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Indians tame Lankan Lions

S. Ram Mahesh

First bilateral series win in Lanka

Colombo: India overcame a batting stutter in the gloaming to clinch its first-ever bilateral one-day series in Sri Lanka, winning the fourth ODI by 46 runs here at the Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday — the reserve day, after Tuesday was washed off — for an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

Jayasuriya on fire

Sanath Jayasuriya reprised a role he is familiar with under lights — that of composed spreader of panic — and although Munaf Patel wrapped Malinda Warnapura around an in-nipper (that hit the left-hander a touch high) and bowled Kumar Sangakkara off the inside edge (trapping him with the in-between length), Sri Lanka fancied its chances of successfully chasing India’s 258.

Jayasuriya — having hit Praveen Kumar out of the attack, slicing and slapping the width on offer — trained his sights on Munaf.

The pick-up pull, levered by those outrageously muscular arms and triggered by an eye that refuses to dim with age, brought two sixes.

Just as the worry lines were creasing Dhoni’s brow, Harbhajan Singh struck in his first over. A flighted off-break, seam cambered just right, had the left-hander thrusting across the break, attempting to turn it to leg. The edge was caught splendidly by a rolling Raina at slip.

Harbhajan had a hand in the next wicket as well — the all-important one of Mahela Jayawardene.

The Sri Lankan captain, who has been a thorn in India’s flesh all series (although an agreeable thorn to watch), played one behind square and hesitated when called through by Chamara Kapugedera. Virat Kohli fired a return on the bounce from short fine-leg and Harbhajan broke the stumps at the non-striker’s end.

Impressive Zaheer

Zaheer returned to cap another marvellously controlled exhibition of seam bowling by having the left-hander caught on the boundary.

SCOREBOARD

India: : 258.

Sri Lanka: S. Jayasuriya c Raina b Harbhajan 60, M. Warnapura lbw b Munaf 0, K. Sangakkara b Munaf 6, M. Jayawardene (run out) 16, C. Kapugedera lbw b Yuvraj 30, T. Dilshan lbw b Harbhajan 12, C. Vaas lbw b Yuvraj 17, N. Kulasekara st Dhoni b Harbhajan 12, T. Thushara c Raina b Zaheer 40, A. Mendis (run out) 2, M. Muralitharan (not out) 1; Extras (b-4, lb-2, w-10): 16; Total (in 46.3 overs): 212.

Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Warnapura), 2-38 (Sangakkara), 3-74 (Jayasuriya), 4-106 (Jayawardene), 5-131 (Dilshan), 6-140 (Kapugedera), 7-157 (Vaas), 8-190 (Kulasekara), 9-206 (Mendis).

PP1 (1-10): 34/1; PP2 (11-15): 21/1; PP3 (16-20): 32/1.

India bowling: Praveen 4-0-25-0, Zaheer 9.3-3-27-1, Munaf 9-0-48-2, Harbhajan 10-0-40-3, Yuvraj 10-0-53-2, Rohit 4-1-13-0.

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