Bowlers shine as India level series
Posted on Aug 20, 2008 at 09:14 | Updated Aug 21, 2008 at 15:19
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Dambulla: In the end it became a bit of a scramble. Not quite an undignified one, but a scramble all the same.
When you are seven wickets down and the Ajantha Mendis threat has been removed, it's not time to breathe too easily either. Not in conditions as treacherous as those at Rangiri Stadium in Sri Lanka's cultural heartland.
But a win is a win at any price. And had he been told that a three-wicket victory was the likely outcome in the second game of this ODI Idea Cup series, you can bet your last rupee that Mahendra Singh Dhoni would have been prepared to settle for such a result as a series equalling result.
Especially on a playing table that has been described as the most "treacherous in Asia" by former England limited overs captain Paul Collingwood.
It is also really a matter of circumstance that forced the Indian captain to decide after winning the toss for the second consecutive time that the easiest option had been to bat first and then chase down what target that Sri Lanka could put on the board.
India achieved this as well by scoring 143-7 in the 40th over of their innings after dismissing Sri Lanka for 142 in the 39th over.
In the end, it was the batsmen who applied sound technique and kept to the basics and played sensibly, who achieved the job: captain Dhoni, teenage rookie Virat Kholi along with debutant from Tamil Nadu, S Badrinath. The trio helped ease India home with 62 balls remaining and made their critics look a little silly through the success.
Dhoni will tell you that India needed this victory. It was needed more for the reasons that they were humiliated with an eight-wicket defeat forty-eight hours earlier. It was also needed because of the injury list that has hit the squad since arriving here on Sunday.
With the experienced Virender Sehwag injured and Gautam Gambhir out of this second game of the Idea Series with a stiff neck, much needed restructuring of the top-order was called for.
Without a recognised opener available it was back to the Greg Chappell formula.
Not exactly perhaps the sort of surgery that is needed in an emergency, but these things do happen. It is also when a side is faced with a variety of calamities that they rise above the niggling fitness concerns that matter.
Kohli, in only his second game, played a masterful innings until he threw it away with a soft dismissal. But that happens as well when not getting to the pitch of the ball. So too did Dhoni bat with typical efficiency while Badrinath made it look a lot easier than it was.
But in this the Chennai batsman gave an accomplished display with his footwork and hand work as well as he handled Mendis when Mahela Jayawardene called on the bowler in a last ditch bid to wrench a victory from an impossible situation.
It was the partnership of 60 between Dhoni and Badrinath that took India home from a shaky 75-5 in the 20th over.
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Total Comments: 32
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Posted By Aravind Kumar
Excellent ...India..Commmon india,.. Comman.
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Posted By vishal sachan
Zaheer khan is a very talented and daring bowler to any batsman. He bowl with full energy and confidence. Today
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Posted By ehambaram
india Cricker player just player cricker for time passing
as per my opinion....
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Posted By Dtphain
yuvraj bhi na ...
mendis jaise faltu bowler ko wicket deta hain ....
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Posted By Jay Subramanyam
With every one of his peices, Trevor Chesterfield betrays his utter mediocrity as a cricketing scribe. Besides, why is it
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