Monday, February 27, 2012

Ind vs SL: Dilshan, Sangakkara tons power Sri Lanka to 320/4


NEW DELHI: India's hopes of winning their last ODI with a bonus point of the tri-series suffered a big blow as Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara helped Sri Lanka post a mammoth 321 runs target.

Match Scorecard 

Dilshan remained unbeaten on 160 which is exactly half the score of what Sri Lanka piled against India in the 11th ODI of the tri-series.

Sri Lankan batsmen Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara slammed centuries to fade India's hopes of winning the match with a bonus point and stay afloat in the tri-series.

Sangakkara was sent back to the pavilion by Praveen Kumar just after scoring the 13th ODI ton. Sanga's brisk ton came in just 84 deliveries that included seven fours and two sixes.

Sangakkara and Dilshan also stitched a record 200 runs second wicket stand at Bellerive Oval, bettering the previous best 145 between greats West Indian Desmond Haynes and Jeff Dujon in 1988.

Flamboyant Dilshan stood firm to reach his 11th ODI ton to add the India's worry to stay in the race for the tri-series finals.

Sangakkara slammed quick-fire fifty in just 55 balls, smacking three boundaries and a six in his 39th ODI fifty and first of the series.

Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan played a steady knock to take Sri Lanka past 100 runs against the beleaguered Indians.

Dilshan reached to his 27th ODI half-century in 68 balls, smashing five boundaries in his second knock of more than fifty in the series.

Dilshan and Sangakkara were playing patiently after India struck in the 12th over to claim the first Sri Lankan wicket.

Ravindra Jadeja gave India first breakthrough when skipper Mahela Jayawardene went for late cut but got inside edge that went to the first slip where Virender Sehwag showed good reflexes and pouched it safely.

Sri Lanka got off to a steady start as Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan have added 49 runs in 12 overs for the opening wicket after being sent into bat first.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who just won the second toss of the entire series, decided to field in an attempt to claim a vital bonus-point win over Sri Lanka.

Senior paceman Zaheer Khan returned to the Indian team in place of injured Irfan Pathan while Sri Lanka retained the same playing eleven.

If India can beat Sri Lanka with a bonus point on Tuesday, they will earn themselves an outside chance of remaining in the tri-series. If not, they can finally take the flight home.

India will have to chase down whatever total Sri Lanka manage in 40 overs to earn the bonus point. After the defeat against Australia on Sunday, the Indians assumed that the tri-series was over for them.

India would not only need a win with a bonus point to remain alive but also hope that Australia would somehow prevail over Lanka in the last league match on Melbourne on March 2.

A bonus point though looks a wild dream for a team which is getting all-out in most of the matches and have suffered defeats by the margin of 101, 51 and 87 runs in last three successive matches.

Teams: 

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Praveen Kumar and Zaheer Khan.

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Angelo Matthews, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath and Ferveez Maharoof.

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