Asia Cup: Sri Lanka beat India by 2 wickets

Fatullah: Kumar Sangakara once again played a crucial knock to help Sri Lanka win the match against India. After 3 quick wickets in the middle of their inning, Sri Lanka were in trouble.

But Sangakara kept Sri Lanka in the game. He got out after completing his hundred. At that time, Sri Lanka needed 7 runs to win in 9 balls. India had an outsude chance to tie this game but Thisara Perera was dropped by Shikhar Dhawan in the last over. He did not offer another chance and sealed Sri Lanka's win with a single on the very next delivery.

This was Sri Lanka's second win in as many matches in Asia Cup 2014.

Till 31st over, Sri Lanka were coasting along with 8 wickets in hand. But then Jadeja, in 32nd over dismissed Jayawardene and Chandimal on consecutive deliveries to peg Sri Lanka back.

India got Lahiru Thirimanne out in the 18th over of Sri Lankan inning as Ravichandran Ashwin trapped him in front of the stumps.  But barring that Sri Lanka remained untroubled by India's bowling. Kumar Sangakara has joined Kusal Perera in the middle.

Chasing 265 runs to win this game, Sri Lankan opening pair of Lahiru Thirimanne and Kusal Perera made a solid start. By the end of 10 overs, Sri Lanka were 51/0, India could have dismissed Perera in the 4th over of the inning but Dhawan and Rahane collided with each other and dropped that catch.

India managed to score 264 runs in 50 overs. They were, at one stage looked comfortable to cross the 280 run mark with ease. But Sri Lankan bowling did not allow them to do so. In the last 20 overs, India lost their 7 wickets and scored 119 runs. For Sri Lanka, the trio of spinners - Mendis, Senanayake and Chaturanga de Silva - took 8 Indian wickets. 

Sri Lanka bowled well to restricet the run-flow during the last ten overs; especially in the powerplay where they conceded just 28 runs. India lost 3 wickets between 31 to 40 overs. Dhawan got out on 94. Rahane was caught at backward point. And Dinesh Karthik scooped one to mid-off as he mistimed a pull shot.

Kohli and Dhawan continued their good work untill Ajantha Mendis dismissed him on 48. Considering, Kohli is India's most in-form batsman, that was a big wicket for Sri Lanka. Dhawan though is still in the middle. After the 30 over mark, India were 145/2 with Dhawan on 75 and Rahane on 6.

Although Rohit did not last for long, Kohli and Dhawan made sure that India did not lose any wickets. These two added 48 runs in the last 10 overs for India. India were 85/1 after the end of 20 overs with Kohli on 26 and Dhawan on 45.

Sri Lanka won the toss and askd India to bat first. Like in the last game against Bangladesh, Indian openers were slow in the beginning. But then Shikhar Dhawan managed to hit 3 boundaries in 2 overs. Just when, he and Rohit Sharma looked settled, Senanayake dismissed Rohit Sharma on 13. By the end of 10 overs, India were 37/1.

After a streak of losses, India will seek to regain their battered pride as they gear up to face Sri Lanka in what is being touted as the team’s real test in the Asia Cup.

India notched up a six-wicket win against hosts Bangladesh in their opening match of the five-nation regional tournament on Wednesday.

Back on the familiar subcontinental conditions after humiliating series defeats in South Africa and New Zealand, India chased down 280 at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium here to register their first win in nine ODIs. Stand-in skipper Virat Kohli smashed a 122-ball 136 in a 213-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane who returned to ODI form with a 73 to hand India a perfect start to their Asia Cup campaign.

Stand-in skipper Virat Kohli smashed a 122-ball 136 in a 213-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane who returned to ODI form with a 73 to hand India a perfect start to their Asia Cup campaign. 

Kohli’s tremendous form in Bangladesh which now reads 868 runs from 10 matches with an astounding average of 124, including his career-best 183 in last Asia Cup, will put India a favourite to win the tournament despite recent overseas reverses.

Kohli had got a reprieve on 35 as Bangladesh failed to grab their share of chances.

The skipper’s cheap dismissal would have certainly exposed the new-look Indian middle order in their chase of 280 and could have tilted the match the other way. Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were also tested. 

Against a Sri Lankan team that boasts of the fiery Lasith Malinga, who is fresh from his match-winning five-for against Pakistan, the Indian opening duo would be desperate to get back among runs to give their side a solid start.

Having arrived in the country late January for a full series, Sri Lanka have been experiencing an extended taste of Bangladeshi conditions as they won the Test series 1-0, the Twenty20s 2-0 before a 3-0 sweep in the one-dayers.

But in their Asia Cup opener yesterday, Sri Lanka had some jittery moments when Pakistan looked to be in control of the 297-run chase, needing 55 from 46 balls with six wickets in hand.

It was, however, before Malinga single-handedly changed the complexion of the game with his toe-crushing yorkers. He went for six-plus an over after his first seven overs but came back with four wickets in his last three overs to turn the game in his side's favour in the death overs.

But his inability to trouble the top-order would once again come under scrutiny as he takes on the Indian batsmen.

Sri Lankan batting will have the calming influence of Sangakkara who is in the middle of a dream run here that includes his maiden triple century in Tests.

Sangakkara scored a half-century against Pakistan on Tuesday but it was their young opener Thirimanne who impressed with a fluent century. Thirimanne has been backed by the selectors to open instead of seniormost Mahela Jayawardene.

Thirimanne was fluent from the outset and had a strike rate of 92.72. For a batsman who has spent much of the past two months sidelined with injury, Thirimanne was as stoic as he was confident.

In Kusal Perera, who scored a maiden ODI century in Sri Lanka's 3-0 win against Bangladesh the other day, Thirimanne will have a perfect partner as the duo will look to give their side a perfect start.

Coming from a finger injury earlier this month, seniormost Jayawardene, who batted at number four yesterday, would like to get among runs too.

The Teams:

India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Varun Aaron, Cheteshwar Pujara, Stuart Binny, Amit Mishra and Ishwar Pandey.

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (c), Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Thisara Perera, Chaturanga de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Sachithra Senanayake, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Ajantha Mendis, Ashan Priyanjan and Dhammika Prasad.

Match starts: 1.30pm IST.