Sri Lanka trounce India by 7 wickets on devastating 4 for 13 by Suranga Lakmal to take 1-0 lead
Pace bowler Suranga Lakmal claimed 4 wickets for 13 runs in a devastating spell of swing bowling on a seaming pitch as Sri Lanka inflicted a 7-wicket annihilation of high riding India in the Indian’s own den in the opening ODI of the 3-match series to take a 1-nil lead at Dharmasala on Sunday. Having put India in to bat. Lakmal was so menacing that only eight of India’s batsmen including five frontline batsmen failed to reach double figures as the right arm paceman blew out skipper Rohit Sharma for 2, K. Karthik for a duck, M.K. Pandey for 2, H.H. Pandya for a duck. It was one of India’s lowest ODI scores in what turned out to be a high for new Sri Lankan ODI captain Thisara Perera who rounded his maiden match as captain with a glorious win on a day Sri Lanka inflicted a series of lowest wicket records on India.
Sri Lanka coasted home totaling 114 fpor 3 off 20.4 overs with Upul Tharanga top scoring with 49 off 46 balls and containing 10 boundaries as he shared in a productive 46-run partnership for the third wicket with Angelo Mathews who proved his worth promoted to No.4 in a 42-ball knock containing 5 hits to the ropes. That was after the early dismissals of Gunathilaka for 1 with the total on 7 and Lahiru Thirimanne for a duck with the total on 2 for 19./ Dickwella joined Mathews in an unfinished 49-run alliance for the fourth wicket.
Sri Lankan skipper Thisara Perera did display the skill of shrewd captaincy tactics having operated with Lakmal and Angelo Mathews which marked a remarkable turn around. It was Mathews who started India’s slide accounting for the dangerous Sikhar Dhawan for for a duck trapping him plumb leg before wicket in the last ball of his first over and the second in the innings reducing India to 1 for 0. Then Lakmal sent back Sharma caught behind by Dickwella making it 2 for 2. Next to go was Karthik trapped leg before by and India was reeling on 3 for 8. With Pandey’s dismissal by Lakmal who had him caught by Mathews for 2 the total was 4 for 16. The decline continued with S.S. Iyer bowled by Nuwan Pradeep who came first change for 9; India 5 for 16. H. Pandya offered Mathews a catch off Lakmal for a duck; 6 for 28; B. Kumar going for a duck made it 7 for 29 before the first semblance of runs was mounted by the 7th wicket 41-run alliance between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kuldeep Yadav who made 19 off 25 balls. He fell to Akila Dananjaya who had him stumped by Dickwella to make it 8 for 70. J.J. Bumrah was bowled by Pradeep for a duck with the score on 87 before Dhoni shielded last man Y.S. Chahal in singlehandedly scoring 25 for the last wicket before being dismissed by Thisara Perera who had him caught by Dhanushka Gunathilaka. Dhoni’s 65 came off 87 balls with 10 boundaries and 2 sixes. with figured in a 41-=run alliance. Lakmal returned impeccable figures of 10-4-13-4 as he put the icing on the cake to earn the Man of the Match award. Nuwan Pradeep had figures of 2 for 37 off 10.
By Srianj Obeyesekere
