 India suffer humiliating loss in Colombo
29th Aug 2008 23:04 IST
Agencies
A spineless batting display proved anticlimax to a historic series win as India suffered a humiliating 112-run loss against Sri Lanka under Duckworth-Lewis system in the rain-affected fifth and final one-dayer at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo tonight.
Though India won the five-match series 3-2 but today's loss, their heaviest in Sri Lanka, proved a dampener to the series win.
Chasing a revised target of 216 from 44 overs after rain interrupted the match for 90 minutes when India were wobbling at 70/3 in the 15th over, the visitors were skittled out for just 103 from 26.3 overs, their lowest score in Sri Lanka after the hosts had put up 227/6 from 50 overs.
None of the visiting batsmen offered any resistance to Lankan bowlers Nuwan Kulasekara and Ajantha Mendis who shared eight wickets between themselves, with Virat Kohli top-scoring with 31 while seven batsmen were out for just 33 runs in 12.1 overs.
Kulasekara ran through the Indian top order claiming 4/40 from nine overs with the scalps of openers Gautam Gambhir and Kohli, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma while Mendis claiming 4/10 from 4.3 overs. Dilhara Fernando chipped two wickets for 24 runs.
The Indians began on a cautious note with openers Gambhir and Kohli scoring just three runs after three overs with the first and third overs bowled by Kulasekara being maiden overs.
But two fours by Gambhir off Thilan Thushara and a huge six by Kohli off Kulasekara eased off the pressure and India were 20 after the fifth over and the run rate of four was maintained till Gambhir was out in the last ball of ninth over after scoring a mere 11 from 16 balls which included two fours.
The senior of the Delhi openers nicked a Kulasekara delivery while playing away from the body and Kumar Sangakkara did the rest behind the wicket to reduce India to 38/1.
Kohli paid the price for playing across for too many as he was plumb LBW nine balls after Gambhir's departure though after making a useful 31 off 46 balls, which included three fours and a six.
India were at a spot of bother at 45/2 but Yuvraj Singh and Raina began the repair work with some lusty blows.
Raina, however, was to be blamed for getting out off a poor shot and the Uttar Pradesh youngster tried to play a pull shot off Kulasekara to a ball which was not short enough only to hole out at mid-off to Fernando for 10 (13 balls, 2X4).
Sharma, who came after the 90-minute rain intervention, did not last long and was out LBW to Kulasekara for 3 though he was unlucky to have got the verdict as the ball was outside the line at the point of impact.
Nine balls later mystery bowler Mendis claimed Yuvraj's wicket in his first ball which hit the stumps after having an inside edge and India were looking down the barrel at 79/5 then.
Any hopes of fightback went up in smokes after Mahendra Singh Dhoni was out for one in the 20th over with Fernando cleaning up the Indian captain's stumps for just one off seven deliveries to send the visitors to 85/6.
Irfan Pathan (7), Zaheer Khan (3), Rudra Pratap Singh (4) and Pragyan Ojha (5) went back to the pavillion like in a procession to complete the rout.
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