Tendulkar inspires India to whip Sri Lanka
NAGPUR, India, Tuesday (AFP) Sachin Tendulkar smashed 93 off 96 balls
on his return from an elbow injury as India whipped Sri Lanka by 152
runs on Tuesday to take a 1-0 lead in the seven-match one-day series.
Irfan Pathan hit a career-best 83 and new captain Rahul Dravid
stroked an unbeaten 85 off 63 balls to lift India to 350-6 from 50 overs
in perfect batting conditions at the Vidarbha Cricket Association
ground.
Sri Lanka managed only 198 in reply as off-spinner Harbhajan Singh
grabbed three wickets in his first three overs and super-sub Murali
Kartik polished off the tail with his left-arm spin.
Kumar Sangakkara's 43 was the top score for Sri Lanka, who were
struggling at 126-8 before Chaminda Vaas (37 not out) and super-sub
Dilhara Lokuhettige (29) delayed the inevitable.
Tendulkar, the world's most successful limited-overs batsman, showed
no signs of the tennis elbow injury that kept him away from the game for
six months as he plundered nine boundaries and two sixes.
The 32-year-old, playing his first international match since the
April 17 one-dayer against Pakistan in New Delhi, did not look back
after taking two consecutive boundaries in seamer Farveez Maharoof's
opening over.
Tendulkar, whose much-awaited return was watched by a sell-out crowd
of 40,000 home fans at the stadium and millions on television, took his
world record tally to 13,735 runs from 349 matches. Left-hander Pathan,
promoted to number three, revelled in his new role as a pinch-hitter by
blasting eight fours and four sixes during a second-wicket stand of 164
with Tendulkar.
The duo took the Sri Lankan attack apart in hot and humid conditions
before both batsmen fell in successive overs trying to force the pace.
Pathan holed out to point off Tillakaratne Dilshan, while Tendulkar
narrowly failed to increase his record haul of 38 one-day centuries when
he edged Maharoof to wicket-keeper Sangakkara. Dravid, who won the toss
and elected to take first strike, hit eight fours and a six as India
smashed 100 runs in the final 10 overs.
When Sri Lanka batted, Sanath Jayasuriya (27) and Sangakkara overcame
the loss of captain Marvan Atapattu in the third over to add 64 for the
second wicket by the 10th over. But Dravid's bold gamble to bring on
Harbhajan in the 11th over paid off as the off-spinner had Jayasuriya
jabbing his second delivery to the captain in the covers. Virender
Sehwag, who made only 20 with the bat, struck with his third ball when
Sangakkara lobbed back an easy return catch as Sri Lanka slipped to 76-3
by the 12th over. Harbhajan then had Upul Chandana stumped and clean
bowled Russel Arnold in the space of four deliveries to open up the Sri
Lankan lower order. The second match in the series will be played under
lights in the northern town of Mohali on Friday.
INDIA
V. Sehwag c Sangakkara b Vaas 20
S. Tendulkar c Sangakkara b Maharoof 93
Irfan Pathan c Jayawardena b Dilshan 83
Y. Singh lbw b Dilshan 14
R. Dravid not out 85
M. Dhoni c Jayawardena b Fernando 38
A. Agarkar run out 01
J. Yadav not out 03
Extras: (lb5, w4, nb4) 13 TOTAL (for 6 wickets) 350
FALL OF WICKETS:
1-41, 2-205, 3-207, 4-247, 5-316, 6-319
BOWLING:
Vaas 9-0-67-1, Maharoof 10-0-82-1, Fernando 10-0-66-1,
Muralitharan 10-0-49-0, Dilshan 6-0-40-2, Chandana 5-0-41-0
SRI LANKA
S. Jayasuriya c Dravid b Harbhajan 27
M. Atapattu b Pathan 01
K. Sangakkara c and b Sehwag 43
U. Chandana st Dhoni b Harbhajan 03
M. Jayawardena b Kartik 17
R. Arnold b Harbhajan 00
T. Dilshan b Kartik 23
F. Maharoof st Dhoni b Kartik 02
C. Vaas not out 37
D. Lokuhettige b Sreesanth 29
M. Muralitharan c Kartik b Sreesanth 06
Extras: (lb2, w6, nb2) 10
TOTAL 198
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-10, 2-74, 3-76, 4-88, 5-88,
6-118, 7-121, 8-126, 9-189
BOWLING:
Pathan 5-0-34-1, Sreesanth 5.4-0-39-2, Agarkar 3-0-20-0,
Harbhajan 10-0-35-3, Sehwag 3-1-20-1, Kartik 9-0-48-3
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