M A I N   N E W S

India send Lanka packing
Gopal Sharma
Tribune News Service

Mohali, October 28
Dishing out another clinical performance, India handed out a crushing defeat to Sri Lanka in the second match to go 2-0 up in the seven-match Videocon one-day series at the PCA Stadium here tonight.

Irfan Pathan wrecked the Sri Lankan innings claiming four wickets as the visitors were bundled out for paltry 122 runs. Sachin Tendulkar then played a masterly innings to remain unbeaten on 70 runs as the hosts whipped the visitors by eight wickets in the day-and-night match.

After their humiliating defeat in the first match at Nagpur, the Sri Lankans had sought refuge under the plea that it was one of those days when everything went as planned for the hosts. It was further argued that a similar lopsided performance was unlikely again as Sri Lankans were waiting to hit back with a vengeance.

But all this proved a shallow boast as the Indians once again emerged the most convincing winners and finished the contest when nearly 30 overs still remained to be bowled.

The difference this time was that the bowlers, for a change, laid the foundation for the victory. They kept achieving one breakthrough after the other as Sri Lankan batsmen looked desperate to score runs. Though left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan was the most successful bowler claiming four wickets, credit goes to all other bowlers, who bowled to a plan and never allowed Sri Lanka to gain any sort of momentum.

After Pathan, allrounder JP Yadav was the most impressive bowler. Bowling his outswingers with pin-point accuracy, he bottled one end up and took two wickets to complete an impressive outing. Harbhajan Singh also bowled an impressive spell and claimed two wickets as the Sri Lankans were bundled out for 122 runs in 35.4 overs.

This total was never going to challenge the strong Indian batting line-up which had posted 350 runs in the first match against the same bowling attack. The things unfolded along expected lines as openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag got India off to a rollicking start. As is his wont, Sehwag started the victory march with some scorching strokes in Nuwan Zoysa’s over, hitting him for two fours and a mighty six in the same over.

Not the one to be left behind, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar sent the capacity crowd at the PCA Stadium into a delirium with an array of breathtaking strokes. A sweep the champion batsman played off a Chaminda Vaas delivery that pitched outside the off stump and went racing to the boundary stood out for its outstanding execution.

None of the seamers could make an impression on both openers as India completed first 50 runs in six overs.

Sehwag’s dismissal once again proved to be a soft one. After he had reached 29-ball 38 with the help of five fours and a six, he gave a tame return catch to Maharoof to be back in the pavilion.

The fall of wicket had no effect on Tendulkar who looked like a batsman in a hurry. He greeted Muttiah Muralitharan with two spanking fours in his first over. He was not afraid to lift the ace off-spinner over the in-field for runs. Maharoof was given the same rough treatment as India galloped to their second convincing victory in succession. Tendulkar faced 69 balls in his unbeaten 70-run knock and hit 12 delectable fours.

Both teams will now travel to Jaipur for the third one-day match on October 31. 

Scoreboard

Sri Lanka

Sangakkara c Tendulkar b Pathan 27

Jayasuriya c Sehwag b Pathan 0

Atapattu c Dhoni b Agarkar 4

Jayawardene c Rao b Pathan 7

Arnold c Dravid b Harbhajan 15

Dilshan lbw Pathan 0

Maharoof c Yuvraj b Yadav 18

Vaas run out 7

Chandana not out 19

Zoysa lbw Yadav 0

Muralitharan b Harbhajan 15

Extras (lb-2, w-8) 10

Total (all out, 35.4 overs) 122

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-13, 3-33, 4-54, 5-54, 6-71, 7-80, 8-104, 9-104.

Bowling: Pathan 8-0-37-4, Agarkar 7-1-27-1, Yadav 10-1-32-2, Harbhajan 6.4-1-19-2, Kartik 4-1-5-0.

India

Sehwag c&b Maharoof 38

Tendulkar not out 70

Yadav lbw Muralitharan 9

Dravid not out 2

Extras (lb-3, w-4) 7

Total (2 wickets, 20.2 overs) 126

Fall of wickets: 1-80, 2-115.

Bowling: Vaas 3-0-22-0, Zoysa 4-0-37-0, Muralitharan 7.2-0-35-1, Maharoof 3-0-19-1, Dilshan 3-0-10-0.