| 0.2 : 0.2: J Unadkat to K Mendis, SIX! What a hit! Took one hand off it while playing that but that still went a long way. It's dropped fuller in length, Kusal Mendis lofts it high and handsome over covers for a maximum. |
| 1.1 : 1.1: W Sundar to D Gunathilaka, SIX! Welcome, young Sundar! Gunathilaka greets him with a hammering blow. From around the wicket, it's tossed right up there. The left-hander backs away and bangs it straight back down for a flat biggie. |
| 2.1: S Thakur to D Gunathilaka, OUT! MAGNIFICENT CATCH FROM SURESH RAINA! Absolute blinder. Oh wow. The replays won't justify just how hard that was hit. Unbelievable stuff. It's on a back of a length on middle and off, Gunathilaka rocks back and looks to blast the pull over mid-wicket. Not much elevation on this though. Raina moves to his left and dives full stretch as the ball sticks in his hand. Superb. Thakur is happy and relieved at the same time, he knows his mate has bailed him out. Early |
| 2.5 : 2.5: S Thakur to K Mendis, FOUR! Just wide of Chahal in the deep! Short and wide outside off, Mendis throws his bat at this and gets it off the top edge. Third man is quite square, which gives the ball enough time to go across the rope on a bounce. |
| 3.1 : 3.1: W Sundar to K Perera, OUT! BOWLED! Kusal Perera is gone. This is a big wicket for the Indians. Sundar from around the wicket bowls it full, Perera kneels down to reverse sweep but gets it off the back pad back onto the stumps. He's shocked at that sight, while the Indians rejoice. Credit to Washington here, he's comeback well. Got hit for a six the first ball of his last over, picks up a wicket this time around. |
| 4.3 : 4.3: Y Chahal to K Mendis, FOUR! Finds the gap this time. Short ball and this time Mendis pulls it wide of the mid on fielder for a boundary. |
| 5.1 : 5.1: W Sundar to K Mendis, FOUR! Nicely done. Mendis picks up the length early, kneels forward and across before lifting the sweep over backward square leg for a boundary. Picked his spot and executed the shot to perfection. The 50 comes up for Sri Lanka, which interestingly, is their slowest in this tournament so far. |
| 7.2 : 7.2: Y Chahal to U Tharanga, SIX! Massive hit! Chahal gives this some decent flight and it's quite slow through the air, Tharanga clears his front leg and breaks the shackles with a big swing over the long on boundary. Needed that, can probably help him to cut loose now. |
| 7.5 : 7.5: Y Chahal to K Mendis, SIX! Poor length and Kusal Mendis has punished that! Half-tracker on the stumps, Mendis uses the depth of the crease well before positioning himself for the big pull. Right off the meat, it goes sailing into the mid-wicket stands. |
| 8.5: V Shankar to U Tharanga, FOUR! A juicy full toss outside off, Upul Tharanga accepts the freebie with delight as he smacks it over the covers. Beats the man in the deep, picks up a good boundary. With that, the 50-run stand between these two is up. |
| 9.6 : 9.6: J Unadkat to K Mendis, SIX! THAT'S HUUUUUGGGEEEEE!!!! The boy is on fire tonight. Leaving nothing to chance, smashing everything so well. Short ball, Mendis moves across and swings hard. Hits it high into the night sky and then deep into the square leg stands. The man in the deep can only watch that go away. |
| 10.4 : 10.4: V Shankar to U Tharanga, OUT! You miss and I hit stuff! India finally have the breakthrough as they manage to break the 62-run stand! Rohit Sharma is all smiles! Shankar bowls another cross seam delivery, angling it in on middle, Tharanga comes down the track to slog across the line but misses and sees his furniture shattered. To be honest, Upul that wasn't needed. You just have to rotate the strike and let the man at the other end do the hitting job. |
| 10.5 : 10.5: V Shankar to T Perera, SIX! What a start for Perera! He's not going to hold back and that is why he has promoted himself up the order! Stays put to a length delivery and swings it flat over deep backward square leg to open his account. |
| 10.6 : 10.6: V Shankar to T Perera, SIX! Thisara Perera means business! Back-to-back maximums for him. Shankar pitches it up but in his arc, TP clears the front leg and just lifts it cleanly over long off. India break the stand but Sri Lanka still manage to get 14 from the over. |
| 11.6: S Thakur to T Perera, OUT! Thisara's show is over! Well, you live by the sword and die by it goes the saying here. Thakur bowls a slower full ball outside off, Perera swings wildly but is deceived by the lack of pace on it. Gets a big top edge which balloons high up in the air over extra cover. Chahal backtracks, keeps his eyes on the ball and takes a well-judged reverse cup catch. |
| 13.2 : 13.2: W Sundar to J Mendis, OUT! Bowled 'em! Sundar is having a good outing as he picks up his second wicket of the game. In fact, my colleague reminds me that it's his first non-Kusal wicket in this format. Tosses it up bravely on the stumps, Jeevan Mendis makes room to drive it away, expecting it to turn away but this one doesn't and just goes straight on. Beats the inside edge and hits the middle stick. |
| 14.1 : 14.1: Y Chahal to K Mendis, OUT! Another one departs! What's going on Sri Lanka? Will a collapse follow? Chahal drops it on a shorter length, it's the leg break. Kusal Mendis camps back to cut but isn't too keen to play with full heart. Gets it off the toe end of the bat and Rohit Sharma at cover accepts a dolly. The hosts are losing their way now. |
| 16.1: S Thakur to D Shanaka, FOUR! Nicely done! Thakur comes from over the wicket and drops it on a back of a length outside off, Shanaka makes room and at the last moment opens the face of his bat to guide it fine down to third man for a boundary. A much-needed one. |
| 17.3 : 17.3: J Unadkat to D Shanaka, SIX! Off the meat! Brilliant from Dasun, took everyone by surprise there! He anticipated Unadkat to bowl another slower delivery and was up for it. Waits deep in the crease and bludgeons it over extra cover for a maximum all the way. |
| 17.6 : 17.6: J Unadkat to A Dananjaya, OUT! Yes, he does! Good catch from KL Rahul. Jaydev with another slower ball on the stumps, Akila Dananjaya swings again but the bat turns in his hands at the point of impact. Still travels towards long on but only as far as KL Rahul who is waiting there. He takes it easily. |
| 18.1 : 18.1: S Thakur to S Lakmal, FOUR! A boundary to begin the final over and it's 150 up for Sri Lanka with that! Gets across to a back of a length ball and hits it over mid on for a boundary. |
| 18.4 : 18.4: S Thakur to D Shanaka, OUT! Knuckle delivery on off, Shanaka is early into his shot and gets an edge. Dinesh Karthik behind the stumps accepts a regulation catch. |
| 18.5 : 18.5: S Thakur to D Chameera, OUT! Two-in-two for Thakur! The knuckle ball is working well for him. He's on a hat-trick now. Chameera gets across and swings as hard as he can. Gets beaten by the slowness on the ball, gets a top edge and Jaydev Unadkat at short third man takes it comfortably. |
| 0.2 : 0.2: S Lakmal to R Sharma, SIX! Rohit is up and running! True pitch, screams Russel Arnold on air. Lakmal hurls it on a back of a length on middle, it sits up at a good height too as Rohit Sharma stands tall and muscles the pull over square leg for half a dozen. |
| 0.3 : 0.3: S Lakmal to R Sharma, FOUR! India off to a flier, too! On the pads this time, Rohit walks across just a touch and dumps it on the bounce over backward square leg for a boundary. |
| 1.6 : 1.6: A Dananjaya to R Sharma, OUT! Straight to the man! Dananjaya sees Rohit is giving the charge and hence he smartly drifts it on the pads. The Indian skipper is too close to the pitch of the ball but still looks to whip/flick it over mid-wicket. Doesn't get it off the middle and hands a simple catch to Kusal Mendis at mid-wicket who is just at the edge of the circle. Rohit shakes his head in disarray as he trudges back. |
| 2.5 : 2.5: S Lakmal to S Dhawan, FOUR! That had please-hit-me written all over it! Lakmal is certainly struggling to find his line and length. Delivers a short ball down the leg side and Dhawan takes full toll of it. Walks across and pulls it down to fine leg for a boundary. |
| 3.1 : 3.1: A Dananjaya to S Dhawan, OUT! Dhawan, the man in form is walking back now. Both the Indian openers are gone inside the first 4 overs. Sri Lanka are all pumped up. Good bowling from Akila again. Nicely tosses it up around off, Dhawan dances down the track but the ball turns away from him and since Shikhar is already out of the crease he goes on with his shot. Miscues it in the air towards mid on where Thisara Perera takes it easily. India in a bit of bother now. |
| 4.2 : 4.2: D Chameera to S Raina, FOUR! Easy as it would get! Shortish and down the leg side, Raina is quick to get inside the line and help it fine down the leg side for a boundary. |
| 4.4 : 4.4: D Chameera to S Raina, FOUR! Shot! Chameera once again digs in a short ball on middle, Raina jumps down the track, is a bit cramped for room as well but still swings across the line. Gets decent connection and fetches a one-bounce boundary towards square leg. |
| 4.5 : 4.5: D Chameera to S Raina, SIX! Bam! Meaty blow, that! Another one on a shorter length on middle, Raina flat-bats it across the line. Booming hit that as the ball clears the square leg fence for a maximum. All power! |
| 6.2 : 6.2: N Pradeep to L Rahul, FOUR! Rahul gets his first boundary! A stylish looking shot that! Gets across to a length delivery and flicks it over the man at short fine leg. No need to run for those! |
| 6.4 : 6.4: N Pradeep to S Raina, SIX! Dumped away! That was a poor delivery from Pradeep and gets the treatment! Pradeep digs in a short ball down the leg side, Raina walks across and helps it over fine leg. There was a man stationed near the rope but he could only watch it sail over him and into the fence. |
| 6.5 : 6.5: N Pradeep to S Raina, OUT! Tame dismissal! Nuwan Pradeep breaks the stand! He sees Suresh jumping out of the track early and so he drops it on a length wider than his reach. Suresh Raina still goes on with the shot. Doesn't get any power behind it and spoons a simple catch to Thisara Perera at mid off. What a time to pick up a wicket and the look on the faces of the Lankans tells us that. |
| 7.3 : 7.3: J Mendis to M Pandey, FOUR! Pummeled! Mendis drops it short, Pandey is quick to rock back and smack it past the man at mid-wicket for a boundary. That was hit with disdain! |
| 8.1 : 8.1: T Perera to M Pandey, FOUR! Superb hit! Perera begins with a short ball outside off, Pandey gets on top of the bounce and thrashes it through cover for a boundary to welcome the Lanka skipper into the attack. |
| 9.5 : 9.5: J Mendis to L Rahul, OUT! Hit wicket! Would you believe it? After surviving a close run out chance on the previous ball, he finds this way to throw his wicket away. He bags a record as well - first Indian batsman to get out hit wicket in T20Is! Flatter delivery on the stumps, Rahul goes too deep in the crease to tuck it away but by doing that, his back leg makes contact with the stumps and that is it for him tonight as the LED bails come out. Really, soft dismissal. India require 68 from 55 |
| 11.2 : 11.2: J Mendis to D Karthik, FOUR! Good shot. Should release some pressure. It's dropped short, Karthik waits for it to come to him, and then unleashes a fierce cut through point for a boundary. |
| 12.1 : 12.1: N Pradeep to M Pandey, FOUR! What a shot! Elegant and skillful from Manish Pandey. Short of a good length outside off, Pandey stands tall, gets on top of the bounce and punches it firmly through extra cover for a boundary. |
| 14.3 : 14.3: T Perera to M Pandey, SIX! He's muscled it! Short of a length, Pandey picks the length early and he leaves nothing behind. Throws everything at it and sends the ball sailing over the mid-wicket fence with a powerful pull. |
| 15.1 : 15.1: J Mendis to D Karthik, FOUR! Terrific way to start the over! Short and width offered outside off, Karthik pounces on it and crashes it through the covers, beating the man out in the deep. |
| 16.3 : 16.3: D Chameera to D Karthik, FOUR! Overpitched and Chameera has paid the price. Good batting from Karthik. Saw it pitched up, knew the fielder was inside the circle so he slogged it over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 17.1 : 17.1: N Pradeep to D Karthik, FOUR! Dinesh Karthik has played an excellent shot. He anticipated the ball to be dropped short, so he stood tall and muscled the pull over mid-wicket for a one-bounce boundary. |
| 17.2 : 17.2: N Pradeep to D Karthik, FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries! Scores are level now. Dipping full toss outside off, Karthik hammers this across the long on fence on the bounce. |
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