da dobrowin： In recent times, India have started one-day tournaments like championsbefore ending it as losers
Charlie Austin01-Aug-2001In recent times, India have started one-day tournaments like championsbefore ending it as losers. However, in the Coca Cola Cup, they havedone the opposite and, after a 46-run victory against Sri Lanka at theSinhalese Sports Club today, they look to be peaking at just the righttime.They had lost their first three games, but after successive victoriesagainst Sri Lanka they look to be on a roll. They now take on NewZealand tomorrow in what is effectively a knock out match, as thewinner will proceed to the final.Today’s victory was highly impressive, as the team displayed all thefighting qualities that the Indian coach John Wright has demanded fromhis players. They looked down and out after slumping to 38 for fourwithin the first hour of play.The Indian innings, however, was transformed by Rahul Dravid (47) andYuvraj Singh (98*), who added 102 for the fifth wicket. Withenthusiastic support from Ritender Sodhi (30), they were able to posta challenging target of 227.The Indian pace bowlers then made early inroads as Sri Lanka slippedto 24 for three in the eighth over of the innings. The middle orderthreatened a recovery, but were unable to turn promising stands intomatch winning partnerships and Sri Lanka were eventually bowled outfor 181.The one clear match winner in the game was Yuvraj Singh. Sincebursting on to the international scene with an aggressive 84 againstAustralia in the ICC KnockOut Trophy last year, the tall left-handerhad failed to fulfill the lofty expectations placed upon him by anadoring public.Dropped for India’s tour of Zimbabwe, Yuvraj handsomely repaid thefaith of the selectors today – not as an opener, which is how hebatted at the start of the tournament – but as a middle order batsmen.A free scoring player, he scored an unbeaten 98 from 110 deliveriesand hit seven powerful boundaries. Unfortunately, he narrowly failedto score a well-deserved century, as leg cramps hampered his battingin the final stages of the innings.Yuvraj had come to the wicket after an early flurry of wickets.Virender Shewag was trapped first ball of the match by Chaminda Vaas.Sourov Ganguly square cut uppishly to Kumar Sangakkara at backwardpoint, who was playing in place of Avishka Gunawardene. VVS Laxman wascaught at mid off and Hemang Badani nibbled at a delivery from DilharaFernando.India were on the ropes at 38 for four, but Dravid and Yuvrajconsolidated. Eschewing risks, but still remaining positive theysteadied the innings, adding 32 runs between the 15th and 25th over ofthe innings. They then raised the tempo a notch in the next ten,scoring just over four runs per over.When Dravid was stumped in the 35th over, Sodhi joined Yuvraj and thepair added 57 more runs and steadily increased the run rate. In theend India scored 97 in the final 15 overs to leave Sri Lanka with atricky target on a sporting pitch.They couldn’t have got off to a worse start. Romesh Kaluwitharana (0)was run out for a duck and Marvan Atapattu (1) was caught behind off agood delivery from Zaheer Khan, who bowled with an extra yard of pacetoday despite suffering from sore shins.Sanath Jayasuriya (10) was sent back to the pavilion in the eighthover after he was brilliantly caught at short mid wicket by Dravid whodived full length to his right. Sri Lanka were 24 for three.Russel Arnold (21) and Mahela Jayawardene (34) steadied the inningswith a 43-run stand, not without the odd alarm, before Ganguly trappedArnold leg before wicket with a full-length inswinger.Having had a vehement caught behind appeal turned down the previousball, Ganguly celebrated his wicket by directing a volley of abusetowards the outgoing batsmen. Fully pumped up he had several verbalexchanges with the Sri Lankan batsmen afterwards and his behaviourunsurprisingly attracted the attention of match referee Cammie Smith,who hauled him into his office after the game.Ganguly went on to bowl Jayawardene and Sri Lanka’s hopes started toslip away. Kumar Sangakkara (18), Suresh Perera (32), and KumarDharmasena (27) all started well, but were unable to keep up themomentum and wickets fell regularly in the desperate search forboundaries.The Indian team now faces a worrying wait to see whether they will beplaying with their captain tomorrow. If Cammie Smith is consistent,then he could well be suspended.