RAJKOT, India: India survived a thrilling Sri Lankan chase to win a dramatic and high-scoring first One-Day International by three runs on Tuesday.
Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan smashed a career-best 160 off 124 balls to lead his team’s fightback after Virender Sehwag’s magnificent 146 helped India post their highest one-day total of 414 for seven. The visitors fell agonizingly short on 411 for eight after looking on course to pull off the second-highest ODI run chase ever. They needed 11 off the final over and six from the last two deliveries. It was only the second time both teams have scored more than 400 runs in a One-Day International. South Africa made 438 for nine to chase down Australia’s 434 for four in Johannesburg in 2006.
Sehwag, whose 12th one-day hundred was studded with 17 fours and six sixes, added 153 for the first wicket with Sachin Tendulkar (69) and 156 for the second with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni who made 72. “It was very tough out there, but in the last 10 overs we played well that is why we are on the winning side,” Dhoni said after left-arm pacemen Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan bowled tightly in the final overs.
Sehwag, fresh from scoring 293 to help India clinch the test series 2-0, scored his first ODI hundred at home since April 2005. He passed his previous best of 130 before getting a leading edge off a full toss from Chanaka Welegedara to be caught at point.
“At the end of the day we have to accept India played slightly better than us,” Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara said. “But I’m proud of the way the team reacted.”
Sri Lanka mounted an extraordinary chase.
Dilshan struck his fourth one-day hundred in a 188-run opening stand with Upul Tharanga (67) and Sangakkara lashed 90 off 43 balls and shared a 128-run second-wicket partnership.
Dilshan produced the second highest score by a Sri Lankan batsman, behind Sanath Jayasuriya’s 189. India, who were sloppy on the field, dropped three catches and seemed to have squandered their chances on a pitch which offered no help to the bowlers.
Dilshan, who played audacious flick-sweeps to fine leg for some of his 20 fours and three sixes, was bowled by spinner Harbhajan Singh playing inside the line to a sharp off-break.
India snapped up four wickets within four overs to reduce Sri Lanka to 345 for five in the 41st over but Thilina Kandamby (24) and Angelo Mathews (38) shared a well-paced 56-run sixth- wicket partnership to inch their side toward their target.
SCOREBOARD
India:
V. Sehwag c Dilshan b Welegedara 146
S. Tendulkar b Fernando 69
M. Dhoni c Mathews b Fernando 72
S. Raina c Jayasuriya b Kulasekara 16
G. Gambhir c Sangakkara b Kulasekara 11
H. Singh c Kulasekara b Mathews 11
V. Kohli b Welegedara 27
R. Jadeja not out 30
P. Kumar not out 5
Extras: (b-5 lb-4 w-12 nb-6) 27
Total: (seven wickets; 50 overs) 414
Fall of wickets: 1-153 2-309 3-311 4-325 5-347
6-352 7-386
Bowling: Kulasekara 10-0-65-2 (w-1), Welegedara 10-0-63-2 (nb-1), Fernando 9-0-66-2 (w-1 nb-1), Mathews 7-0-60-1 (w-2),
Jayasuriya 7-0-76-0 (w-5), Kandamby 5-0-49-0 (w-2), Dilshan 2-0-26-0
Sri Lanka”
U. Tharanga st Dhoni b Raina 67
T. Dilshan b Harbhajan 160
K. Sangakkara c Jadeja b Kumar 90
S. Jayasuriya st Dhoni b Harbhajan 5
M. Jayawardene run out 3
T. Kandamby run out 24
A. Mathews c Tendulkar b Nehra 38
T. Samaraweera run out 0
N. Kulasekara not out 2
C. Welegedara not out 1
Extras: (lb-7 w-13 nb-1) 21
Total: (eight wickets; 50 overs) 411
Fall of wickets: 1-188 2-316 3-328 4-339 5-345 6-401 7-404 8-409
Bowling: Kumar 9-0-67-1 (w-1), Nehra 10-0-81-1 (nb-1 w-3), Zaheer 10-0-88-0 (w-2), Jadeja 8-0-73-0 (w-6), Harbhajan 10-0-58-2, Raina 3-0-37-1 (w-1)
