Cliffhanger Ends As A Tie, India and Sri Lanka Share 2 Points Each

236/9, that’s what Sri Lanka ended up scoring in their 50 overs, scoring 15 boundaries and 2 sixes to get there. Well wait, that’s exactly what even India ended up scoring. 236/9 in 50 overs thanks to 15 boundaries and 2 sixes. Now, I am not amazed it ended up as a tie. Even both teams gave away the same number of extras, 8 by each side that is. How can you separate two teams when they have done almost everything similarly ! The only difference was, India actually played 49.5 overs, courtesy : a 5 ball 30th over by Malinga.  That one ball could well have earned India 2 more points, but its amazing how minute was the difference between the two teams. This is the first tie between India and Sri Lanka ever, and the 26th ever in cricket history. For me, the turning point of the game came when Dhoni misjudged a single and as a result Gautam Gambhir (91) was caught short of his crease. ending another marathon innings by him. The only reason why maybe Dhoni couldn’t finish this off, too, was a certain Lasith Malinga. Dhoni himself admitted in the post-match ceremony that it was difficult getting those runs of the last over as Lasith Malinga is one the best bowlers in death overs.

Sri Lanka had a disastrous start as Upul Tharanga edged Vinay Kumar to get caught behind by Dhoni for duck. India made early in-roads, as even Dilshan (16) went early to give Irfan Pathan his long-awaited first wicket of the tour. Sangakkara and Chandimal once again got with the rebuilding process,  as Sri Lanka got on with the game. But once again, Sri Lanka lost wickets at important junctions which disabled them from getting away with the game. Ashwin picked up the impportant wicket of Sangakkara in the 20th over, as Sangakkara (31) once again failed to convert his start into something big. Jayawardene and Chandimal carried from there, as Sri Lankan batting was finally putting up a collective effort. Both, Chandimal and Jayawardene toiled hard, as runs were hard to come. Both ran lots of ones and twos in a partnership that was the backbone of the Sri Lankan innings. After going 17 overs without a wicket in the mid off innings, India finally got the breakthrough in the 37th over as Jayawardene was trapped lbw by Vinay Kumar for 43. In the over to follow, Chandimal was run-out thanks to a collective effort by Rohit Sharma and Dhoni, as India was hitting back in the game. Thisara Perera (5) and Angelo Mathews (17) too fell cheaply, as new batsmen were finding it very difficult to bat on this slow track. Kulasekara ( 12 of 25 balls) and Senanayake (22 of 14 balls) added some late runs, as Sri Lanka finished with 236/9. Just 64 runs came of the last 14 overs, and India looked favorite to chase down this target after their successful chase of the Australian target.

India had a decent start, as they managed to avoid losing any wicket in the initial 5 overs. But Tendulkar was caught behind of a Nuwan Kulasekara delivery in just the 6th over for 15. People were left wondering if the new rotation policy was the culprit, as Tendulkar was not at his fluent best (which he was before he was dropped). Indian young mid-order once again got starts, but failed to convert them. Both, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were dismissed on 15 each, as Sri Lanka was constantly getting wickets. Raina (8) too couldn’t do anything special as he was the victim of a spectacular leg-side catch by a diving Sangakkara to end his 19 ball stay at the crease. Once again, Gautam Gambhir and Dhoni were left to finish it for India, and they didn’t disappoint this time either. They got a partnership started and brought India well within the reach of the target. It was in the 41st over when fortunes changed for Sri Lanka as a bad call from MS Dhoni gave Sri Lanka an opportunity to get Gambhir run-out. Sri Lanka was not to miss this opportunity as Gambhir (91) once again missed on a hundred. Now, all the responsibility was on MS Dhoni’s shoulders to take India home with a win, and he got on with the job. Dhoni got important small partnerships with Ashwin (14), Irfan Pathan (8) and Vinay Kumar (1) as once again, the match was to be decided in the last over.

Unlike what happened against Australia, Dhoni didn’t get any loose deliveries from Malinga, and was forced to just take singles and doubles. With 4 runs required of 1 ball, odds were on Sri Lanka to win their first match of the series. Dhoni, though, once again defied all odds as he lashed hard at a wide delivery outside off-stump, and it looked that India’s captain cool had once again done it for them. It was only because of a supernatural effort by Senanayake at the boundary that he managed to save the boundary and India had to settle with a draw.

In the end, India cannot complain with the result, as India certainly looked dead and buried in the later part of the game, just to bounce back in the last couple of overs. What this means is both the teams will have to settle with 2 points each. Sri Lanka open their account, India manage to avoid a loss, and another nail-biting finish at the Adelaide it is.

Brief Score : SRI LANKA : 236/9 in 50 overs ( Chandimal 81, Jayawardene 43 ; Vinay Kumar 46/3 )

TIE WITH     INDIA : 236/9 in 50 overs ( Gambhir 91, Dhoni 58* ; Perera 45/2 )

Man of the Match : MS Dhoni.