India posted their higest-ever one-day total of 414 but a rampaging Sri Lanka very nearly pulled off a sensational victory before losing their way in the fag end to give the hosts a narrow three-run victory in a high-scoring thriller in Rajkot on Tuesday
India posted their higest-ever one-day total of 414 but a rampaging Sri Lanka very nearly pulled off a sensational victory before losing their way in the fag end to give the hosts a narrow three-run victory in a high-scoring thriller in Rajkot on Tuesday.
After the Indians rattled up 414 of 7 built around Virender Sehwag's 146, Tillakaratne Dilshan (160) and Kumar Sangakkara (90 off 43 balls) launched a ruthless assault but the Indian bowlers held their nerve to eventually scamper home and give the home team a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
The Madhav Rao Scindia stadium turned out to be a batting paradise with over 825 runs being scored and India would consider themselves a trifle lucky to escape with a win despite the sloppy fielding and the erratic bowling. It was only the second time that more than 800 runs were scored in a one-day match. The match between Australia and South Africa in Johannesburg in 2006 had produced 872 runs, which is the highest so far.
The islanders needed 22 runs off 19 balls with five wickets intact in the tense dying moments of the game but Angelo Mathews and Thilina Kandamby got a little jittery and were unable to take their team to victory. The Lankans scored 411 for eight. Apart from Sehwag's blistering knock, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (72) and Sachin Tendulkar (69) were the other notable contributors in India's record total.
The Indians were guilty of dropping three catches, two of them sitters, and the ground fielding also left much to be desired. They had dropped as many asu00a010 catches in the two Twenty20 matches. The two teams will now travel to Nagpur for the second game to be played under flooodlights on Friday.
The Lankan run chase began with a flourish as the two openers, Dilshan and Upul Tharanga (67), tore the Indian bowling attack to shreds on a good batting strip. None of the Indians bowlers could manage to stop the run flow in the early stages as both the batsmen unleashed a barrage of strokes. Tharanga got a reprieve when he was on ten with Virat Kohli dropping a sitter at the point region much to the dismay of his teammates who have suddenly developed the habit of dropping catches far too often.
Dilshan and Tharanga put on a rollicking 188-run opening partnership to provide the platform for the mammoth run chase. Part-timer Suresh Raina provided the breakthrough when Tharanga stepped out but missed the line and Dhoni whipped off the bails behind the stumps. Captain Kumar Sangakkara joined the action after Tharanga's dismissal and immediately got into the act by going after the bowlers with a fine exhibition of strokeplay. Sangakkara notched up his 50th half century in quick time as the two experienced player brought the asking rate down and took the islanders closer to the victory target.
The Lankan captain seemed to be in ominous form and was nearing his century when he mistimed his pull and Ravindra Jadeja held on to a simple catch at the fence off Pravin Kumar. His 90 came off just 43 balls and contained ten fours and five sixes. The vastly experienced Sanath Jayasuriya, who came in to bat at number four, did not survive long as he fell to Harbhajan Singh. Harbhajan struck a vital blow in his last over by getting rid of Dilshan, who stepped out but missed the line completely to see his off-stump knocked down. Mahela Jayawardene was run out a couple of overs later and Sri Lanka were in a spot of bother as they slipped to 345 for five from a comfortable 316 for one.
Earlier, India surpassed their previous best total of 413 for five which they made against Bermuda at Port of Spain during the 2007 World Cup. Sehwag, who took a heavy toll of the Lanka bowlers in the Tests, was unstoppable after a cautious beginning and made a career-best 146 in just 102 balls with 17 fours and six.
Sehwag and Tendulkar, who played the perfect foil to make a fine 63-ball 69 with 10 fours and a six before being bowled by Dilhara Fernando, laid a solid foundation with a 153-run partnership after Sangakkara opted to field first on winning the toss. After Tendulkar s departure in the 20th over, Sehwag and Dhoni got involved in a splendid 156-run partnership for the second wicket to take India past the 300-mark in the 35th over.
Dhoni struck the ball with tremendous force and pierced the gaps beautifully even when the field was spread out besides opting to send the ball soaring well over the boundary during his century stand for the second wicket off only 98 balls with Sehwag. Lanka separated the pair within two runs and in the space of five balls after India took the batting power play. Gautam Gambhir too was sent back during this five-over period to arrest the runaway Indian run-machine. The visitors dismissed Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh between the 41st and 45th overs as India lost five wickets for 43 runs. Virat Kohli hit a quick 27 off 19 balls with four fours while local boy Ravindra Jadeja struck an unbeaten 30 with two sixes and a four in 17 balls to take the home team to their best-ever tally in ODIs.
India started sedately after being asked to take first strike by Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara with the openers raising only 19 in the first five overs as the ball was darting around a bit. However next five overs yielded 52 runs. The Delhi dasher swung Chanaka Welegedara and then lofted the southpaw over extra cover for two fours to race to his half century in only 34 balls with the help of eight fours and two sixes. Tendulkar, playing his 437th ODI, off and square drove Fernando for fours and then guided two short balls to the third man fence to complete his glittering career's 92nd fifty in 48 balls with nine fours.
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