India beat Sri Lanka, clinch one-day series

Vishakhapatnam, February 17:

Yuvraj Singh and Sourav Ganguly smashed unbeaten half centuries on Saturday as India beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets to clinch the four match limited overs series in both team’s last match before the cricket World Cup.

Singh (95 not out) and Ganguly (58 not out) put on 145 runs for the fourth wicket off 143 balls to race India to the victory target of 260 runs with six overs to spare.

Such was Singh’s dominance that he plundered 22 runs, including four boundaries and one six, in Farveez Maharoof’s last over to finish the match. Singh’s innings, studded with 11 boundaries and three sixes, marked his return to form after his three-month absence with a knee injury.

Ganguly opened the Indian innings, but left the field after playing two balls complaining of cramps in his thigh. He resumed batting at the fall of India’s second wicket and clobbered three sixes and three fours.

The teams entered Saturday’s match level at 1-1 after Sri Lanka won the second match at Rajkot and India romping home in the third game at Margao. The opening game in Kolkata was abandoned after heavy showers disrupted play.

Umpires Simon Taufel and Ameesh Saheba ordered a delayed start Saturday because of a wet outfield caused by overnight dew in this southern Indian coastal city, reducing the game to 47 overs per side.

Early movement of the ball and some poor shot selection brought the downfall of key Sri Lankan batsmen. Chamara Silva compiled a determined maiden limited overs century to help Sri Lanka recover to 259-7. After coming in with Sri Lanka at 53-3, Silva (107 not out) steered his side from a dismal position 125-5 with a 68-run fifth-wicket with Tillekaratne Dilshan (28) and a 64-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Farveez Maharoof (28).

The openers started well reaching 42 without loss in six overs with Sanath Jayasuriya going after the Indian bowling. Showing little patience, Jayasuriya (22) played a swinging ball from pace bowler Ajit Agarkar uppishly, straight to Ganguly in the cover region. Sri Lanka slumped to 56-4 in the space of 27 deliveries, losing captain Mahela Jayawardene (7), Kumara Sangakkara (1) and Marvan Atapattu (19).

SCOREBOARD

SRI LANKA

M Atapattu b Sreesanath 19

S Jayasuriya c Ganguly b Agarkar 22

M Jayawardene c Uthappa b Agarkar 7

K Sangakkara c Uthappa b Khan 1

C Silva not out 107

T Dilshan c Uthappa b Ganguly 28

R Arnold c Sreesanth b Sehwag 22

F Maharoof c Karthik b Khan 28

M Bandara not out 5

Extras: 20 (1b, 2lb, 3nb,14w)

Total: 259/7 (47 overs)

FoW: 1-42, 2-50, 3-52, 4-56, 5-124, 6-165, 7-229

India bowling: Khan 10-2-54-2, Agarkar 10-1-52-2, Sreesanth 8-1-46-1, Singh 9-048-0, Ganguly 6-0-29-1, Sehwag 4-0-27-1

INDIA

S Ganguly not out 58

V Sehwag run out 46

R Uthappa c Jayasuriya b Maharoof 52

D Karthik c & b Fernando 1

Y Singh not out 95

Extras: 11 (2lb, 1nb, 8w)

Total: 263/3 (41 overs)

FoW: 1-92, 2-106,3-118

Sri Lanka bowling: Maharoof 6-0-60-1, Malinga 9-1-54-0, Fernando 9-1-56-1, Bandara 4-0-37-0, Dilshan 9-0-34-0, Jayasuriya 2-0-10-0, Arnold 2-0-10-0