A brilliant opening partnership saw Sri Lanka thrash India by 161 runs at Sabina Park in their tri series encounter.
Both teams were eager to win this game and get some points on the board. Sri Lanka had brought in Kusal Perera and Sachithra Senanayake in place of the two Mendis’s into the lineup for this game, while India were missing skipper MS Dhoni due to a hamstring injury. Virat Kohli took over the reins, and will continue to do so for the rest of the series, while Murali Vijay replaced Dhoni in the side and Bhuveneshwar Kumar made way for Shami Ahmed.
Kohli got his captaincy debut off to a good start as he won the toss on a pitch that has generally been significantly easier to bat on in the afternoon. Sri Lanka once again opened with Mahela Jayewardene and Upul Tharanga, opting to hold Kusal Perera back. The openers initially showed respect for the perceived conditions, but it was obvious that either the track was much drier or the West Indies fast bowlers had exploited the moisture much better in the previous matches. They opened up then, putting on a double century stand for the first wicket. Mahela picked up from where he left off in the last match, hitting a classy century, his first ODI hundred in 2 years, while Tharanga was at his absolute best, striking an unbeaten career best of 174. Both batsmen got a little help along the way, from a somewhat lacklustre Indian fielding unit, with Mahela being put down on 25, and Tharanga on 91.
Mahela finally fell during the last over of the batting power play, for 107, while attempting to up the scoring rate. Tharanga then got together with Captain Mathews, who had promoted himself to number 3, to absolutely shred the bowlers to bits in the death overs, plundering 135 runs off just 68 balls. Tharanga was unstoppable after reaching his century, dispatching the Indian bowling over the ropes effortlessly, showcasing all his natural talent. Mathews played the perfect support innings, ending up with 44 0f 29, as the pair propelled Sri Lanka to a massive 348 for 1 at the end of 50 overs. Incidentally, this was the first time in ODI history that a team finished their 50 overs for the loss of only 1 wicket.
As majestic as the Sri Lankan batting was, they were aided by a generally toothless bowling unit. It would have been hard to say that this same attack won the Champions trophy only a week ago. The fielding was also subpar, and Kohli was left ruing the many dropped catches and misfields by his fielders. It was obvious that the absence of MS Dhoni and his ice cool calm was being felt quite a bit.
Requiring 7 an over from the start, India were strangely subdued in their response. The top order batsmen made no real attempt to take on any of the Lankan bowlers, and made only 28 runs in the first 10 overs. They still managed to lose regular wickets however, Rohit Sharma being caught brilliantly at short mid wicket, before Dhawan and Kohli both holed out in the deep. Murali Vijay struggled to get going for a while before eventually being bowled by Lasith Malinga. The required rate was increasing alarmingly, and the pressure got to Dinesh Karthik, as he was stumped off a Herath delivery while going for an expansive sweep shot. The rest of the batting crumbled with no real resistance, and India were routed for 188, completing a massive win that also gave Sri Lanka a bonus point.
Upul Tharanga was named Man of the Match. The teams now travel to Port of Spain for the second round of the series.
Sri Lanka 348 for 1 (Tharanga 174*, Jayawardene 107, Mathews 44*) beat India 187 (Jadeja 49*, Herath 3-37) by 161 runs
