from Aravinda de Silva only found the glove and wicket keeper Kumar Sangakkara took a simple catch to reduce India to 219-2 at the end of the 40th over.

Mohammed Kaif joined Ganguly at the wicket following the departure of Tendulkar, but it was the skipper who launched another huge six over square leg off Russel Arnold as the Indians sought to accelerate through the final overs. The splendidly economical Muralitheran and Chaminda Vaas returned to the attack, and it was the latter who removed Sourav Ganguly (48), clean bowled with the total on 243 as the batsman heaved across the line in an effort to force the pace.

Aravinda de Silva returned to the attack once more with two relatively new batsmen at the crease, and the 250 was raised courtesy of a Yuvraj sweep for a brace in the 45th over. It proved to be Yuvraj Singh's last meaningful contribution as an ugly swipe across the line presented Chaminda Vaas with his second wicket of the game and the 18th of the World Cup, clean bowled for 5 with the total on 251.

The dapper Rahul Dravid swiftly got into the action, turning a short celivery from Vaas to fine leg for four, the bowler finally ending his contribution with the excellent figures of 2-34. Murali returned for over 47 and Mohammed Kaif (19) struck the fourth ball to the midwicket boundary, only to be bowled through his legs off the following ball to reduce India to 265-5.

Dilhara Fernando was called upon to bowl over 48, succeeding in keeping Dinesh Mongia and Rahul Dravid relatively quiet with a series of yorkers, conceding just four runs off the over. Mongia came down the wicket and launched Muralitharan for six over long off. The batsman perished the following ball, however, caught by Aravinda de Silva for 9 and the Indians had subsided to 277-6. A delightful late cut by Dravid brought a much-needed boundary as Murali conceded 13 off his final over.

A streaky four by Harbhajan and a series of ones and twos helped to elevate the final total to 292-6 - a total India would have gladly accepted at the start of the day but one which really signalled a lost opportunity to hoist the huge target which had seemed likely when they had been 150 without loss.

Sri Lanka sent out Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya to open the batting in their endeavour to reach the target of 293 for victory. Zaheer Khan took the new ball for India, beating Atapattu all ends up with two successive deliveries outside the off stump. Javagal Srinath partnered Khan and he broke through immediately, dropping the dall short outside off stump. Atapattu (0) seizing upon the gift could only club the ball straight to Mohammed Kaif at cover with the total on 2. It was a dreadful start for the Sri Lankans.

If that was bad, worse was to follow. A tentative prod by new batsman Jehan Mubarak (0), facing just his second delivery from Srinath only found the outside edge and Dravid gleefully pouched a regulation catch behind the wicket to leave Sri Lanka reeling on 2-2 at the end of the second over.

Mahela Jayawardene (0) padded up to a ball from Zaheer Khan and the vociferous appeal was turned down, but the batsman's reprieve lasted just a single delivery as he was trapped in front again. This time there was no escape and Sri Lanka had lost their third wicket with just 3 on the board. The Indians were rampant. It was a surprise when a rare loose delivery from Khan was neatly turned to the fine leg boundary by Jayasuriya for the first four of the innings.

Srinath bowled too short and Jayasuriya slammed the ball to the point boundary, then a single brought Aravinda de Silva (0) on strike. The sensational Srinath trapped him in front and amazingly the fourth wicket had gone down in the fourth over with just 16 on the board. Kumar Sangakkara cracked his first ball to the cover boundary, and in the process became only the second Sri Lankan to score a run in this game. Sri Lanka were in desperate trouble at 23-4 after just 5 eventful overs.

In order for the Sri Lankans to fight themselves back into the game, a period of consolidation was required. Already, the asking rate was well over a run a ball. Sangakkara whipped a ball of full length from Khan to the square leg boundary to help the cause a little, and a wayward delivery from the same bowler went for four wides as Sri Lanka sought to put together a partnership of some substance.

Just as Sri Lanka threatened to be staging some semblance of a recovery, Javagal Srinath struck for the fourth time in as many overs with the total on 40. Sanath Jayasuriya (12) tried to cut a delivery which was too close to him, the bottom hand came in to play and the ball ballooned up off the top edge and Kaif's safe hands at cover did the rest.

Russel Arnold went perilously close to becoming the fifth duck of the innings as he wafted at a ball from Zaheer Khan outside his off stump, but he got off the mark with a clipped three through midwicket. At the end of another testing over from Srinath, Sri Lanka were 47-5 after just 10 overs.

The first bowling change saw Ashish Nehra replace Zaheer Khan from the Golf Course end. The bustling young seamer started with a tidy if unspectacular first over to Arnold and Sangakkara, conceding just a single without troubling either batsman unduly. Sangakkara edged Srinath wide of second slip for a single, and in the 13th over repeated the shot off Nehra, on this occasion the ball travelling to the boundary to take the score beyond 50.

Srinath, meanwhile, continued to bowl accurately, giving little away and troubling both batsmen with late movement. Russel Arnold was playing the sheet-anchor role and gradually Sangakkara began to threaten, one thrilling drive through the covers in particular elevating his score to 30. The resistance did not last long, though, as two balls later he drove Nehra to Yuvraj Singh at point and Sri Lanka, at 59-6 appeared to have little left to offer.

Chaminda Vaas all but ran himself out facing his first delivery, then in the 16th over he just leaned on an overpitched ball from Zaheer Khan, sending it rocketing to the midwicket boundary. Russel Arnold in turn registered a boundary when he smote Nehra lustily through the covers. At the start of the 18th over, Arnold (8) was trapped playing back to a ball of fuller length adjacent to his off stump and the sorry Sri Lankan reply subsided still further to 75-7.

Ashish Nehra grabbed his second and third wickets of the day at 78 when Chaminda Vaas (9) attempted to swat a short ball over mid-on, only for Sachin Tendulkar to take a fine tumbling catch. Four balls later, Prabath Nissanka became the fifth duck of the innings when he fended off a hostile, lifting ball but only succeeded in presenting the third catch of the day to Mohammed Kaif.

Javagal Srinath was brought back in an attempt to end any resistance before it began, but Dilhara Fernando found the seamer's bowling to his liking, plundering two fours and a three from the 20th over. At 89-9, Sri Lanka were all but out of it. Muralitharan aimed a wild swipe at a short ball from Nehra, the Sri Lankan spin king somehow managing to get the ball over the wicket keeper for four.

The Sri Lankan tail-enders were supplying plenty of entertainment to the crowd, and a single by Fernando brought up the 100. Murali picked the slower ball from Nehra and to the delight of the crowd the ball went over midwicket for four. An inside edge to a Nehra yorker brought him another boundary to fine leg, but it couldn't last. Off the next delivery, another wild swipe by Murali (16) looped gently to cover where Kaif took yet another catch. The last pair had added a thoroughly entertaining 31 with Dilhara Fernando contributing an undefeated 11. Sri Lanka had managed to register a highly disappointing 109.

India 292-6 Innings closed (Tendulkar 97, Sehwag 66 Muralitheran 3-46, Vaas 2-34)

beat

Sri Lanka 109 all out (Srinath 4-35, Nehra 4-35, Khan 2-33)

by 183 runs


Posted by James