Series Level; India are D(hon)isheartened

India made no changes to their playing eleven.

Sri Lanka made one change to the eleven that last played the Indians – Nuwan Kulasekara made way for Isuru Udana.

On winning the toss, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s skipper, chose to bat.

The first Powerplay of India’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the 10^th over. They scored 47, and lost four wickets.

Virender Sehwag, whose run-a-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 15. Four overs into the match, he was caught by Thisara Perera, the player of the match, who broke the 31-run stand.

Virat Kohli, who faced five balls, scored a run. Nine balls later, he was caught by Kumar Sangakkara. Perera broke the two-run stand.

Rohit, who faced five balls, didn’t get off the (Shar)mark. Angelo Mathews had a reason to be in seventh heaven – he broke the five-run stand.

Suresh Raina, who faced five balls, scored a run. Half-a-dozen balls later, Perera broke the three-run stand.

India scored 50 off 11.3 overs (69 balls). The number of extras they had conceded at that point gave Sri Lanka no reason to be in seventh heaven.

The man from Ranchi, whose 16-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 11. Thirty-nine balls after Raina’s dismissal, he was caught by Kumar Sangakkara. Mathews broke the (Dho)nineteen-run stand.

Eighty-five balls into the match, the first drinks break was taken. India scored 60 for the loss of five wickets at that point. Gautam Gambhir was batting on 25.

The second Powerplay of India’s innings – which was the bowling Powerplay – was between the 16^th and the 20^th over. They scored 19, and lost a wicket.

Irfan Pathan, who faced 19 balls, scored half-a-dozen. (Lasi)Thirty-four balls after Dhoni’s dismissal, he was caught by Perera. Malinga broke the 19-run stand.

India scored 100 off 23.3 overs (141 balls). The number of extras they had conceded at that point gave Sri Lanka no reason to be in seventh heaven.

Gambhir’s half-century – which included four boundaries – came off 71 balls.

The seventh-wicket pair put on 28. Ashwin, whose 21-ball innings included three boundaries, scored 15. Twenty-five balls later, Udana and Sangakkara (Ravichand)ran him out.

Zaheer Khan, who faced four balls, scored a couple. Ten balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Rangana Herath, who broke the six-run stand.

Thirty-one overs into the match, the second drinks break was taken. India scored 126 for the loss of eight wickets at that point. While Gambhir was batting on 59, Pragyan Ojha was batting on three.

Ojha, who faced 18 balls, scored five. Forty-one balls after Khan’s dismissal, he was caught by Sangakkara. Mathews broke the 19-run stand.

The third Powerplay of India’s innings – which was the batting Powerplay – was between the 34^th and the 38^th over. They scored a couple, and lost a wicket.

Gambhir, whose 96-ball innings included four boundaries, eventually scored 65. Half-a-dozen balls after Ojha’s dismissal, he was caught by Sangakkara. Malinga broke the run-a-ball stand.

Umesh Yadav, who faced three balls, didn’t get off the mark. He was unbeaten.

Sri Lanka eventually scored 11 extras. India were bundled out for 138 off 33.3 overs. Udana, who bowled half-a-dozen wicketless overs, conceded 42.

Herath, who bowled five overs, conceded 21. He picked up a wicket. Malinga, who bowled 7.3 overs, conceded 36. He picked up a couple of wickets. Mathews bowled seven overs, including a couple of boundaries. He conceded 14, picking up three wickets. Perera bowled eight overs, including three maidens. He conceded 19, picking up three scalps.

The first Powerplay of Sri Lanka’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the 10^th over. They scored 78, without the loss of a wicket.

Sri Lanka’s openers put on 50 off eight overs (48 balls). India had conceded 12 extras at that point. While Upul Tharanga’s contribution to the partnership was 24, Tillakaratne Dilshan’s contribution to it was 15.

Nine overs into the chase, the dinner break was taken. Sri Lanka had scored 64 without the loss of a wicket at that point. While Tharanga was batting on 24, Dilshan was batting on 28.

Sri Lanka’s openers put on 100 off 13 overs (78 balls). India had conceded 23 extras at that point. While Tharanga’s contribution to the partnership was 40, Dilshan’s contribution to it was 37.

The second Powerplay of Sri Lanka’s innings – which was the batting Powerplay – was between the 16^th and the 20^th over.

Dilshan’s half-century – which included five boundaries – came off 47 balls. He eventually faced 49 balls, failing to add to the aforementioned score. A hundred balls into the chase, he was caught by Dhoni. Ashwin broke the 119-run partnership.

Tharanga’s half-century – which included seven boundaries – came off 52 balls. He eventually scored 59 off 60 balls, which included eight boundaries. He was unbeaten.

Dinesh Chandimal, whose innings included a boundary, scored half-a-dozen. He was unbea‘ten’.

India eventually conceded 24 extras. Sri Lanka, who scored 139 for the loss of a wicket off 19.5 overs, won by nine wickets with 181 balls to spare.

Ojha, who bowled five wicketless balls, had no reason to be in seventh heaven. Yadav and Pathan bowled four wicketless overs apiece. While the former conceded 38, the latter conceded 27. Khan bowled half-a-dozen wicketless overs, conceding 39. Ashwin bowled five overs, including a maiden. He conceded 18, picking up a wicket.

Sri Lanka levelled the five-match series 1-1.