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Lanka ends series with an easy win

S. Ram Mahesh

Thushara and Kulasekara do the star turn in an inconsequential tie

Thushara and Mubarak added 94 in the last 13 overs
Ajantha Mendis got the better of Yuvraj yet again

— PHOTO: AFP

AGONY AND ECSTASY: Rohit Sharma was unlucky to be adjudged leg-before off Nuwan Kulasekara.

Colombo: Sri Lanka, playing purportedly for pride, comprehensively won the fifth ODI here at the Premadasa Stadium on Friday.

The margin of defeat — 112 runs (by the Duckworth-Lewis method) — didn’t flatter India; but the series, decided earlier this week, went to M.S. Dhoni’s men 3-2.

After Mahela Jayawardene won his first toss of the series, and elected, unsurprisingly, to bat, the home side posted 227 for six in 50 overs — competitive, but no more, and thanks almost entirely to a terrific late surge from Jehan Mubarak (47 n.o., 55b, 3x4) and Thilan Thushara (54 n.o., 46b, 6x4), who punished the Indian bowlers for not completing what they had begun so well.

Kulasekara’s strikes

India’s reply under lights rapidly went south either side of an 85-minute break for a passing shower. Nuwan Kulasekara’s medium-fast bowling — deceitfully pacific-looking — accounted for the first four wickets.

Gautam Gambhir, lucky to escape an undetected nick earlier in his innings, was splendidly caught by Kumar Sangakkkara, standing up, off a delivery that shaded away from the left-handed opener. Virat Kohli looked in crisp touch — a pull for six was particularly spectacular — but was found in front of his stumps.

Suresh Raina — whose poise during the last two games had helped India seal the series — was guilty of a feckless stroke even as it started to drizzle. His attempted pull off a delivery not short enough for the purpose was skied. With Raina’s dismissal, the players left the field, and when they returned, with the target readjusted to 216 in 44 overs, Sri Lanka wasn’t to be denied.

Rohit Sharma was unlucky to be adjudged leg-before by Tyrone Wijewardena, the ball striking the right-hander’s pad well outside the off-stump, but there was no quibbling about the wickets that followed.

Ajantha Mendis carved himself a nice slice of four, bowling his bunny Yuvraj Singh before having Irfan Pathan caught at slip and finding Zaheer Khan leg-before.

Dilhara Fernando chipped in with two wickets, including that of Dhoni (bowled after missing a full ball), but it was Mendis who ended matters, having Pragyan Ojha caught, to break Sri Lanka’s three-match losing streak. Earlier, Zaheer and Munaf affected discipline with the new ball. The left-armer — magnificent this series — broke through.

Sanath Jayasuriya flashed at a wide delivery to be caught at third-man. With Munaf finding movement from his tight line — his shift inward during delivery stride ensuring his bowling arm was whipping down wicket-to-wicket — runs were hard to find.

Fruitful stand

But Mahela Udawatte formed a fruitful left-handed alliance with opener Malinda Warnapura. Udawatte — who stands upright, bat aloft, as opposed to Warnapura, who crouches round-shouldered and open-chested — chanced his arm, throwing bat at anything outside off-stump. Warnapura meanwhile hit around the ball, dragging to leg a similar line.

The pair put on 77 before Irfan Pathan’s double strike in four balls broke the momentum. Warnapura fetched a short delivery, only to top-edge the pull. Udawatte was trapped in front by one that cut back — his lack of footwork had him straddling the crease.

Kumar Sangakkara’s wretched run continued. R.P. Singh’s delivery was wide, hinting further away. The left-hander followed it, bending on one knee to waft it to slip. Sangakkara’s five innings this series have realised just 37 runs. India’s success is owed, in part, to restraining this excellent player.

Fine spell

Ojha delivered a fine spell of left-arm orthodox, bowling with flight, drift, dip, and turn. His dismissal of Jayawardene was one of those rare moments where the batsman is sucked in completely.

The ball sank on Jayawardene, breaking and bouncing after hitting turf: consequently it struck the bat high and off-centre, forcing a miscue to cover. Ojha also had Chamara Kapugedera caught in the deep to reduce Sri Lanka to 133 for six. But Mubarak and Thushara wrested the innings from India’s grasp.

Exploiting some ordinary bowling (Pathan’s final three overs leaked 30, R.P. Singh’s brought 28), the pair added 94 in the last 13 overs.

Runs came through full-blooded swipes and educated edges, as both left-handers rode their fortune and frustrated India.

Maiden ODI fifty

Thushara was thoroughly deserving of his maiden half-century — one of Sri Lanka’s few bright sparks this series, he appears poised to develop into a valuable all-rounder.

SCOREBOARD

Sri Lanka: S. Jayasuriya c Ojha b Zaheer 1, M. Warnapura c Gambhir b Pathan 30, M. Udawatte lbw b Pathan 43, K. Sangakkara c Gambhir b R.P. Singh 1, M. Jayawardene c Yuvraj b Ojha 12, C. Kapugedera c R.P. Singh b Ojha 26, J. Mubarak (not out) 47, T. Thushara (not out) 54; Extras (lb-6, nb-1, w-6) 13; Total (for six wkts. in 50 overs): 227.

Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Jayasuriya), 2-78 (Warnapura), 3-80 (Udawatte), 4-82 (Sangakkara), 5-104 (Jayawardene), 6-133 (Kapugedera).

PP1 (1-10): 28/1; PP2 (11-15): 39/0; PP3 (16-20): 16/3.

India bowling: Munaf 7-1-20-0, Zaheer 10-1-49-1, R.P. Singh 8-0-54-1, Pathan 10-0-52-2, Ojha 10-4-28-2, Rohit 2-0-7-0, Yuvraj 3-0-11-0.

India (target 216 in 44 overs): V. Kohli lbw b Kulasekara 31, G. Gambhir c Sangakkara b Kulasekara 11, Yuvraj b Mendis 17, S. Raina c Fernando b Kulasekara 10, Rohit lbw b Kulasekara 3, M.S. Dhoni b Fernando 1, I. Pathan c Warnapura b Mendis 7, Zaheer lbw b Mendis 3, R.P. Singh c Jayawardene b Fernando 4, P. Ojha c Kulasekara b Mendis 5, Munaf (not out) 4; Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-4) 7; Total (in 26.3 overs): 103.

Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Gambhir), 2-45 (Kohli), 3-70 (Raina), 4-76 (Rohit), 5-79 (Yuvraj), 6-85 (Dhoni), 7-90 (Pathan), 8-91 (Zaheer), 9-95 (R.P. Singh).

PP1 (1-10): 43/1; PP2 (11-14): 23/1; PP3 (15-17): 10/2.

Sri Lanka bowling: Kulasekara 9-2-40-4, Thushara 6-0-26-0, Fernando 7-1-24-2, Mendis 4.3-2-10-4.

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