What we learned from Sri Lanka's win over India

Jaideep Marar 13:34 09/06/2017
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Kusal Mendis produced a match-winning knock [Getty Images]

    Sri Lanka came up with a brilliant batting display to defeat India by seven wickets at the Kennington Oval, London on Thursday.

    Here’s what we learned from the match.

    Share your thoughts with us, too – get in touch on Twitter or via Facebook.

    GROUP B THROWN WIDE OPEN

    After the first round of matches, it looked like India and South Africa were firm favourites to qualify from Group B. But the tables have turned spectacularly with a resurgent display from the first round losers Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

    Pakistan bounced back with a fantastic victory over South Africa on Wednesday and Sri Lanka stunned defending champions India by sensationally chasing down 322 runs on Thursday.

    It means now that all four teams are on two points each with their last games becoming virtual quarter-finals. India take on South Africa on Sunday while Sri Lanka meet Pakistan a day later on Monday and the winners progress to the next stage.

    A washout could add a further twist to this ‘Group of Death’ as the net run-rates will then come into play.

    INDIA’S FIVE-BOWLER THEORY FALLS SHORT

    Having five quality bowlers is always a luxury but the danger is when even one of them have a bad day like India found out at the Oval. Two Sri Lankan batsmen with a collective experience of just 46 ODIs had the Indians on the backfoot with an exceptional batting display on a placid pitch.

    Opener Danushka Gunathilaka and the young Kusal Mendis went after the medium-pace of Hardik Pandya and the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja in breathtaking fashion.

    The left-handed Gunathilaka, a last-minute replacement for the injured Chamara Kapugedera, punished the short balls and enthralled with his glorious off drives while Mendis pulled and swept Jadeja with disdain.

    Pandya and Jadeja went for 73 runs in their nine overs with the Sri Lankan duo smashing nine fours and two sixes off them.

    Virat Kohli eventually had to come on to bowl himself and resort to the off-spin of Kedar Jadhav to check the carnage as Gunathilaka and Mendis were running away with the match, raising 159 runs for the second wicket.

    India were fortunate that both batsmen got run-out, but by then, they had done enough to raise questions about the effectiveness of this bowling pack.

    DHAWAN, A TRUE CHAMPION

    Shikhar Dhawan loves the Champions Trophy. Before this tournament, he had logged 363 runs, including two centuries. In two matches over the past week, he has notched up scores of 68 and 125 to become the fastest to cross the 500-run mark in the tournament’s history.

    In seven games now, he has tallied 556 runs including three centuries. The statistical highlights notwithstanding the manner in which the left-hander dominated the Sri Lankan bowling attack on Thursday should give both the batsman and the Indian team a huge confidence boost.

    India were in a tight spot when Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli fell in quick succession but Dhawan carried on unfazed, attacking the Sri Lankan bowlers with gusto. It quickly released whatever pressure the bowlers had created and the Indians were back in business.

    DHONI NOT FINISHED YET

    Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s best years may be behind him but he still packs quite a punch. Although his finishing abilities have been under scrutiny in recent times, he demonstrated at the Oval that there is still some fuel left in the tank for a good run.

    It was a typical Dhoni innings, he took time to settle down and had a good look at the bowling before going for the big hits. The former skipper was central to the late order assault by the Indian batsmen as they scored 103 runs in the last 10 overs.

    Having relinquished his captaincy in limited-overs cricket at the start of this year, Dhoni has been batting more freely as his scores indicate.

    In his last five ODIs, including the game against the Sri Lankans, he has tallied 228 runs averaging 57.00 with a strike rate of 105.55, which is better than his career rate (average 51.02, SR 89.14). Maybe, there is a hint of a second wind there.

    Dhoni's 63 helped India past the 300-run mark [Getty Images]

    Dhoni’s 63 helped India past the 300-run mark [Getty Images]

    SRI LANKAN BOWLERS MADE IT EASY FOR INDIAN BATSMEN

    Having won the toss under overcast conditions, Sri Lanka appeared to have made the right decision to field.

    Having taken the field with no specialist spinner in the ranks, the pacers were expected to make life difficult for the star-studded Indian line-up. But the fast bowlers rarely tested the Indian openers who coasted to a 138-run stand. Too many short-pitched deliveries marred their display.

    There were two brief spells when they were on top but they frittered the advantage with wayward bowling and poor strategy.

    The first instance was when Kohli was dismissed by Nuwan Pradeep and he conceded just one run in that over. But in his next over, he bowled short to Dhawan who was quick to smash him for two successive fours and release the pressure.

    The second instance was when medium-pacer Asela Gunaratne was in the midst of a fantastic spell but oddly he was taken off after bowling three overs where he conceded just seven runs and picked the wicket of Yuvraj Singh.

    He was probably not given an extended spell as the death overs were looming large. But then the rest of the bowling pack did not give a good account in the final 10 overs allowing the Indians to race away to a 300-plus score.

    Recommended