AGENCY
LONDON:Pedestrian bowling performance from defending champions India saw them slump to an unexpected seven-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in a high-scoring ICC Champions Trophy Group B contest here today.
Riding on Shikhar Dhawan’s 125 and half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India piled up a 321 for 6 only to be stunned by Lankan batting line-up that produced a splendid batting show to knock off the runs in 48.4 overs.
Danushka Gunathilaka (76 off 72 balls) and Kusal Mendis (89 off 93) added 159 runs to lay the platform before skipper Angelo Mathews (52 no off 44 balls) coolly finished off the job in company of Kusal Janith Perera (47 retired hurt) and Asela Gunaratne (34 no off 21 balls).
Arguably, the biggest upset of the tournament also threw the group wide open with all four teams India, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka in with a chance to qualify.
India now must beat South Africa on Sunday in order to qualify for the semifinals.
For India, the 103 runs conceded by Hardik Pandya (51 off 7 overs) and Ravindra Jadeja (52 off 6 overs) in 13 overs tilted the game decisively in favour of Lankans on what was a batting belter where a target of 322 looked par for the course.
Call it complacency or unable to gauge the strength of unknown entity, the Indian bowling lacked the required discipline as Gunathilaka and Mendis rolled back the years giving a glimpse of the Lankan sides of mid and late 90 s.
They were hardly bothered by any bowler during their 159 run stand.
score board
India innings
RG Sharma c NLTC Perera b Malinga 78
S Dhawan c Mendis b Malinga 125
V Kohli* c †Dickwella b Pradeep 00
Yuvraj Singh b Gunaratne 07
MS Dhoni† c Chandimal b NLTC Perera 63
HH Pandya c MDKJ Perera b Lakmal 09
KM Jadhav not out 25
RA Jadeja not out 00
Extras 14
Total 321/6
Sri Lanka innings
N Dickwella† c Jadeja b Kumar 07
MD Gunathilaka run out (Yadav/†Dhoni) 76
BKG Mendis run out (Kumar) 89
MDKJ Perera retired hurt 47
AD Mathews* not out 52
DAS Gunaratne not out 34
Extras 17
Total 322/3
