There were predictions of runs aplenty, but the wicket at the Barabati Stadium followed its more traditional role of offering turn.
The Indian spinners exploited the conditions perfectly to trigger a collapse and restrict Sri Lanka to 239 in the third ODI at the Barabati Stadium here on Monday.
Sachin Tendulkar’s classy unbeaten 96 then helped India ease past the target in 42.4 overs.
Tendulkar began by dispatching Chanaka Welegedera with a superb cover drive. Virender Sehwag waited a brief while before belting the ball around to give India a sizzling start.
The Indians looked like overhauling the target in a blink before Sehwag’s dismissal — caught at backward point — slowed things slightly.
Stunning drives
Tendulkar produced more stunning drives apart from the streaky upper-cut and paddle scoop that also went for boundaries. He put on 72 with Gautam Gambhir, and after the latter’s dismissal, batted patiently with Yuvraj Singh.
The Indians finished the job with a flurry of boundaries from Tendulkar and Karthik.
Earlier, despite Tillakaratne Dilshan’s fearsome batting and Upul Tharanga’s steady half-century, India fought back splendidly.
Quality spin bowling stifled Sri Lanka in the middle overs. Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm spin saw him finish with career-best figures of four for 32.
Terrific start
Sri Lanka had a rousing start after skipper Kumar Sangakkara chose to bat. The fielders watched motionless as Dilshan cracked the innings open with a full-blooded drive off Zaheer Khan. Ishant Sharma was immediately initiated into life’s cruelties when Dilshan used a good deal of his wrists to direct the ball straight down for a boundary.
The battering of Ishant reached its peak when Dilshan drove, pulled and then scooped, all in a frenzied pursuit of boundaries. Tharanga’s six over long-off went quietly unnoticed in the same over. Sri Lanka’s fifty came in just the fourth over.
Zaheer went for 26 in his first two overs, which quickly saw Ashish Nehra replacing him. The reward showed up just when it looked like it wasn’t going to be — after Dinesh Karthik missed a simple run out chance.
Dilshan made 41, a mere 40 of them coming from boundaries! But the adventure ended in a rather awkward top-edge off a delivery too short from Nehra. Karthik was fortunate redemption came very quickly. The wicketkeeper was under the ball and took the catch comfortably.The two left-handers — Tharanga and Sangakkara — maintained a more plausible run-rate thereafter with the odd cut and the harmless straight drive, but Sri Lanka still reached its hundred in the 12th over.
Both batsmen became quiet once Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh came on. Sehwag tossed it up, threw in a few flat ones and made it difficult for the batsmen to generate pace.
Offering turn
There was a doubt whether the turn on offer was an illusion created by Karthik’s baseball grill while keeping to the spinners. But, it turned out that the wicket did offer some turn. Harbhajan worked himself into a very good rhythm and got the ball to drift and turn.
Sangakkara looked promising during his 46, which included a six off Sehwag. However, the Indian skipper had his man soon. Sangakkara went for a similar shot but was beaten in the air. The Sri Lankan skipper had charged so much down the wicket that even a fumble by Karthik could not save him, the latter having enough time to make amends and knock the bails off. Before his departure, Sangakkara had added 100 with Tharanga off 97 balls.
After losing his captain, Tharanga went about quietly collecting singles and twos and looked set for a hundred. Jadeja brought about his fall with a well-flighted delivery that forced the opener into driving against the turn. However, the ball turned a great deal and went on to disturb the stumps.
Chamara Kapugedera departed to another turning delivery from Jadeja, who also got some drift.
India’s bowling momentum was such that even Ishant, who could’ve been scarred by his early figures of 46 in three overs, returned to bowl with a new-found confidence.
He got a full one to straighten and castle Thilina Kandamby. Off the next ball, Suraj Randiv edged behind.
India made two changes with Yuvraj and Ishant replacing Virat Kohli and Praveen Kumar. For Lanka, Nuwan Kulasekara replaced the injured Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga came in for Suranga Lakmal.
Scoreboard
Sri Lanka: U. Tharanga b Jadeja 73 (81b, 6x4, 1x6), T. Dilshan c Karthik b Nehra 41 (18b, 10x4), K. Sangakkara st. Karthik b Sehwag 46 (41b, 3x4, 1x6), M. Jayawardene c Raina b Harbhajan 2 (12b), T. Kandamby b Ishant 22 (29b, 3x4), C. Kapugedera b Jadeja 15 (28b), N. Kulasekara lbw b Jadeja 10 (14b, 1x4), S. Randiv c Karthik b Ishant 0 (1b), L. Malinga b Nehra 13 (24b, 1x4, 1x6), A. Mendis b Jadeja 6 (14b), C. Welegedara (not out) 2 (4b); Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-6): 9; Total (in 44.2 overs): 239.
Fall of wickets: 1-65 (Dilshan), 2-165 (Sangakkara), 3-169 (Tharanga), 4-173 (Jayawardene), 5-204 (Kapugedera), 6-210 (Kandamby), 7-210 (Randiv), 8-218 (Kulasekara), 9-236 (Mendis).
India bowling: Zaheer 7-0-49-0, Ishant 7-0-63-2, Nehra 6.2-0-32-2, Harbhajan 9-0-29-1, Sehwag 4-0-26-1, Jadeja 10-0-32-4, Yuvraj 1-0-5-0.
Powerplays: One (Overs 1-10): 86/1; Bowling (11-15): 36/0; Batting (44-45.2): 3/1 .
India: V. Sehwag c Dilshan b Welegedara 44 (28b, 9x4), S. Tendulkar (not out) 96 (104b, 13x4), G. Gambhir c & b Randiv 32 (52b, 3x4), Yuvraj c Sangakkara b Welegedara 23 (40b, 3x4), D. Karthik (not out) 36 (32b, 5x4, 1x6); Extras (lb-5, w-6): 11, Total (for three wkts. in 42.4 overs) 242.
Fall of wickets: 1-55 (Sehwag), 2-127 (Gambhir), 3-169 (Yuvraj).
Sri Lanka bowling: Welegedara 8-1-35-2, Kulasekara 8-0-47-0, Malinga 9.4-1-55-0, Mendis 9-0-67-0, Randiv 8-1-33-1.
Powerplays : One (Overs 1-10): 66/1; Bowling (Overs 11-15): 35/0 .
