India D(hon)isappoint Sri Lanka again

India made just one change to their playing eleven – Irfan Pathan made way for Gautam Gambhir. Sri Lanka made just one Cha(minda)nge to the eleven that last played the Indians – Dilhara Fernando made way for Vaas.

On winning the toss, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s skipper and the player of the match, chose to bat. Their openers put on 39. Virat Kohli, whose 38-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 25. Fifty-three balls into the match, Silva (Chama)ran him out.

Gambhir, who faced 20 balls, scored eight. Five balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Nuwan Kulasekara, who broke the one-run stand.

The second Powerplay of India’s innings was between the 11^th and the 15^th over. They scored 50 off 11.3 overs (72 balls). The number of extras they had conceded at that point gave Sri Lanka no reason to be in seventh heaven.

The third Powerplay of India’s innings was between the 16^th and the 20^th over. Yuvraj Singh, whose 17-ball innings included a six, scored a dozen. Twenty-six balls after Gambhir’s dismissal, he was caught by Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka’s skipper. Kulasekara broke the 22-run stand.

Subramaniam Badrinath, who faced 19 balls, scored half-a-dozen. Fifty-three balls later, he was caught by Vaas. Ajantha Mendis broke the 29-run stand.

India scored 100 off 26.1 overs (166 balls). Sri Lanka had conceded 13 extras at that point. Thirty-one overs into the match, the first drinks break was taken. India had scored 129 for the loss of four wickets at that point. While Suresh Raina was batting on 42, Dhoni was batting on 22.

Raina’s half-century – which included four boundaries and a six – came off 75 balls. The fifth-wicket pair put on 50 off 65 balls. While Raina’s contribution to the partnership was 22, Dhoni’s contribution to it was 26. Extras’ contribution to the partnership was a couple.

The fifth-wicket pair eventually put on 54. Raina, who faced 80 balls, eventually scored 53. Seventy-five balls after Badrinath’s dismissal, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar (Sangakka)ran him out.

India scored 150 off 35.5 overs (225 balls). Sri Lanka had conceded 14 extras at that point. Dhoni’s half-century – which included four boundaries – came off 64 balls. The sixth-wicket pair put on 50 off 55 balls. While Dhoni’s contribution to the partnership was 31, Rohit Sharma’s contribution to it was 21. Extras didn’t contribute to the partnership.

India scored 200 off 44.2 overs (276 balls). Sri Lanka had conceded 14 extras at that point. Sharma, whose run-a-ball innings included three boundaries, scored 32. Sixty-six balls after Raina’s dismissal, he was caught by Chamara Kapugedera. Thilan Thushara broke the 67-run partnership.

Harbhajan Singh, who faced half-a-dozen balls, scored just a couple. Fifteen balls later, he was caught by Sangakkara. Mendis broke the 17-run stand.

The eight-wicket pair D(hon)idn’t get off the mark. The man from Ranchi, whose 80-ball innings included eight boundaries, eventually scored 76. The (Jayawarde)next ball, he was caught by his opposite number off the bowling of Mendis.

Praveen Kumar, who faced three balls, scored a couple. He was unbeaten. Zaheer Khan, who faced half-a-dozen balls, scored just a run. Nine balls later, he was caught by Muttiah Muralitharan. Thushara broke the eight-run stand.

Sri Lanka eventually conceded 20 extras. India scored 237 for the loss of nine wickets off 50 overs. Sanath Jayasuriya, who bowled five wicketless overs, conceded 24. Muralitharan, who bowled nine wicketless overs, conceded 48. Vaas bowled 10 wicketless overs, including a couple of maidens. He conceded 33.

Kulasekara bowled seven overs, including a maiden. He conceded 32, picking up two wickets. Thushara bowled nine overs, including a maiden. He conceded 36, picking up a couple of wickets. Mendis, who bowled 10 overs, conceded 56. He picked up three scalps.

Jayasuriya, whose 15-ball innings included three boundaries, scored 13. Twenty-five balls into the match, he was caught by Dhoni. Kumar broke the 18-run stand. Sangakkara, who faced a dozen balls, scored nine. Khan had a reason to be in seventh heaven – he trapped him leg before wicket, breaking the eight-run stand.

Kapugedera, whose 17-ball innings included a boundary and a six, scored a dozen. Twenty balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Kumar, who broke the 11-run stand. Silva, who faced five balls, scored a run. Half-a-dozen balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Khan, who broke the three-run stand.

The second Powerplay of Sri Lanka’s innings was between the 11^th and the 15^th over. They scored 50 off 11 overs (68 balls). India had conceded a couple of extras at that point.

The third Powerplay of Sri Lanka’s innings was between the 16^th and the 20^th over. Sixteen overs into the chase, the first drinks break was taken. Sri Lanka had scored 58 for the loss of four wickets at that point. While Jayawardene was batting on five, Dilshan was batting on 16.

Dilshan, whose 21-ball innings included three boundaries, didn’t add to the aforementioned score. Forty-one balls later, he was caught by Dhoni. Munaf Patel broke the 18-run stand. Vaas, who faced four balls, didn’t get off the mark. Five balls later, Harbhajan broke the one-run stand.

Kulasekara, who faced 30 balls, scored 11. Fifty-seven balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Yuvraj, who broke the 35-run stand.

Sri Lanka scored 100 off 30 overs (182 balls). India had conceded a couple of extras at that point. Thirty-three overs into the chase, the second drinks break was taken. Sri Lanka had scored 112 for the loss of seven wickets at that point. While Jayawardene was batting on 39, Thushara was batting on nine.

The eighth-wicket pair put on 50 off 71 balls. While Jayawardene’s contribution to the partnership was 33, Thushara’s contribution to it was 16. Extras’ contribution to the partnership was a run.

Sri Lanka scored 150 off 39.3 overs (240 balls). India had conceded three extras at that point. Thushara, whose 70-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, eventually scored 30. A hundred and two balls later, Khan broke the 81-run stand.

Jayawardene, whose 111-ball innings included half-a-dozen boundaries and a six, eventually scored 94. Eleven balls later, he was caught by Kumar. Patel broke the 17-run stand.

Sri Lanka scored 200 off 47.5 overs (291 balls). India had conceded half-a-dozen extras at that point. That was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded. Mendis, who scored half-a-dozen, was unbea‘ten’. Muralitharan, who faced 14 balls, scored half-a-dozen. Twenty balls later, Patel broke the 12-run stand.

Sri Lanka who were dismissed for 204 off 49 overs, lost by 33 runs. Sharma bowled a wicketless over, conceding nine. Yuvraj bowled eight overs, conceding 37. He picked up a wicket, as was Harbhajan, who bowled 10 overs, conceding 29.

Kumar bowled 10 overs, conceding 62. He picked up two wickets. Patel and Khan bowled 10 overs each, picking up three scalps apiece. While the former, whose spell included a maiden, conceded 42, the latter, whose spell included three maidens, conceded 23.

India led the five-match series 2-1.