World T20, 2nd Semi-Final

India vs West Indies

at Mumbai, Mar 31, 2016

West Indies 196/3 beat India 192/2 by 7 wickets

India vs Sri Lanka Cricket Series 2008

Comprehensive Cricket News, Latest Information and Live ball-by-ball Commentary.

India vs Sri Lanka Cricket Series 2009

Schedule

Schedule

India in Sri Lanka Cricket Series 2008

India vs Srilanka Live Cricket Score

India vs Sri Lanka ODI Series

Indian Players ODI Series Statistics

ODIs / Batsman	1st ODI Dambulla	2nd ODI Dambulla	3rd ODI Colombo	4th ODI Colombo	5th ODI Colombo	Avg.	Total
G Gambhir	0	DNP	8	17	11	9.00	36
	DNB	DNP	DNB	DNB	DNB	-	-
V Kohli	12	37	25	54	31	31.80	159
	DNB	DNB	DNB	DNB	DNB	-	-
S Raina	17	1	53	76	10	31.40	157
	11/0	DNB	DNB	DNB	DNB	-	-
Y Singh	23	20	12	0	17	14.40	72
	DNB	10/0	37/1	53/2	11/0	37.00	-
R Sharma	19	0	32	18	3	14.40	72
	11/0	DNB	9/0	13/0	7/0	-	-
MS Dhoni	6	39	76	71	1	38.60	193
	DNB	DNB	DNB	DNB	DNB	-	-
I Pathan	7	5	DNP	DNP	7	6.33	19
	35/0	21/1	DNP	DNP	52/2	36.00	-
Badrinath	DNP	27	6	6	DNP	19.50	39
	DNP	DNB	DNB	DNB	DNP	-	-
P Kumar	DNP	DNB	2	2	DNP	4.00	4
	DNP	34/3	62/2	25/0	DNP	24.20	-
H Singh	12	1	2	2	DNP	4.25	17
	18/0	26/2	29/1	40/3	DNP	18.83	-
Z Khan	12	2	1	0	3	4.50	18
	24/0	21/4	23/3	27/1	49/1	16.00	-
P Ojha	16	DNP	DNP	DNP	5	21.00	21
	9/0	DNP	DNP	DNP	28/2	18.50	-
M Patel	15	DNB	DNB	1	4	20.00	20
	32/2	24/0	42/3	48/2	20/0	23.71	-
India Total	146	143/7	237/9	258	103	-	-
Sri Lanka Total	147/2	142	204	212	227/6	-	-
Result	SL won by 8 wickets	IND won by 3 wickets	IND won by 33 runs	IND won by 46 runs	SL won by 112 runs (D/L)	IND won the Series 3-2

Italics are not out

IND vs SL, 5th ODI, Colombo: Kulasekara, Mendis fire Sri Lanka to consolation win

Nuwan Kulasekara wrecked India's top order with a career-best haul of 4-40 to bowl Sri Lanka to a consolation 112-run victory in the fifth and final one-day international at Colombo on Friday.
India, who already had a winning 3-1 lead, were shot out for 103 chasing a rain-revised target of 216 off 44 overs under lights. They clinched the series 3-2. It was India's third-lowest total against Sri Lanka in one-dayers. Teenager Virat Kohli was the top scorer with 31 in a brittle batting performance.
New-ball bowler Kulasekara was superbly backed by unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis, who finished with 4-10 off 4.3 overs. "It was a good way to finish the series, but the Indians played well and deserved to win it," said Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene. "Credit goes to the boys for the way we came back. We kept making mistakes through the series. We were not consistent in the batting department."
Man-of-the-match Kulasekara dismissed Kohli, Gautam Gambhir (11), Suresh Raina (10) and Rohit Sharma (three) in his sharp opening spell to build on Thilan Thushara's impressive maiden half-century under pressure. Sri Lanka were struggling at 133-6 before Thushara (54 not out) and Jehan Mubarak (47 not out) added 94 off 78 balls for the seventh wicket with hard and clean hitting to help their team reach a competitive total on a slow pitch.
The hosts hardly felt the absence of main spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and seamer Chaminda Vaas as Kulasekara and Mendis did the job. Muralitharan and Vaas were rested.
"It was good to win the series with a game to spare," said India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was named man of the series for scoring 193 runs in five matches. "These tracks are said to be slow, but the bounce has improved over the last few years. I am happy with the way our batsmen have played the spin. It was important to keep the strike rotating and our batsmen did that well."
Kulasekara ended India's early flourish when he had Gambhir caught by wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara. Gambhir added 38 for the opening wicket with Kohli. The 19-year-old Kohli batted fluently, once pulling Kulasekara for a six. He fell just when he looked well-set, trapped leg-before playing across the line.
Kulasekara got a big wicket when he dismissed in-form Raina, who mistimed a pull to be caught by Dilhara Fernando at mid-off. The seamer then returned after a rain interruption to trap Sharma leg-before to reduce the tourists to 76-4.
Sri Lanka virtually wrapped up the match when out-of-form Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni fell in the space of six runs to leave their team wobbling at 85-6. Yuvraj inside-edged a Mendis delivery on to his stumps to finish the series with just 72 runs in five matches, while Dhoni was bowled by paceman Fernando, who finished with 2-24.
The hosts earlier plundered 84 in the last 10 overs, thanks to Thushara's brisk 46-ball knock containing six fours. Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha (2-28) and seamer Irfan Pathan (2-52) raised India's hopes of restricting Sri Lanka to a modest total before Thushara and Mubarak rallied their side. Pathan ended Sri Lanka's recovery when he removed well-set Mahela Udawatte (43) and opener Malinda Warnapura (30) in the space of four deliveries.
Udawatte and Warnapura batted sensibly to add 77 for the second wicket after the dismissal of veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya (one) in seamer Zaheer Khan's first over. Ojha kept a tidy line and length, removing Jayawardene (12) and Chamara Kapugedera (26) in the process. Jayawardene, who won the first toss of the series, was held in the covers by Yuvraj, and Kapugedera was caught in the deep by Rudra Pratap Singh while going for a big shot.
Rudra Pratap also claimed a wicket when he had Sangakkara (one) caught by Gambhir at first slip. Sangakkara could make just 37 runs in five matches.

IND vs SL, 5th ODI, Colombo: Sri Lanka 227 for 6 (50.0 overs) beat India 103 all out (26.3 overs) by 112 runs (D/L)

IND vs SL, 5th ODI, Colombo: India to rest Zaheer, Harbhajan for final match

Both Sri Lanka and India will make changes in their line-ups for the fifth and final one-day international (ODI) at the R Premadasa Stadium at Colombo on Friday.
India have already won the series 3-1 and the final match will be a dead rubber, but for the Sri Lankans their pride is at stake after their poor showing in the series. India will rest left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan, who had a good series, and he is replaced by RP Singh, who has not played any cricket at all despite being on tour from the start.
The Indians were also contemplating bringing in left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha resting off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and playing MS Dhoni as a specialist batsman leaving Parthiv Patel to keep wickets, something that has been done when the duo teamed up for the IPL Twenty-20 matches for Chennai Super Kings. Tamil Nadu batsman Subramaniam Badrinath will make way for Patel.
The Sri Lankans, meanwhile, have lost patience with middle-order batsman Tillekeratne Dilshan and he will be replaced by Jehan Mubarak. Moving away from the six batsmen and five bowlers combination, the Sri Lankans will settle for a seven batsmen, four bowlers line- up and will rest veterans Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan. Dilhara Fernando will come in for Vaas, while batsman Mahela Udawatte will be the additional batsman.
“Our pride is at stake. I don’t think we played consistent cricket and this gives us an opportunity to finish off the series with a win,” Sri Lanka’s captain Mahela Jayawardene said. Sri Lanka won the first ODI in Dambulla by eight wickets, while India squared the series at the same venue two days later by winning the second ODI by three wickets.
They won the third and fourth ODIs here by 33 and 46 runs respectively to record their first-ever ODI series win on the Sri Lankan soil.
Sri Lanka Team (from): Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Kapugedara, Chamara Silva, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Tushara Mirando, Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando, Malinda Warnapura, Jehan Mubarak and Mahela Udawatte.
India Team (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Subramaniam Badrinath, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Munaf Patel and Pragyan Ojha.

IND vs SL, 4th ODI, Colombo: India wins first-ever one-day cricket series in Sri Lanka (3:1)

India clinched its first-ever one-day international cricket series in Sri Lanka by winning the fourth match by 46 runs Wednesday to clinch the best-of-five series in four games.
Choosing to bat after winning the toss, India built its innings around three half-centuries from Suresh Raina (76), Mahendra Dhoni (71) and Virat Kohli (54), before being bowled out for 258 runs in the final over.
In reply, the hosts lost wickets regularly and were bundled out for 212 in 46.3 overs, despite an ideal start from Sanath Jayasuriya, who made a 52-ball 60. Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said his team's inconsistent batting cost it the match.
"We are disappointed at the way we played. In one-day internationals we have not been consistent, especially with the bat," he said. "They played better than us and won the series." India seamer Munaf Patel trapped Malinda Warnapura lbw for a duck and Kumar Sangakkara continued his poor form, making only six before he was bowled by Patel. The left-hander has made only 36 runs in the series so far.
Despite the losses, Jayasuriya continued to bat aggressively, pulling and cutting the quick bowlers for eight boundaries and two sixes. India captain Dhoni made a wise call in the 18th over, when he introduced offspin bowler Harbhajan Singh to seize control of the match. Jayasuriya attempted to steer the ball from Harbhajan on the on side but only succeeded in edging the ball to Raina at slip to leave his side on 74-3.
Sri Lanka then suffered a devastating blow when their in-form captain Jayawardene (16) was run out, leaving them on 106-4. Jayawardene drove the ball to mid-on, responded to a bad call by his partner Chamara Kapugedera and was caught short of his crease. Only 25 runs had been added when Harbhajan struck again, trapping Tillakaratne Dilshan (12) lbw and Yuvraj Singh then had Kapugedera (30) lbw to end any hope of a Sri Lankan revival.
Earlier, Raina and Dhoni had frustrated Sri Lanka with a 143-run partnership, providing a base for a challenging India's total. Raina's score came off 78 balls, including six fours and a six, while Dhoni made 71 in 80 balls including four boundaries. Sri Lanka fast bowler Thilan Thushara had a career-best 5-47 thanks to some late wickets.
Veteran Chaminda Vaas became only the fourth bowler to take 400 wickets in one-day international cricket when he had Yuvraj caught at short mid-wicket without scoring. The 34-year-old bowler, playing his 322nd match, follows Pakistan fast bowlers Wasim Akram (502), Waqar Younis (416) and fellow Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan (478).
The final match of the series will be played Friday.

IND vs SL, 4th ODI, Colombo: India 258 all out (49.4 overs) beat Sri Lanka 212 all out (46.3 overs) by 46 runs

IND vs SL, 3rd ODI, Colombo: India win despite Jayawardene scare (2:1)

India posted a 33-run victory over Sri Lanka in the third ODI at Colombo on Sunday despite a fighting 94 from skipper Mahela Jayawardene.
Sri Lanka were in deep trouble at 94-7 chasing a 238-run target but Jayawardene gave a scare or two to India, adding 81 for the eighth wicket with Thilan Thushara. Jayawardene was the ninth man out after hitting one six and six fours in his 111-ball knock as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 204 under lights. The home side now trail 2-1 in the five-match series.
"It's always better to win through collective effort and it shows that we are not relying on any individual," said India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "There are two more matches to go and we will play to win."
The stiff resistance from the Sri Lankan skipper and Thushara came after fast bowlers Zaheer Khan (3-23) and Praveen Kumar (2-62) threatened to lead India to an easy victory. But despite their efforts, the asking rate kept climbing and Zaheer eventually broke the stubborn stand when he bowled Thushara, who was dropped twice.
Sri Lanka's bid to attack the new-ball bowlers from the beginning of their innings backfired, with Sanath Jayasuriya (13), Kumar Sangakkara (nine) and Chamara Kapugedera (12) all falling cheaply. Jayasuriya smashed three fours off Kumar before he was dismissed in the bowler's third over, edging an away-going delivery to wicketkeeper Dhoni while attempting to cut.
Sangakkara was trapped leg-before by Zaheer immediately after cutting the bowler for a four, while Kapugedera was dismissed after lofting Kumar over midwicket for a six. India threatened to reduce the match to a no-contest when Zaheer trapped Chamara Silva leg-before to leave the hosts reeling at 40-4 in the 10th over, but Jayawardene received valuable support from Thushara.
"I don't think we deserved to win. We made too many mistakes with the bat," said Jayawardene. "We knew we had to negotiate the first 15 overs, but we lost four quick wickets and it was an uphill task from there."
India earlier had impressive batting efforts from Dhoni (76) and Suresh Raina (53) to thank for their 237 total after struggling at 91-4. Dhoni put on 54 for the fifth wicket with Raina and 67 for the next with Rohit Sharma (32).
The Indian captain stepped up the run-rate with bold hitting in the closing 10 overs, which yielded 70 runs. He hit eight fours in his 23rd half-century. Unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis finished with 3-56, including the wickets of Harbhajan Singh and Dhoni off successive balls in his last over. Seamers Nuwan Kulasekara and Thushara each took two wickets.
A pair of run-outs at crucial stages affected India's chances of posting a big total after they elected to bat on a slow pitch. Virat Kohli (25) had been batting confidently before becoming the first run-out victim, failing to beat a direct hit.
Raina looked set to play a major innings when he was caught short of the crease following a mix-up with Dhoni. He struck a six off Mendis and four boundaries in an 80-ball knock for his sixth half-century.

IND vs SL, 3rd ODI, Colombo: India 237 for 9 (50.0 overs) beat Sri Lanka 204 all out (49.0 overs) by 33 runs

IND vs SL, 3rd ODI, Colombo: Gambhir boost for India in third ODI

After two low-scoring games, the third ODI between India and Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium at Colombo on Sunday is expected to be a run feast.
The focus, however, will be on Sri Lanka's ace paceman Chaminda Vaas, who has recovered from a hamstring injury and is expected to play Sunday, having missed the second game Wednesday. Vaas requires one more wicket to join the elite club of Wasim Akram, Muttiah Muralitharan and Waqar Younis as the fourth player to have taken 400 ODI wickets.
India, who have been handicapped by injuries, will be happy with the return of opener Gautam Gambhir, who missed the last match due to a stiff neck. India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, though, did not reveal who will make way for Gambhir.
"We have not decided on the combination yet. We will decide in the morning whether we want to go with seven batsmen or five bowlers," Dhoni told reporters on Saturday. Either Irfan Pathan or middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma will have to make way for the 26-year-old left-handed Gambhir, one of the few Indian players to have played Sri Lanka's spinners well.
The fourth and fifth ODIs will also be day-night affairs at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday and Friday. Sri Lanka team (from): Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara (wicketkeeper), Chamara Kapugedara, Chamara Silva, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Tushara Mirando, Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando, Malinda Warnapura, Jehan Mubarak and Mahela Udawatte.
India team (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wicketkeeper), Subramaniam Badrinath, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Munaf Patel and Pragyan Ojha.

IND vs SL, 2nd ODI, Dambulla: India level cricket series with tense victory(1:1)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni capped Zaheer Khan's devastating spell with a crucial 39 as India posted a tense three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second one-day international at Dambulla on Wednesday.
Left-arm seamer Zaheer ran through the top order in his incisive opening spell to finish with 4-21 as India bundled Sri Lanka out for a meagre 142. He was brilliantly backed by paceman Praveen Kumar (3-34). But India skipped a few heartbeats before achieving the modest target with more than 10 overs to spare to level the five-match series 1-1.
They were wobbling at 75-5 after seamers Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara shared four wickets, but skipper Dhoni and debutant Subramaniam Badrinath (27 not out) held their nerve under pressure. When Dhoni inside-edged paceman Dilhara Fernando's delivery on to his stumps, his team were just eight runs short of the win with four wickets in hand.
Unorthodox Sri Lankan spinner Mendis yet again made the Indian batsmen struggle for runs with shrewd variations, getting the big wicket of Yuvraj Singh before finishing with 2-22 off 10 overs. Yuvraj (20) tried to ease the pressure by smashing Thushara for three fours in two overs, but his flourish did not last long. He was trapped leg-before by Mendis to leave his team wobbling at 52-3.
India appeared to have squandered the advantage given by Zaheer when they lost makeshift opener Irfan Pathan and Suresh Raina in Kulasekara's opening spell and then Virat Kohli (37) and Rohit Sharma in Thushara's one over. Dhoni and Badrinath then applied themselves well to add 60 for the sixth wicket which proved vital in a low-scoring game.
Sri Lanka were earlier in danger of falling to their lowest-ever total of 96 against India when they were reduced to 44-6, but Thushara (44) and Kulasekara (25) rallied their side with a defiant 74-run stand. The Indian skipper's decision to put the hosts in to bat after winning the toss produced instant results as Zaheer bowled Kumar Sangakkara with his sixth delivery which moved in sharply to hit the off-stump.
Man-of-the-match Zaheer claimed two wickets in his third over, removing in-form Jayawardene and Chamara Kapugedera.

IND vs SL, 2nd ODI, Dambulla: India 143 for 7 (39.4 overs) beat Sri Lanka 142 all out (38.3 overs) by 3 wickets

IND vs SL, 2nd ODI, Dambulla: India may shuffle batting line up to counter Lankans

India may opt to shuffle their struggling batting line-up as they go into the second cricket one-dayer against Sri Lanka at Dambulla tomorrow hoping to find a way to regain their winning touch.
After losing the Test series, the Indians made a poor start to the one-dayers by losing the first game here by eight wickets and it will need a far more inspiring performance by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men to reverse their fortunes. The absence of Virender Sehwag, who has been ruled out of the series because of an injury, has come as a big blow for the Indians who have been forced to have a re-look at the batting order.
The Indian think tank is now toying with the idea of shuffling the batting order for the crucial second game of the five-match series. But with an average age of around 24 years, Dhoni and his men will have to move mountains to get a stranglehold of the on-going series and this may force the skipper to move himself and other seniors up the batting order.
However, Dhoni will be missing the fire power of his most experienced batsman Sehwag who can really be destructive on his day. In that scenario, vice-captain Yuvraj Singh, who hit an explosive 172 in the lone practice match before the start of the ODI series, opener Gautam Gambhir and Dhoni himself will have to take the responsibilty on their shoulders to guide the relatively junior batsmen of the team. Sri Lanka team (from): Mahela Jayawardene (capt.), Kumar Sangakkara (Wicket Keeper), Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Udawatte, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Malinda Warnapura, Jehan Mubarak, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara.
India team (from): M.S. Dhoni (capt. & wk), Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, S. Badrinath, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, R.P. Singh, Munaf Patel and Pragyan Ojha.

Injured Sehwag out of Sri Lanka one-day series

India’s opener Virender Sehwag has been ruled out of the ongoing one-day series against Sri Lanka due to an ankle injury, a top official said at Dambulla on Monday.
“He (Sehwag) is out of the series,” said Indian manager Sanjay Desai. Sehwag missed the opening one-dayer of the five-match series at Dambulla on Monday after failing to recover from the injury, sustained during a practice session on Sunday evening. India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said they would miss the in-form batsman, especially after the team’s eight-wicket defeat in the first match. “He was the batsman in top form. It (injury) was quite bad yesterday and he is still in the hotel,” Dhoni said during the post-match press conference.
“That’s the way it goes in cricket. You can’t really think about the guys you are missing. Instead, you must fill that space. That’s the only way the team can win.” Sehwag was the top scorer in the recent three-Test series against the hosts as he made 344 runs, including an unbeaten 201 in his team’s victory in the second match in Galle. India eventually lost the series 2-1. He has made 5,810 runs in 191 one-day internationals with nine hundreds and 29 half-centuries.

IND vs SL, 1st ODI, Dambulla: Sri Lanka beat India by eight wickets

Sri Lanka thrashed India by eight wickets Monday in the first one-day international with captain Mahela Jayawardene scoring an unbeaten 61.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, India was dismissed for 146 runs in 46 overs - its worst one-day international total in Sri Lanka. In reply, Sri Lanka scored 147-2 with 15 overs to spare in the opening match of the five-match series.
India's innings was 17 runs lower than its previous worst batting performance in Sri Lanka - 163 all out in 1998. Young spinner Ajantha Mendis, who took 3-21, was named man of the match.
Despite its poor score, seam bowler Munaf Patel raised India's hopes with two early wickets. He dismissed opener Sanath Jayasuriya for 10 runs with India on 18. Jayasuriya stepped out to hit Patel only to sky the ball for a catch by Irfan Pathan. Kumar Sangakkara (19) tried to force the ball through the on-side but instead gave a simple return catch to Patel to leave Sri Lanka at 45-2.
However, the dismissal brought Jayawardene and Chamara Kapugedera together who guided their team to victory with an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 102.
The second one-day match takes place Wednesday. Sri Lanka Team: Jayasuriya, Sangakkara, M Jayawardene, Kapugedera, Silva, Dilshan, Vaas, Thushara, Kulasekara, Mendis, Muralitharan

India Team: Kohli, Gambhir, Raina, R Sharma, Yuvraj, Dhoni, I Pathan, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Ojha, Patel

IND vs SL, 1st ODI, Dambulla: Sri Lanka 147 for 2 (34.5 overs) beat India 146 all out (46.0 overs) by eight wickets

IND vs SL, 1st ODI, Dambulla: Openers Jayasuriya, Sehwag in explosive duel

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene are looking forward to an explosive start to their One-Day International series starting on Monday.
Sri Lanka's left-handed opener Sanath Jayasuriya may be 39, but remains a bowler's nightmare with his ability to change the course of a match with devastating stroke-play. India will not easily forget their last encounter with the Sri Lankan, who hammered a quick-fire century under pressure to set up his team's victory in the Asia Cup final in Karachi last month.
India's Virender Sehwag is an opener in form, having already hurt Sri Lanka with an unbeaten double-century in his team's victory in the second Test of a recent three-match series. Although India lost the series 2-1, Sehwag was one of the few batsmen to salvage batting pride as he emerged his team's top scorer with 344 runs.
"Jayasuriya in form is always a great thing because he can contribute with both bat and ball," Jayawardene said on Sunday. "The start he gives makes a huge difference. If he stays for 10 or 15 overs, you are guaranteed a good start. He is a bit like Sehwag for India. That gives a different dimension to our set-up."
Jayasuriya has been haunting India ever since he cracked a 76-ball 79 in a 1996 World Cup match at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi to power his team to an emphatic victory. He was a trendsetter, redefining batting in the 1996 Cup with his consistent over-the-top hitting in the early overs to take advantage of fielding restrictions.
Other teams followed suit, bringing in a hard-hitter at the top of the order. Jayasuriya appears to have a special liking for the Indian attack, having scored 2,429 runs in 74 matches with six hundreds. His best in 416 One-Day Internationals - 189 at Sharjah in 2000 - also came against India. He is the second-highest scorer in One-Day Internationals with 12,688 runs, behind only India's Sachin Tendulkar (16,361).
Like the Sri Lankan, the 29-year-old Sehwag is also capable of dominating any attack on any surface with rich stroke-play. The Indian has scored 5,810 runs in 191 matches with nine hundreds and 29 half-centuries.
"Whenever he (Sehwag) gives us a good start we have a fair chance of winning the match," said Dhoni. "A good start is very important in any form of cricket, but it does not mean the entire pressure is on the openers. Sehwag is a sort of player who takes a fair amount of risk. He is a stroke-player.
"He is in a very good nick and so is Gautam Gambhir. They did well in the Tests also and will have added responsibility, but no pressure." Dhoni said it was important for his team to dismiss Jayasuriya early.
"Jayasuriya can be compared with Sehwag or (retired Australian) Adam Gilchrist. It is important not to let them have a good start," said Dhoni. "They are the batsmen who take chances. They can commit mistakes if you try to restrict them. All these players are very different, but for someone like Jayasuriya, it's important to get him out early."
India and Sri Lanka will play five One-Day Internationals, with the first two to be held here and the remaining three in Colombo. Sri Lanka team (from): Mahela Jayawardene (capt.), Kumar Sangakkara (Wicket Keeper), Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Udawatte, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Malinda Warnapura, Jehan Mubarak, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara.
India team (from): M.S. Dhoni (capt. & wk), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, S. Badrinath, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, R.P. Singh, Munaf Patel and Pragyan Ojha.

IND vs SL XI, Warm up Match, Colombo: Yuvraj fires India to easy win in warm-up match

Yuvraj Singh geared up for the one-day series against Sri Lanka with an explosive 172 to power India to a comfortable 92-run victory in a practice match at Colombo on Friday.
The left-hander smashed 13 sixes and eight fours in his 121-ball knock as the tourists posted a challenging 342-5 before restricting a Sri Lankan XI to 250-6 in a 50-over clash. The five-match one-day series starts in Dambulla on Monday.
Yuvraj went on the rampage after completing his century, hitting four successive sixes off spinner Jehan Mubarak. He was caught at deep mid-wicket by Mahela Udawatte while attempting a big hit off seamer Chanaka Welegedara. "The knock gave me a lot of confidence. I had prepared well before coming here and hope to maintain my form. My intention was to spend time in the middle because I haven't played for a while. Then I played my strokes," said Yuvraj. "The conditions will be different in Dambulla, so we tried to have partnerships to make a good total. It's important we play according to the conditions and that's what we will try there."
Yuvraj was involved in three valuable stands, adding 77 for the third wicket with Suresh Raina (45), 85 for the next with Rohit Sharma (24) and 99 for the sixth wicket with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (20 not out). The hosts never looked like reaching the stiff target despite impressive half-centuries from middle-order batsman Mubarak (60) and left-handed opener Upul Tharanga (50).
Left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan was the most successful Indian bowler, taking 2-48, while off-spinner Harbhajan Singh claimed 1-38 off 10 tight overs. Sri Lanka won the recent Test series with India 2-1.

IND vs SL XI, Warm up Match, Colombo: India 342-5 in 50 overs beat Sri Lankan XI 250-6 in 50 overs by 92 runs

India vs Sri Lanka Test Series

Kumble blames it on batsmen

India captain Anil Kumble has blamed their defeat in the Test series in Sri Lanka on his side's batting. Only Virender Sehwag registered a century for India in the series - an unbeaten 201in the second Test, which India won. Indian batsmen handed Sri Lanka a 2-1 series win.

Tests	1st Test Colombo		2nd Test Galle		3rd Test Colombo		Avg.	Total
Batsman / Innings	I	II	I	II	I	II
V Sehwag	25	13	201	50	21	34	68.80	344
G Gambhir	39	43	56	74	72	26	51.66	310
R Dravid	14	10	2	44	10	68	24.66	148
S Tendulkar	27	12	5	31	6	14	15.83	95
S Ganguly	23	4	0	16	35	18	16.00	96
VVS Laxman	56	21	39	13	25	61	43.00	215
D Karthik	9	0	7	20	DNP	DNP	9.00	36
P Patel	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	13	1	7.00	14
A Kumble	1	12	4	2	1	9	4.83	29
H Singh	9	15	1	11	3	26	10.83	65
Z Khan	5	3	2	1	32	0	8.60	43
I Sharma	13	5	0	0	17	0	11.66	35
India Total	223	138	329	269	249	268	-	-
Sri Lanka Total	600/6	-	292	136	396	123/2	-	-
Result	SL won by an innings and 239 runs		IND won by 170 runs		SL won by 8 wickets		SL won the Series 2-1

Italics are not out

Injured Tendulkar out of Sri Lanka one-dayers

Ace Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar will miss the upcoming one-day series in Sri Lanka due to an elbow injury, an Indian official said at Colombo on Monday.
Tendulkar, the world's leading scorer in one-day internationals with 16,361 runs in 417 matches, sustained the injury while attempting a catch on Saturday during the third and final Test against Sri Lanka here.
He had returned for the Tests after missing a triangular one-day series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup in Pakistan recently due to injuries. Indian team manager T. C. Mathew said Tendulkar would be leaving for home soon.
Sri Lanka, who won the Test series 2-1 on Monday, will now take on the tourists in a five-match one-day series starting in Dambulla on Aug 18.

IND v SL, 3rd Test, Day 4, Colombo: Sri Lanka clinch India Test cricket series (2:1)

Sri Lanka survived early blows to clinch the series against an injury-ridden India with a comfortable eight-wicket victory on the penultimate day of the third and final Test at Colombo on Monday.
The hosts lost Michael Vandort and Kumar Sangakkara in the opening seven overs before reaching a 122-run target in the closing session, thanks to Malinda Warnapura (54 not out) and skipper Mahela Jayawardene (50 not out). Sri Lanka had won the opening Test by an innings and 239 runs and India the second match by 170 runs.
India, trailing by 147 runs, were bowled out for 268 in their second innings despite gutsy half-centuries from a struggling Rahul Dravid (68) and an injured Venkatsai Laxman (61 not out). The tourists were without paceman Ishant Sharma, who batted with a runner but was unfit to bowl after falling on his follow-through on Saturday.
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh shared the new ball with Zaheer Khan and struck with his fourth delivery when he bowled out-of-form opener Vandort (eight), who finished the series with just 39 runs. Zaheer claimed a big wicket in his fourth over when he removed Sangakkara, who drove straight to Gautam Gambhir at mid-off. Sangakkara, who made a solid 144 in the first innings, contributed only four.
There were no more hiccups for Sri Lanka as Jayawardene and left-handed Warnapura made the most of India's depleted attack, adding 101 for the unfinished third-wicket stand.
Mendis was named man of the series and Sangakkara man of the match for his brilliant hundred.

IND v SL, 3rd Test, Day 4, Colombo: Sri Lanka 396 & 123 for 2 beat India 249 & 268 by 8 wickets

IND v SL, 3rd Test, Day 3, Colombo: Sri Lanka close in on victory

Sri Lanka completed a dominant day by taking five evening-session wickets to propel them towards victory in the series-deciding third Test against India in Colombo.
India had laboured before eventually bowling out their hosts for 396 midway through the middle session, conceding a first-innings deficit of 147. And after tea, debutant Dammika Prasad removed India openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in consecutive overs before the middle order again succumbed to the spinning threat of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis to slump to 161 for five at the close - a lead of just 14 runs. Veteran Rahul Dravid remained at the crease on 46, while VVS Laxman, who was demoted to seven in a failed bid to buy him time as he recovers from the rolled ankle he sustained in Saturday's warm-up session, was also unbeaten on 17.
Earlier, Sri Lanka's lower order had helped the hosts gain control of the match as they took advantage of a sluggish Indian display in the field. Starting the day with a two-run lead and four wickets in hand, Kumar Sangakkara advanced to 144 before being dismissed by Anil Kumble.
Wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene scored 49 and Prasad also made a useful contribution of 36 to give the home side the initiative.

IND v SL, 3rd Test, Day 3, Colombo: India 249 & 161 for 5 (45.0 overs) vs Sri Lanka 396

IND v SL, 3rd Test, Day 2, Colombo: Sangakkara helps Sri Lanka gain lead in cricket Test

Kumar Sangakkara cracked a solid unbeaten 107 to help Sri Lanka gain a slender advantage over injury-hit India in the crucial third and final Test on Saturday.
The left-hander was involved in two valuable partnerships as the hosts reached 251-6 in their first innings at stumps on the second day in reply to India's 249. Prasanna Jayawardene was unbeaten on one. Sangakkara put on 95 for the third wicket with nightwatchman Chaminda Vaas (47) and 60 for the fifth with Thilan Samaraweera (35) on an absorbing day of cricket.
Sangakkara rarely erred in shot selection during his long innings, driving, cutting and pulling remarkably well on the way to his 17th hundred in 76 Tests. He has so far struck 11 fours in his 226-ball knock. India struck twice in the final session just when it looked as though Sri Lanka were on course for a big lead, with left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan having Samaraweera caught behind and Anil Kumble trapping Tillakaratne Dilshan (23) leg-before.
The series is tied at 1-1, with Sri Lanka winning the opening Test by an innings and 239 runs and India clinching a 170-run victory in the second match.

IND v SL, 3rd Test, Day 2, Colombo: India 249 all out (80.0 overs) vs Sri Lanka 251 for 6 (92.0 overs)

IND v SL, 3rd Test, Day 1, Colombo: Mendis five-wicket haul restricts India to 249

Indian middle order failed yet again but opener Gautam Gambhir (72) and a 51-run last wicket stand helped the visitors post 249 against Sri Lanka even as mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis picked five wickets on the opening day of the third and final Test at Colombo today.
Besides Mendis, debutant Dhammika Prasad snared three early wickets and spin wizard Mutthiah Muralitharan picked two as India failed to take advantage of winning the toss on a bouncy Premadasa track here. Sri Lanka were were 14 for loss of one wicket at close with Michael Wandort (3) and night watchman Chaminda Vaas (0) at the crease. Malinda Warnapura was the only Lankan wicket to fall, bowled by pacer Ishant Sharma minutes before the stumps were drawn.
Earlier, hostile fast bowling by Prasad put India on the back foot even as Gambhir ploughed a lone furrow with his patient half century. Later, Mendis ended up with a figure of five wickets for 56 runs and Muralitharan took two for 58 runs to send India packing. Interestingly, most of third umpire review decisions was on India's favour today.
Trying to weather the initial bounce, openers Virender Sehwag and Gambhir tried to keep the scoreboard ticking through some crafty drives. But Sehwag was the first to go after he failed to cash in on a dropped catch by Malinda Warnapura off the bowling of Prasad at short leg and was finally out for 21.
Indians innings was in shambles, but a matured last wicket partnership between Zaheer (32) and Sharma (17), the highest against Sri Lanka, saved the visitors from further humiliation.

IND v SL, 3rd Test, Day 1, Colombo: India 249 all out (80.0 overs) vs Sri Lanka 14 for 1 (8.0 overs)

IND v SL, 3rd Test, Colombo: Sri Lanka and India ready for decider

Having rebounded from a crushing defeat in the first test to win the second, India is confident of carrying on its momentum to a series victory over Sri Lanka when the third and final test begins Friday.
"In terms of confidence, in terms of strategy, we have done whatever we can to ensure we win the test and the series," India captain Anil Kumble said at practice Thursday. "We've done that once, against Australia in 2001, if I remember right, having been down 1-0."
Kumble was unconcerned by the relatively poor form of India's star-studded middle-order batting — comprising Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman and Sourav Ganguly — in the first two tests. The four have scored just 329 runs between themselves in the series.
"I'm not worried, if they score runs which is due, things will be fine," Kumble said. Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene called on his side to show character and display its best form in Colombo. "We have played some really good cricket against a quality side that has plenty of experience and we have shown that we can compete with them well and match them and even beat them," Jayawardene said.
Sri Lanka will make one change to the team that lost in Galle, dropping seamer Nuwan Kulasekara for either of the quicker Thilan Thushara Mirando or uncapped Dammika Prasad. "We lacked a bit of pace, not hurrying the batsmen enough," Jayawardene said. "They are bowling tidy spells, but they need to attack the batsmen."
Sri Lanka will retain out-of-form opening batsman Michael Vandort, who has scored just 17 runs in the three outings. "We had a chat to Michael and there shouldn't be any undue pressure on him because he was batting well before this test (series)," Jayawardene said. "There are couple of senior Indian batsmen too who are going through a similar trot." India may change wicketkeepers, bringing in Parthiv Patel for Dinesh Karthik who had failed to impress with the bat and gloves in the first two tests. Sri Lanka Team (from): Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Michael Vandort, Malinda Warnapura, Thilan Samaraweera, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Prasanna Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dammika Prasad, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Thushara Mirando.
India Team (from): Anil Kumble (Captain), Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman, Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan.

Harbhajan Singh back in India one-day squad

India has recalled ace spinner Harbhajan Singh to its squad for this month's five-match limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, while resting pace spearhead Ishant Sharma.
India's selectors Thursday elected to bring Singh back to the limited-overs squad after his five-match suspension for slapping fellow national squad player Shantakumaran Sreesanth during a domestic twenty20 tournament in April. Singh, who is currently playing in the test series in Sri Lanka, missed a Bangladesh tri-series and the Asia Cup in Pakistan due to the five-match ban imposed on him by Board of Control for Cricket in India.
Also recalled to the one-day squad were star batsman Sachin Tendulkar and pace bowler Zaheer Khan, who had been sidelined with injuries but are both featuring in ongoing test series in Sri Lanka. The Indian cricket board's secretary, Niranjan Shah said Mahendra Dhoni will be back to lead the team against Sri Lanka and the biennial Champions Trophy, after missing the tests against Sri Lanka. Dhoni was rested after playing nonstop cricket for a couple of years.
Shah said India will send 16 players for the one-dayers in Sri Lanka, and the squad will be reduced to 15 for the Champions Trophy in September. Paceman Munaf Patel and wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel will be omitted and Sharma brought back in. The selectors also brought in rookie middle-order batsman Virat Kohli, while dropping batsman Robin Uthappa, allrounder Yusuf Pathan and leg-spinner Piyush Chawla from the squad that lost the Asia Cup final to Sri Lanka. India Team:
Mahendra Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Pragyan Ojha; Ishant Sharma (to miss Sri Lanka series); Munaf Patel and Parthiv Patel (to be omitted ahead of Champions Trophy).

IND v SL, 2nd Test, Galle, Day 4: India win by 170 runs to level series (1:1)

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh bagged a 10-wicket match haul Sunday as India claimed the last five Sri Lanka wickets for just six runs to win the second Test and square the series.
After a humiliating innings defeat in the series opener, India salvaged its reputation with a strong performance with the ball and will go into Friday's deciding Test in Colombo with momentum. Chasing a target of 307 runs to win in the second innings, Sri Lanka lost their way early, losing four top-order wickets for 37 runs on the fourth day.
Opener Virender Sehwag who hammered an unbeaten 201 and followed it up with a 50 in the second innings was named man of the match. A 76-run partnership between Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan looked to resurrect the innings as they went for tea at 109-4, but Singh struck soon after tea when he had Dilshan (38) lbw, triggering a precipitous collapse by the tail.
Thilan Samaraweera's unbeaten 67 was the only highlight for the hosts who capitulated meekly against some aggressive Indian bowling. Samaraweera faced 126 balls and hit eight boundaries as he watched wickets tumble at the other end.
India, which had a 37-run lead on first innings, was bowled out for 269 in its second innings in Sunday's opening session, giving Sri Lanka an achievable chase. However India immediately savaged the top order, quickly reducing Sri Lanka to 10-3.
Ishant Sharma found the edge of Malinda Warnapura's bat, with V.V.S. Laxman snapping up the catch to dismiss the opener for a duck, with the score on 4. Zaheer Khan nailed the dangerous Kumar Sangakkara (1) in the next over, also caught by Laxman, before captain Mahela Jayawardene (5) slashed at Sharma and was taken by Rahul Dravid at cover-point.
Resuming after lunch at 24-3, Sri Lanka soon lost an out-of-form Michael Vandort (10) trapped lbw by Singh. After Dilshan's departure early in the final session, Sri Lanka could not find a tailender who was able to hang in and support Samaraweera.
Singh finished with 4-51 for the innings to record his fifth ten-wicket match haul. That matched the effort of young Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis, who also claimed 10 match wickets in only his second Test.

IND v SL, 2nd Test, Galle, Day 4: India 329 & 269 beat Sri Lanka 292 & 136 by 170 runs

IND v SL, 2nd Test, Galle, Day 3: Sri Lanka bounces back in Galle

Sri Lanka has grabbed three big wickets in the closing session to throw the second Test against India wide open on the third day in Galle.
India was strongly placed at 1 for 144 before slipping to 4 for 200 in its second innings at stumps, with Muttiah Muralidaran, Ajantha Mendis and Chaminda Vaas sharing wickets. The tourists are now only 237 ahead with six wickets in hand. Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman had yet to open their accounts when bad light stopped play.
India appeared to have seized the initiative after attacking knocks from Gautam Gambhir (74), Virender Sehwag (50), Rahul Dravid (44) and Sachin Tendulkar (31), before losing their way. Sri Lanka was bowled out for 292 in its first innings on the stroke of lunch in reply to India's 329, with skipper Mahela Jayawardene top-scoring with a stylish 86.
Off spinner Harbhajan played a big role in India gaining the lead as he grabbed 6 for 102 for his 22nd haul of five or more wickets in a Test innings. He was brilliantly supported by leg-spinner Kumble (3 for 81).
Sri Lanka leads 1-0 in the three-match series following its win by an innings and 239 runs in the opening Test in Colombo.

IND v SL, 2nd Test, Galle, Day 3: India 329 & 200 for 4 (56.4 overs) v Sri Lanka 292 all out (93.3 overs)

IND v SL, 2nd Test, Galle, Day 2: India battles back through Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh bagged four quick wickets in a magnificent spell to put Sri Lanka under pressure in the second Test against India at Galle on Friday.
The off-spinner (4-71) removed well-set Kumar Sangakkara and Malinda Warnapura in successive overs before Sri Lanka struggled to reach 215-5 in their first innings at stumps in reply to India's 329 on the second day. Sangakkara (68) and Warnapura (66) helped Sri Lanka overcome the third-ball dismissal of Michael Vandort with a 133-run stand for the second wicket before Harbhajan struck to restore India's fortunes on a spinners' day. Skipper Mahela Jayawardene was unbeaten on 46 and Prasanna Jayawardene on five not out at the close of play.
Earlier, spinner Ajantha Mendis (6-117) claimed a five-wicket haul in just his second Test to end India's first innings, which was highlighted by an imperious double-century from opener Virender Sehwag. Sehwag was 201 not out when India's last wicket fell at lunch on the second day, bringing up the right-hander's fifth Test double-century. He also passed the 5,000 career Test-runs milestone in his 59th match. He amassed his double century from just 231 deliveries, studded with 22 fours and four sixes.
India resumed the day at 214-4, and Sehwag shared 100 runs with V.V.S Laxman for the fifth wicket to steady India's innings after a middle-order slump. Mendis broke the partnership when he had Laxman caught by Samaraweera for 39, sparking a collapse that saw the visitors lose their last five wickets for just 51 runs.
Sri Lanka can clinch the three-match series with victory in this Test, having won the first Test by an innings and 239 runs.

IND v SL, 2nd Test, Galle, Day 2: India 329 all out (82.0 overs) v Sri Lanka 215 for 5 (61.0 overs)

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