COLOMBO: It was a series of firsts for India in many ways. For the first time, an Indian team registered a 4-1 victory verdict in a bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka. Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir scored their first centuries against the Lankans on their home turf. Overall, it was a display of the Indian batting might which left the opposition in a shambles.
Yuvraj Singh led the batting honours with panache as he tried to put the consistency tag on his performances. His 38 boundaries and three sixes stood testimony to the mayhem he caused in the rival camp. He looked like getting a big score every time he took guard in the five-match series.
Sehwag (4 matches, 169 runs) didn’t need any opportunity. He just had to be at the crease till the spinners came along. In the only instance that he managed to stay that long (in the third match), he simply massacred them. It was also the most enduring part of the series as it was the first time that both Yuvraj and Sehwag were part of an alliance in an international match.
Another batsman who looked set for big scores every time he walked to the crease was Gambhir. The 27-year-old eventually came up with a big knock (150) which was also his ODI best. He scored most of his runs with tactful placements. While the stroke-players took centrestage, one batsman sneaked by the scoring charts with a display that ranked high on tenacity. MS Dhoni was the least attractive but what the captain lacked in style he made it up with substantial contributions.
Such was the Indian batting display that the massive threat posed by the Lankan spinners Muthian Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis ended in a whimper. The Indian gameplan was simple: don’t be too enterprising, play watchfully and don’t gift wickets. Every batsman followed the plan religiously and with the slow tracks too not being of much help either, Muralitharan and Mendis had to be content with just five wickets each from five matches.
The Indian bowling didn’t match up to the batting standards set during the series. At best it was patchy. Ishant Sharma, who headed the wickets tally from either side with 10 scalps, was the best example. The 20-year-old bowled brilliantly in spells but gave it away when it mattered. His economy rate (6.07) was an indicator of all that.
Spearhead Zaheer Khan too followed a similar pattern. The only bowler to have strung three maiden overs in the series, showed his class in the first and the third ODIs but had an off-day in the second. The 22-year-old Praveen Kumar was a surprise element in the pace pack. He topped the economy charts (4.15 runs per over).
Pragyan Ojha too came of age in the absence of Harbhajan. The left-arm spinner shouldered the spin department duties manfully and was rewarded for his efforts - seven wickets in four matches. He also recorded his best ODI figures of 4-38 in the third match.
THE HITS
Yuvraj Singh 284 runs (5 matches, HS 117, avg 56.80)
MS Dhoni 266 runs (5 matches, HS 94, avg 88.66)
Gautam Gambhir 262 runs (5 matches, HS 150, avg 52.40)
Ishant Sharma 10 wkts (5 matches, BB 4-57, avg 24.30)
Pragyan Ojha 7 wkts (4 matches, BB 4-38, avg 23.28)
Praveen Kumar 5 wkts (3 matches, BB 2-38, avg 20.20)
MISSES
Sachin Tendulkar 18 (3 matches)
Rohit Sharma 44 (3 matches)
Irfan Pathan 4 wkts (2 matches, Eco: 7.06)
http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4102356.cms?TOI_Cricket_mostread
Yuvraj Singh led the batting honours with panache as he tried to put the consistency tag on his performances. His 38 boundaries and three sixes stood testimony to the mayhem he caused in the rival camp. He looked like getting a big score every time he took guard in the five-match series.
Sehwag (4 matches, 169 runs) didn’t need any opportunity. He just had to be at the crease till the spinners came along. In the only instance that he managed to stay that long (in the third match), he simply massacred them. It was also the most enduring part of the series as it was the first time that both Yuvraj and Sehwag were part of an alliance in an international match.
Another batsman who looked set for big scores every time he walked to the crease was Gambhir. The 27-year-old eventually came up with a big knock (150) which was also his ODI best. He scored most of his runs with tactful placements. While the stroke-players took centrestage, one batsman sneaked by the scoring charts with a display that ranked high on tenacity. MS Dhoni was the least attractive but what the captain lacked in style he made it up with substantial contributions.
Such was the Indian batting display that the massive threat posed by the Lankan spinners Muthian Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis ended in a whimper. The Indian gameplan was simple: don’t be too enterprising, play watchfully and don’t gift wickets. Every batsman followed the plan religiously and with the slow tracks too not being of much help either, Muralitharan and Mendis had to be content with just five wickets each from five matches.
The Indian bowling didn’t match up to the batting standards set during the series. At best it was patchy. Ishant Sharma, who headed the wickets tally from either side with 10 scalps, was the best example. The 20-year-old bowled brilliantly in spells but gave it away when it mattered. His economy rate (6.07) was an indicator of all that.
Spearhead Zaheer Khan too followed a similar pattern. The only bowler to have strung three maiden overs in the series, showed his class in the first and the third ODIs but had an off-day in the second. The 22-year-old Praveen Kumar was a surprise element in the pace pack. He topped the economy charts (4.15 runs per over).
Pragyan Ojha too came of age in the absence of Harbhajan. The left-arm spinner shouldered the spin department duties manfully and was rewarded for his efforts - seven wickets in four matches. He also recorded his best ODI figures of 4-38 in the third match.
THE HITS
Yuvraj Singh 284 runs (5 matches, HS 117, avg 56.80)
MS Dhoni 266 runs (5 matches, HS 94, avg 88.66)
Gautam Gambhir 262 runs (5 matches, HS 150, avg 52.40)
Ishant Sharma 10 wkts (5 matches, BB 4-57, avg 24.30)
Pragyan Ojha 7 wkts (4 matches, BB 4-38, avg 23.28)
Praveen Kumar 5 wkts (3 matches, BB 2-38, avg 20.20)
MISSES
Sachin Tendulkar 18 (3 matches)
Rohit Sharma 44 (3 matches)
Irfan Pathan 4 wkts (2 matches, Eco: 7.06)
http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4102356.cms?TOI_Cricket_mostread
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