Rush Kalaria pulled India back from the brink of defeat, first with Hanuma Vihari in a crucial eighth-wicket stand and then with Kamal Passi, as India scored an exciting one-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the under-19 quadrangular cricket tournament at the ACA-VDCA Stadium here on Thursday.
No.3 Vihari (51, 2x4, 107b) saw to it that his team was not in shambles as Sri Lankan off-spinner Tharindu P. Handi and its medium-pacers pushed India to the wall at 108 for seven, chasing 185 for victory.
India's innings looked up only after Kalaria (47 n.o., 2x4, 1x6) joined Vihari and the pair slowly turned the game in India's favour.
Twenty-five runs were needed off the last five overs after Vihrai was snapped up by wicketkeeper Dilanth. Kalaria eased the situation by sending Sanitha Vidanalage over the long on fence.
He then hit a boundary off Amila two overs later, and India needed five runs off two overs. Kalaria took a two and a single off Sebastian Deva, and Passi, who was surrounded by the fielders, shot straight to the boundary to seal victory.
Earlier, Sri Lanka, opting to bat, struggled against the pace and spin of India, for which Sandeep Sharma finished with four wickets.
Opener Shehan Fernando's 70 (11x4) was the mainstay of the Sri Lankan innings.
Australia beats WI
In another match, Australia, after losing tamely to India in the first match, walloped West Indies by 137 runs at the Port Stadium.
Skipper Cameron Bancroft scored 104 (7x4, 4x6, 104b) and helped the team post 330 for seven, sharing 130 runs with Ashton Turner (66, 7x4, 3x6) for the fifth wicket and 83 for the fourth-wicket with Sam Truloff (50, 5x4, 1x6).
It was a memorable match for Turner, snapping up three wickets with his off-spin.
Leg-spinner Shane Cassels did not allow the West Indies to recover with his four-wicket haul and off-spinner William Bosisto picked up the crucial wicket of West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite (58, 4x4).
Brathwaite had kept his team in contention with Kyle Mayers (42, 4x4, 1x6) adding 78 for the fifth-wicket.
Earlier in the morning, Caribbean pacer Justin Greaves and the left-handed Jerome Jones impressed.
The scores:
Sri Lanka: Dilantha Niroshan Dickwella c Akshdeep Nath b Sandeep Sharma 0, Shehan Fernando c Harmeet Singh b B. Aparajith 70, Duleeka Thissakuttige b Kamal Passi 1, Lasitha Alutwaththe Gedara c S.K. Patel b Sandeep Sharma 1, Anjelo Jayasinghe (run out) 17, Ashan Desenthuwa Handi (run out) 24, Lahiru Pahala Gedara c Patel b Rush Kalaria 21, Sanitah De Mel Vidanalage b Sandeep Sharma 9, Amila Malamige b Sandeep Sharma 10, Tharindu P. Handi (not out) 15, Sebastian Gaurav Deva (not out) 2; Extras (b-4, lb-1,w-9): 14; Total (for 9 wkts. in 50 overs): 184.
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-9, 3-23, 4-82, 5-106, 6-144, 7-146, 8-167, 9-168.
Indian bowling: Sandeep Sharma 9-0-38-4, Kamal Passi 7-1-25-1, Rush Kalaria 10-0-47-1, Akshdeep Nath 2-1-7-0, Harmeet Singh 8-0-25-0, B. Aparajith 8-0-23-1, Unmukt Chand 6-0-14-0.
India: Manan Vohra c Lasitha b Sanitha 4, Unmukt Chand c Lasitha b Sanitha 28, Hanuma Vihari c Dilantha b Lahiru 51, Kumar Deobrat c Dilantha b Lahiru 0, B. Aparajith c Shehan Fernando b Amila 16, Akshdeep Nath c & b Tharindu 6, S.K. Patel c dilantha b Tharindu 0, Harmeet Singh c Anjelo bt Tharindu 4, Rush Kalaria (not out) 47, Sandeep Sharma c Sanitha b Tharindu 1, Kamal Passi (not out) 6; Extras (lb-1, w-21): 7; Total (for nine wkts. in 49 overs): 185.
Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-47, 3-54, 4-92, 5-101, 6-101, 7-108, 8-152, 9-157.
Sri Lanka bowling: Sanitha Vidanalage 9-0-36-2, Sebastian Deva 6-0-52-0, Amila Malamige 10-2-29-1, Lahiru Pahala Gedara 10-1-24-2, Duleeka Thisakuttige 2-0-13-0, Tharindu P. Handi 10-2-26-4, Ashan D. Handi 2-0-4-0.
Points: India: 4; Sri Lanka: 0.
Australia 330 for seven in 50 overs (Cameron Bancroft 104, Ashton Turner 66, Sam Truloff 50, Nicholas Stevens 39) bt West Indies 193 in 39.3 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 58, Kyle Mayers 42, Anthony Allyene 27, Shane Cassell four for 26, Ashton Turner three for 43). Points: Australia: 5; West Indies: 0.
Points after two matches: 1. India (9); 2. Australia (5); 3. Sri Lanka (4); 4. West Indies 0.
