12/12/2009

2nd Twenty20 Intl, Mohali, India vs. Sri Lanka

India’s pathetic performance in the Twenty20 International at Nagpur has been analyzed threadbare. So let us not go there and instead look at what it should do to stop the sequence of defeats.

If one were to take Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s statements at face value, it is clear that the Indian cricketers are guilty of taking the Twenty20 format facetiously.

This attitude is behind the laissez-faire fielding and purposeless batting at Nagpur, which consequently led to their humiliation.

Therefore, it is imperative that the Indian cricketers take the field today with conviction.

In addition, it is vital that Indian batsmen convert their starts and stay on to complete the job.

TEAMS

India (from): Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Ashok Dinda, Sudeep Tyagi, Pragyan Ojha, R Ashwin.

Sri Lanka (from): Kumar Sangakkara, Tillekaratne Dilshan, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Kapugedara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Muthiah Muralidharan, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Dilhara Fernando, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Chanaka Welegedara.

Catch the match live on Neo Sports from 5.30 PM

7.00 PM Update

Bat first was the consensus at the toss and Sangakkara promptly elected to bat first on winning it. In all probability, the green tinge on the pitch, the overcast conditions and the ever popular 'dew factor' contributed to the decision.

The happiness of seeing Dilshan leave early was short- lived. The Indian bowlers appeared to have lost their bearings. The medium pacers bowled short and wide. The part timers bowled to a plan. They aimed to bowl at the batsmen's pad.

Though initially they drifted down the leg side, they managed to staunch the flow of boundaries. However, considering the Jayasuriya-Sangakkara onslaught, they bowled much better than the regulars.

The Indian fielding showed improvement. The ground fielding was good, sadly the catching, was poor. The low position of the lighting post probably did not help their cause.

Indian's now chase 207 for a win.

Updated at 9.30 PM


From the start Gambhir appeared agitated and intent on getting himself or his partner Sehwag run out. Fortunately the Sri Lankan’s were so inept, they could run him out only after a 50 run partnership.

Meanwhile, Sehwag was going at his usual rate, however, his timing was bit awry. This led him to not only miscue some shots but also hit the ball too hard.

For once Dhoni eschewed the nudges and went after the bowling. The partnership between Sehwag and Dhoni set the stage for typical Yuvraj innings.

Yuvraj form was so good that he made a mockery of the run rate and enabled India to win with 6 wickets and 5 balls to spare.

(Article was updated at the end of each innings.)
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