BY winning the finals against Sri Lanka India not only avenged the defeat in the dead round robin fixture a couple of days earlier but also broke the jinx of losing the finals of the tournaments which had chased them for the last season or so.
The beauty of limited overs cricket between two well matched teams is that one day one team will win and the other team the next day and that’s how it happened. Sri Lanka had played quite superbly two days back to beat India and by a big margin too. This time around, as in the previous match, the toss seemed crucial and having won it Dhoni’s men saw to it that they did not let the advantage slip.
When two of the most experienced batsmen in the cricketing world open the batting on a good pitch and in near perfect batting conditions then it has to be something special to part them.
Sri Lanka did not have that and if anything the bowler expected to do the trick, Lasith Malinga was Lanka’s most expensive bowler of the day. Both Dravid and Tendulkar know their own game as well as each other’s very well and the way they rotated the strike and ensured that there wasn’t a flat over was the key.
Dravid has been underrated in the limited overs format because of his staying powers and strength of concentration but he gave Tendulkar just the support that he needed where he wasn’t left at the non-strikers end for too long. As mentioned previously a good solid start is essential for it lays a platform for the batsmen that follow and Mahendra Singh Dhoni showed leadership by promoting himself up the order and kept the momentum that Tendulkar was providing. Tendulkar had batted well in the previous games too without going on for the big one but he did not miss out this time and his partnerships with Dravid, Dhoni and Yuvraj ensured India got to 300 plus.
India, of course, was aware that with Dilshan and Jayasuriya opening the batting it was going to be a close thing and that’s how it was. It is in such situations that Harbhajan Singh is at his best for he loves to be in the thick of action and especially when India needs him most with bat and ball. He wasn’t afraid to toss the ball up and he mixed his deliveries cleverly so much so that even an accomplished batter of spin like Jayawardene was made to look ordinary. Every time a partnership was developing he broke it. It was first rate stuff and when he bowled the dangerous Kandamby the game was over.
India have begun the season well and will go to the Champions Trophy with loads of confidence after this win. The new ball bowlers who took a bit of a pounding in Lanka will be looking forward to bowling on South African pitches and with almost all batsmen in good touch the elusive trophy beckons invitingly.
— Professional Management Group
