Lanka win 1st T20
Sri Lanka won the first Thwenty20 international against hosts India by 29 runs at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur yesterday. Chasing a massive Sri Lanka total of 215-5, Indian batsmen fought gainly but fell short of the target eventually finishing on 186 for 9 in their twenty overs. After a rollicking start from opener Gautam Gambhir (55), none of the other batsmen could keep up the momentum, specially after the Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara introduced the spinners. Sanath Jayasuriya and Angelo Mathews took two wickets each for Sri Lanka.
AFP adds: earlier, Sangakkara smashed a career-best 78 off just 37 balls to help Sri Lanka post a massive 215-5.
The Sri Lankan captain hit 11 fours and two sixes and also shared 74 runs in 6.1 overs with Tillakaratne Dilshan (34) after the visitors were put in to bat at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium.
Sangakkara hit left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha for two fours and a six to race to his fourth half-century in his 19th Twenty20 international before being run out off the last ball of the innings.
Chamara Kapugedera further boosted the total with a quickfire 47 off 20 balls with seven boundaries and a six.
India paid the price for some sloppy fielding with Yuvraj Singh dropping a sitter at point when hard-hitting opener Sanath Jayasuriya was on four, the unlucky bowler being Ishant Sharma.
But Jayasuriya, who slammed Nehra for five fours in an over, could not make the most of the reprieve, caught by Ishant off debutant paceman Ashok Dinda on 26.
Dilshan, dropped on 13 by Ishant off his own bowling, combined with Sangakkara to take Sri Lanka to 89-1 after 10 overs before being bowled by a yorker from Rohit Sharma.
India struck again to remove Mahela Jayawardene cheaply for nine but Kapugedera and Sangakkara made light of the setback, unleashing a flurry of hits to the fence to unsettle the Indians.
The second and final Twenty20 match will be played in Mohali on Saturday.
Comments