India join Sri Lanka in tri-series final

Cricket365
July 9, 2013

India beat Sri Lanka by 81 runs (Duckworth-Lewis method) on Tuesday and the sides will meet again on Thursday to contest the tri-series final in what has been a rainy Port of Spain.

India batted for 29 overs before the rain arrived and made 119 for three. They went off the park for nearly four hours, and when they returned Sri Lanka needed 178 to win off 26 overs. They were all out for 96. India needed to win by 10 runs to keep the West Indies out of the final.

When the rain arrived in the India knock, Rohit Sharma was still in the middle on 48 not out, though the rest of the top order failed.

Shikhar Dhawan was caught in the slips by Mahela Jayawardene for 15, off the bowling of Angelo Mathews, before Rangana Herath removed Virat Kohli via an LBW for 31 and bowled Dinesh Karthik for 12.

Sri Lanka's innings got off to a dire start, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar removing the first three batsmen for just 27 runs. Upul Tharanga and Kumar Sangakkara fell within a delivery of each other, while Mahela Jayawardene departed in the seventh over for 11.

The fourth wicket fell with the score on 31, when Lahiru Thirimanne found himself caught by Kohli off Kumar, leaving Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews to salvage the knock, even though the had already reached the final and looked exhausted.

Ravindra Jadeja broke Kumar's monopoly, bagging Mathew for 10, caught off a faint edge by Dinesh Karthik. The keeper then stumped Chandimal soon after, also off Jadeja, reducing Sri Lanka to 63 for six.

Ravi Ashwin joined the party 16 runs later, bowling Jeevan Mendis for 13, leaving Sri Lanka needing 100 runs from 42 balls. Ishant Sharma got on the scoreboard, so to speak, with a wicket six runs later, removing Rangana Herath.

The final two wickets fell soon after, all to easy catches, as Sri Lanka looked relieved just to get away from the ground for the first time in three days.

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga, Shaminda Eranga, Dilhara Lokuhettige