The last 25 overs of the Rajkot one-dayer illustrated the oft-repeated ‘definition’ of the sport. Cricket, it has been said since time immemorial, is a ‘game of glorious uncertainties’. Mahela Jayawardene and his men proved it with a remarkable win.
Not even the most patriotic Sri Lankan supporter would have hoped for a resurgence of this magnitude when Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly were cruising in the middle overs. The vice-captain and former captain, who joined forces after the early departures of Robin Uthappa and skipper Rahul Dravid, rekindled memories of their partnerships at the top of the order. The Rajkot spectators couldn’t get enough of the exhilarating strokes played by the duo, and understandably so. Unfortunately for them and the rest of the country, both batsmen fell when well set, and at the wrong time.
The two wicketkeepers in the Indian XI battled hard against some disciplined bowling and tight fielding. Dhoni and Karthik placed the ball around and ran superbly, but the visitors did not lose heart. Jayawardene would have reminded his players that this was the last recognized batting pair in the Indian line-up, with a long tail to follow.
The visitors’ application resulted in the dismissal of Dinesh Kartik, which from the Indian point of view, was as untimely as it could get. The Sri Lankan captain juggled his bowling resources admirably. The Sri Lankan think-tank should be delighted with the performance of Bandara, the leg-spinner, for it is not often that a bowler of his type bothers Indian batsmen. Lasith Malinga went for runs initially, but he displayed resilience when brought back. Sanath Jayasuriya, veteran of many a tense tussle, bowled a superb last over, not giving Dhoni the chance to free his arms. Like his fellow bowlers earlier in the game, Jayasuriya was complemented by the fielders. Young Maharoof deserves all the credit for keeping his eyes on a lofted hit by Dhoni and clinging on to it, despite the genuine possibility of a collision with his colleague, which could well have ruined his World Cup chances. We all remember what happened to Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie when they collided while going for a catch, don’t we? It was a memorable day for the Sri Lankans, commencing with a brilliant hundred by Kumara Sangakkara, and culminating with that last over by Jayasuriya. One hopes that budding batsmen observed and studied Sangakkara’s innings for the manner in which he constructed it. He came in when the going was tough, and played accordingly, putting his head down and milking the bowling to begin with. His assault was as perfectly timed as his shots.
The Indian players will be an unhappy lot after this defeat. They, as well as their supporters, will be troubled by the fact that they failed to achieve a target of 258 against a bowling attack sans Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan.
