Asia Cup 2014: India VS Sri Lanka – Kumar Sangakkara hundred hands Sri Lanka a win against India; Sri Lanka tops the table.
A magnificent hundred from Kumar Sangakkara hands Sri Lanka a thrilling two wicket win against India in the Asia Cup 2014 group-stage match at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah, on Friday.
Kumar Sangakkara scored his 17th century in one-day cricket as he smashed 103 off just 145 balls. The other star in Sri Lankan win was the opener Kusal Perera who scored 64 runs.
Chasing 265 runs to win, Sri Lanka started off brightly as the opening pair of Thirimanne and Parere put on 80 runs for the first wicket before Thirimane was adjudged LBW off Ashwin’s bowling.
From there on India chipped in with crucial wickets at regular interval to reduce Sri Lanka to 7/216, but Thisara Perera (11*) and Sangakkara took them on the brink of victory, but lost Sangakkara to the very next ball after scoring a century as the match hang in the balance as Sri Lanka still needed 7 runs to win.
Perera, however, kept his cool as Sri Lanka knocked off the remaining runs as they won by two wickets with five balls to spare.
For India, Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers as he returned with figures of 3/30, on what was otherwise yet another disappointing day for Indian bowlers.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka restricted India to 9/264, with the help of off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake (3/41) and Ajantha Mendis (4/60), who between them picked up seven wickets.
Having being sent in after losing toss Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan smashed 94 as India reached to 2/175 in 35 overs before a mini collapsed triggered by Mendis-Senanayake combo accounted for five Indian wickets with just 40 more runs added to the total as India slumped to 7/215.
Some late hitting from the lower order batsman, especially Mohammed Shami who hit two sixes off Ajantha Mendis, propelled the five time Asian champions past the vital mark of 250-run.
Mendis, who came in for fast bowler Suranga Lakmal in this match, vindicated Angelo Mathew’s decision, as he was pick of the bowlers returning with figures of 4/60, which includes the vital wickets of well settled Dhawan and skipper Virat Kohli, while off-spinner Senanayake returned with his personal best figures of 3/41 in one-day cricket as the Indians were troubled with slow pace of the wicket.
Kohli and Dhawan paired to score a crucial 97 for the second wicket after Rohit Sharma (13) was trapped leg-before by Senanayake.
Apart from Dhawan the other batsman who impresses in this match was Kohli, who is captaining India because of injury to MS Dhoni, scored a classy 48 before Mendis got one to turn past Kohli’s bat as he was clean bowled. In the first match to Kohli scored a century against hosts Bangladesh.
After Klohli’s dismissal a procession of sorts began as Ajinkya Rahane (22) was caught by Thirimane off Senanayake in the 36th over as he top-edged a drive to point.
Mendis then picked up two crucial wickets in 40th over of the innings, as he got past the defense of a fluent looking Dhawan and got wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik caught at mid-off to shrink India to 5/200.
Things then went from bad to worse as India further slumped to 7/215 as Ambati Rayudu (18) and all-rounder Stuart Binny, playing his second ODI in place of Varun Aaron, was adjudged leg-before for zero off Senanayake.
It was lower-order pair of Ravindra Jadeja (22), R. Ashwin (18), and Mohammed Shami (14) boosted India’s total to 9/264.
