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Sri Lanka beat India by 74 runs in the final of the Triangular Series between Sri Lanka, New Zealand and India played at the Dambulla Stadium on Saturday

Kumar Sangakara

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat.  They made full use of the track and Tilakratne Dilshan slammed a chanceless century to maintain the hold of Sri Lanka on the match.

Though embroiled in the no-ball controversy in depriving Sehwag of a century in the previous encounter with India, he had saved his best performance for the last.

He was ably supported by Mahila Jayawardne who rotated the strike very well. These two batsmen posted an opening wicket partnership of 121 runs. This was Dilshan’s third century against India. (more…)

M.S.Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first on a newly laid pitch at the Dambulla Stadium on Wednesday.  New Zealand tried their best to reach the final of the tri-Series, but India were in a victory mode and never relented all through the game, and India beat New Zealand by 108 runs. Batting first they amassed 223 runs, almost half of which were scored by Virendra Sehwag, and then the Indian pacers wrecked havoc on their batsman and budled them out in a meager score of 118 runs. 

Virendra Sehwag

After the loss of four quick wickets, M.S.Dhoni gave Sehwag  the required support by rotating the strike and played the sheet anchor role at the other end, while Sehwag plundered his century. Dhoni and Sehwag put on a 107 runs partnership. Once Sehwag was out, the Indian tail was wiped out quickly by the New Zealand bowlers.

 Sehwag  also managed to hit his 1000th ‘four’ in ODI cricket. New Zealand bowlers bowled very well and took the wicket of Dinesh Kartik with India at no score and Virat Kohli also gave the faintest of nick to the wicket-keeper. Both these batsmen were caught fishing outside the off stump. 

Even though the New Zealand bowlers had managed to capture 4 quick wickets by sheer bounce and quick bowling, it was Sehwag alone duly supported by Dhoni, who gave India a fighting score.  (more…)

The Controversial Six
  
Virender Sehwag  helped India beat Sri Lanka by six wickets and also secure a bonus point to leave each of the three sides with a win at the end of the first round of matches in a cricket tri-series match at Dambulla on Monday.

MS Dhoni lost the toss again, but Kumar Sangakkara’s decision to bat first gave India the chance to bowl under the overcast weather at Dambulla and their bowlers cashed in with their swing on a wicket which had bounce also. Sehwag then manage to save his skin during the early Lankan attack and later slammed which would have been a classic century, but for the controversial six, which sealed victory.

Virendra Sehwag

The start of the game was no less dramatic as the end.  Praveen Kumar rattled the timber of Upul Tharanga with an out swinger off the first ball off the day. Sri Lanka found it difficult to adjust to the attack of Praveen as well as Ishant Sharma under cloudy skies and the batsmen struggled against the swing and deviation off the pitch and the  batsmen found it difficult to negotiate the swing in the damp weather at Dambulla.

Mahela Jayawardene had a brief stay at the crease and was trapped leg before by a Praveen in-swinger that moved back in late. Samaraweera and Sangakara also looked good in patches but went wayward in their application to the task.

Extra pace accounted for Sangakkara who was caught in the deep. Damaraweera was caught at short midwicket off a mis-timed pull. (more…)

India beat  Sri Lanka by 5 wickets in the third and final test played at P.Sara Oval Stadium. With this win they level the series and have retained the number one spot in Test Cricket in the world. India were hungry to beat Sri Lanka on their ground since August 1994.

Resuming the chase from Friday’s 53 for three, India lost Ishant Sharma for 4 runs in the morning.

Requiring 257 runs to win, the final day belonged exclusively to VVS Luxman who posted 103* scintillating runs off 149 deliveries to ensure victory for India about ten minutes before tea.

VVS Luxman

Sachin Tendulkar 54 and Suresh Raina 41*  played a sheet anchor role in ably supporting Luxman, who batted like a cool lion despite his back pain. (more…)

Kolkatta Knight Riders won the toss and elected to bat at the Eden Gardens, Kolkatta on Wednesday. Saurav Ganguly and Chris Gayle opened the innings and laid a decent foundation for the Kolkatta  score to read 181 for the loss of three wickets.

Ganguly’s half century was punctuated with 8 fours and a six and chris Gayle slammed 40 runs with 5 fours and a six. Ganguly was bowled by  Vittori and Gayle was bowled by Bhatia. Tewary was not out on 26 and Mathews contributed 46 not out. 

After 10 overs Kolkatta Knight Riders  were 88 for no loss and they  scored the 100 runs in 10.5 overs. Gayle hit most of his runs to the fine leg boundry and hit Collingwood for a towering six.  (more…)

Chennai Super Kings beat Delhi Daredevils by 5 wickets at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Friday. It was a thrilling encounter in which the crowd witnessed a superb display of batting and splendid catching. Delhi Daredevils won the toss and chose to bat first.

Mathew Hayden

There are many statements made about the glorious uncertainties of cricket but one quote stands true today that ‘catches win matches’. It was three good catches from Chennai’s new stand-in captain, Suresh Raina, and a spectacular effort at the boundary from Justin Kemp, that kept Delhi below the 200 run mark.

Delhi Daredevils scored 185 for 6 and the main contributors to their total were Sehwag 74, Manhas 32 and R.Bhatia 21. In reply thereto, Chennai Super Kings scored 190 for 5 with Hayden 93, Badrinath 14 and Raina remained not-out on 49.  (more…)

Virendra Sehwag

Delhi Daredevils beat Rajasthan Royals by six wickets at Ahmedabad on Monday. Virendra Sehwag, who also fetched the Man of the match award, ensured victory for Delhi by his blistering knock of 75 runs off 34 balls. His effort was coupled with a disciplined all-round bowling attack from Delhi Daredevils which added the required impetus to their victory.

Delhi Daredevils restricted the Rajasthan Royals to 141 for 6, which was not a fighting total considering the fact the Sehwag  gave Delhi the launch  they needed. Rajasthan’s attacking start was dented by a good spell by Dirk Nannes and of Amit Mishra, which did not give them any way out to score against the formidable and disciplined Delhi attack. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala brought up his maiden IPL fifty on the last ball of the 20th over which he hit for a four.  (more…)

Virender Sehwag struck a whirlwind 102-ball 146 to power India to their highest ever total in one-day cricket, a massive 414 for seven, against Sri Lanka in the first match at Rajkot on Tuesday.  Sachin Tendulkar (69) and M. S. Dhoni (72) also contributed well as India improved upon their previous best total and made 414.  Sehwag was unstoppable after a slow beginning and made a career-best 146  with 17 fours and six in 102 balls.

India started cautiously after being asked to bat first by Lanka with the openers raising only 19 in the first five overs as the ball was swinging a bit. (more…)

INDIA ACHIEVES No.1 SPOT IN ICC RANKINGS

India have become the number one team in ICC Test rankings after winning the third and final Test against Sri Lanka by an innings and 24 runs.

After conceding a huge 333-run first innings lead, Srilankans were struggling at 274 for six at close on the penultimate day. Needing just four wickets to record an emphatic victory, the Indians took just 40 minutes to clean off the visiting team’s tail to record their second consecutive innings victory.  (more…)

In my yesterdays’ post I had said that cricket is the game of uncertainty. Virendra Sehwag , the fastest player in Test Cricket today, missed his third triple century by 7 runs. One can make 293 but those 7 precious runs are sometimes very illusive. This is called unpredictability of cricket. Had he achieved it, he would have been the only batsman in Test history to establish the world record.

Although Virender Sehwag narrowly missed it, there was no respite for the Sri Lankans as the Indians rattled up their highest-ever total in Tests before declaring at 726 for nine at the end of the third day. (more…)