ODI 5: India Miss No.1, Give SL Hope

Sreelata YellamrazuFeb 9 2009

It is always hard to judge the match only by the statistics because they do not tell the real story. The fact that India rested their fast bowlers, Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar, was also what helped Sri Lanka post their first target in excess of 300 as also of the fact that by winning a rare toss, Mahela Jayawardene gave Sri Lanka what they love to do best – defend.

dhoni leaves CnuiE 17022

Sri Lanka won the match on the largesse of their batsmen, something they have sorely missed during India’s tour to Sri Lanka for the five one day internationals and the one Twenty20 match. It was the 143 run partnership between Tillekeratne Dilshan, who seems to have fit in quite nicely into the opener’s role, and Kumar Sangakkara. While the Sri Lankan wicket keeper missed his century again, this time by sixteen runs, Dilshan notched up a fine one that allowed Sri Lanka to accelerate as the innings progressed. It still required a Twenty20 knock of a twenty-three ball thirty-two from Fervez Maharoof after Sri Lanka suffered a mini collapse, losing four quick wickets past the forty over marks in the span of two a couple of runs.

But 321 should not have proved a stuff target to the visitors who showed they were capable of scoring at free will right through the series with most of their batsmen in resplendent form. The one thing though that they have not done in this series in particular is chase. So, the absence of the care free abandon of setting a target as opposing to chase a stiff one under pressure added to the fact that the only incentive from winning this match was going number one in the ICC ODI rankings by winning their tenth successive ODI match on the trot, was perhaps too much for the Indians.

india win series in sl FEZax 17022

India’s batting then panned out only marginally better than their bowling. If Mahendra Singh Dhoni employed as many as nine bowlers and failed to extract much of merit from the debutant Ravindra Jadeja or comeback lad Laxmipathy Balaji, their batting onus was also largely left to him. Quick blows in the form of the wickets of Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina followed up by another heap that included Man of the Series Yuvraj Singh meant that Dhoni’s innings gained considerable merit after India were six down for 138.

The match had gone out of India’s hands but Dhoni’s half century was pride salvage while Jadjea’s better outing with the bat encouraged his stand as he made his mark with an unbeaten sixty as the Indians folded up for 252 with seven balls to go, leaving Sri Lanka feeling a little less under the weather with a sixty-eight run victory under their belt.

It still takes only a little away from India's series victory in Sri Lanka!

ODI 4 Full Time: India’s No.9 Win Made More Special

ODI 4 Half Time: Another Strong Performance from India

ODI 4 Preview: India, Sri Lanka Have More to Play For

Sachin Tendulkar LBWed; Should the Referee Intervene?

ODI 3 : India Invincible?

Captain Cool Wants to Seal Series!

ODI 2 FullTime: India Win, But After A Scare!

ODI 2 Half Time: India Lose Way After Yuvraj-Raina Alliance

Dhoni Calls for Improvements; Inducts Sehwag

'Victory' Team in Sri Lanka for ODI?

Mendis Has Been Unravelled-- Harbhajjan