Delhi may be more than 1400 kilometres away from Dhaka but that did not deter Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli from feeling at home in the Asia Cup match at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium here on Tuesday.
The Delhi duo's batting acumen shone through on a night in which India extended its dominance over Sri Lanka, an attribute that has nestled in the team's kitbag since its overwhelming victory at Hobart on February 28. India won by 50 runs after posting 304 for three and bowling out Sri Lanka for 254.
In the afternoon, Mahela Jayawardene opted to field and Tendulkar was fated for another tryst with despair.
The wait continues…
Tentativeness surfaced when he failed to despatch a Suranga Lakmal full-toss as the bat twirled in its final descent. A similar full-toss in Lakmal's next over dipped before meeting the maestro's bat and the resultant pat went straight to Jayawardene at short extra cover.
The catch was taken but Tendulkar asked the umpire whether the catch was cleanly taken. There was no respite and it turned out to be his 33rd innings devoid of the three-figure mark.
Gambhir (100, 118b, 7x4) and Kohli (108, 120b, 7x4) had no such survival anxieties in their alliance high on efficiency and a steady flow of runs.
Their 205-run second-wicket partnership spread over 222 deliveries, gifted the requisite licence for M.S. Dhoni and Suresh Raina to hit the high notes in the slog. The skipper (46 n.o.) and Raina, pummelled 78 runs in 43 balls as India scaled 300 with the southpaw's six off Nuwan Kulasekara providing the perfect finish.
A decisive Gambhir often stepped out to guide past point or chip over the in-field and during the formative stage of his stand with Kohli, he emerged as the aggressive partner.
Kohli warmed up with a flicked four against Lakmal. Between that first four and his second, a late cut off Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kohli spent 52 deliveries, paying his respects to the humble single and the odd studious defensive jab.
Once Kohli mastered Dilshan, he began to dent the billboards unfurling the inside-out drive and the potent whip off his toes.
Identical in all respects
Kohli's senior partner meanwhile enjoyed a reprieve on 36. Gambhir hoisted leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna and watched a tumbling Dinesh Chandimal grass the catch at long-on. The aberration was forgotten as the two men marched towards their respective 10th ODI hundreds that were attained in the same over bowled by Kulasekara.
Just like their tons, even the dismissals came in a clutch as both tried to despatch Farveez Maharoof into the skies and by then, they had done enough to set the platform for India to spring ahead while Sri Lanka missed a rested Lasith Malinga and an injured Angelo Mathews.
Pursuing a steep target, Sri Lanka found its adrenalin from Jayawardene's bat that fused grace with geometrical mastery.
The skipper (78, 59b, 10x4, 2x6) set a scorching pace right from the moment he found Irfan Pathan straying on to his legs in the first over while the left-arm seamer drew consolation from scalping Dilshan.
Except for that moment when an inner-edge off Praveen Kumar missed the stumps, Jayawardene toyed with the Indian attack.
Flurry of fours
Praveen was left bleeding with fours threaded past fine-leg and third-man and to add insult to injury, the Sri Lankan captain knelt and scooped a six behind the wicket while Kumar Sangakkara (65) bedded himself in and offered glimpses of extravagance through a six off Jadeja.
Against the run of play, Jayawardene fell while trying to glide Pathan.
Chandimal attempted to give the charge to R. Ashwin and left hearing the sound of shaken stumps.
However, Sangakkara dropped anchor and strung a 44-run fourth-wicket partnership with Lahiru Thirimanne.
Collapse
Sri Lanka was very much in the hunt when the batting Power Play (overs 36 to 40) snuffed its hopes with four wickets falling for the addition of 31 runs.
Sangakkara perished in the very first ball, clouting Ashwin to a diving Jadeja.
That over turned the tide in India's favour as the off-spinner trapped Thirimanne on the sweep and conceded just two runs.
Vinay Kumar amplified the damage when his slower ball slipped under Nuwan Kulasekara's swipe and Chamara Kapugedera's slash forced Kohli to hoodwink gravity and with that the last dregs of Sri Lankan resistance drained away.
Scoreboard:
India : G. Gambhir c Tharanga b Maharoof 100 (118b, 7x4), S. Tendulkar c Jayawardene b Lakmal 6 (19b, 1x4), V. Kohli c Thirimanne b Maharoof 108 (120b, 7x4), M.S. Dhoni (not out) 46 (26b, 6x4, 1x6), S. Raina (not out) 30 (17b, 3x4, 1x6); Extras (lb-7, w-7): 14; Total (for three wkts. in 50 overs): 304.
Power Plays: One (Overs 1-10) : 43/1; Bowling (16-20) : 26/0; Batting (36-40) : 34/0.
Fall of wickets : 1-19 (Tendulkar), 2-224 (Gambhir), 3-226 (Kohli).
Sri Lanka bowling : Kulasekara 10-0-67-0, Lakmal 10-1-67-1, Dilshan 10-0-54-0, Prasanna 9-0-45-0, Maharoof 10-0-57-2, Kapugedera 1-0-7-0.
Sri Lanka : M. Jayawardene c Dhoni b Pathan 78 (59b, 10x4, 2x6), T. Dilshan c Kohli b Pathan 7 (9b, 1x4), K. Sangakkara c Jadeja b Ashwin 65 (87b, 2x4, 1x6), D. Chandimal b Ashwin 13 (22b, 1x4), L. Thirimanne lbw b Ashwin 29 (37b, 1x6), N. Kulasekara b Vinay 11 (9b, 2x4), U. Tharanga b Pathan 17 (16b, 2x4), C. Kapugedera c Kohli b Vinay 0 (1b), F. Maharoof c Raina b Vinay 18 (19b, 1x4, 1x6), S. Prasanna c Tendulkar b Pathan 8 (12b, 1x4), S. Lakmal (not out) 0 (0b); Extras (lb-2, w-6): 8; Total (in 45.1 overs): 254.
Power Plays: One (Overs 1-10) : 65/1; Bowling (16-20) : 23/1; Batting (36-40) : 31/4.
Fall of wickets : 1-31 (Dilshan), 2-124 (Jayawardene), 3-152 (Chandimal), 4-196 (Sangakkara), 5-198 (Thirimanne), 6-216 (Kulasekara), 7-216 (Kapugedera), 8-241 (Tharanga), 9-254 (Maharoof).
India bowling : Pathan 8.1-1-32-4, Praveen 7-0-47-0, Vinay 9-0-55-3, Jadeja 4-0-31-0, Raina 5-0-34-0, Ashwin 9-0-39-3, Rohit 3-0-14-0.
Man-of-the-match : Virat Kohli.
