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InDepth headlines national business sports cricket regional entertainment technology world travel autos health | in-depth coverage > India-Sri Lanka Series 2005 > Pathan, Dhoni wreck Lanka 18.45 IST 12th Nov 2005 By Manish Kumar 
Budding all-rounder Irfan Pathan and swashbuckling wicket keeper batsman Mahendra Dhoni scripted another big Indian win, this time by 5 wickets, in the last match of the ODI series against Sri Lanka at the IPCL Ground in Vadodara on November 12.Pathan playing at his home ground for the first time, earned the Man of the Match award for returning with figures of 3/38 and then scoring 35 runs off 23 balls as India achieved the victory target of 245 runs in just 39.3 overs with five wickets in hand. The Indian chase started in an emphatic fashion with Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar setting about the task as if chasing more than 300 runs in 50 overs. The Indian scoring never came below the six runs per over mark as India sent the Sri Lankan bowlers on a leather hunt. Sehwag set the pace of the Indian chase by scoring 25 runs off just 24 balls hitting six fours. The India vice-Captain fell in the eighth over when he edged a Dilhara Fernando delivery into the hands of keeper Kumar Sangakkara. India repeated their first match tactics by sending Pathan at number three, amidst huge cheers from the crowd who were understandably thrilled at seeing the local lad coming in to bat in the prestigious company of Sachin. And Pathan did not disappoint his home crowd. Giving ample display of his talent with the bat, Pathan hit four fours and two sixes, in his 23-ball knock of 35. One of those sixes was over the covers and the other one over fine leg. Sachin at the other end was playing a sedate role, playing copybook cricket except for one cheeky shot and one edge, both off Chaminda Vaas and both went to fine leg for fours. But Nuwan Zoysa dismissed both Pathan and Sachin in one over to give his team a ray of hope. In the fifteenth over, Zoysa first had Pathan caught at deep mid-wicket by Mahela Jayawardene, who took a brilliant catch running backwards. Five balls later, Zoysa foxed Sachin with a slower ball and took a simple return catch. The Maestro scored 39 runs off 48 balls with eight fours. Dilhara Lokuhettige struck next for the Lankans when he clean bowled Mohammad Kaif (13) with an incoming delivery that first brushed the batsman’s pads. Dhoni was sent in at number four (at the dismissal of Pathan) and he started his knock in a patient manner taking singles. But once set, Dhoni hit top gear dazzling the crowd with some breathtaking strokeplay. Dhoni added 83 runs with his skipper Rahul Dravid for the fifth wicket and took India to the door of victory by scoring 80 runs off 73 balls with nine fours and three huge sixes, one of which, hit over long-on, went sailing over the stands. Two shots stood out in Dhoni’s knock, one a cover drive off the backfoot off Fernando and then a short arm jab to mid-wicket off Upul Chandana. Both the shots resulted in fours and both were ample enough to display the punch Dhoni packs in his shots. Dhoni hit three sixes in this innings which took his tally of sixes for this series to seventeen. Not surprisingly, he was chosen the Man of the Series for capturing the imagination of the entire nation with his dazzling power-packed strokeplay. But Dhoni fell when trying to finish the match with a six and was caught at long off by substitute Thilan Samaraweera. Dravid finished the match with a straight drive for four off Vaas and remained unbeaten on 31. Yuvraj Singh didn’t get to face a ball as India won the match by 5 wickets and the series 6-1. Fernando was the most expensive bowler conceding 72 runs from his ten overs. Earlier, Sri Lankan skipper Marvan Atapattu won the toss and surprised one and all by choosing to bat first on a wicket that had enough moisture and movement in it to trouble the batsmen. And the Indian seamers took full advantage of this moisture and movement and drew first blood in no time. In the third over, Pathan had Upul Tharanga (6) caught at first slip by Dravid. Pathan’s new ball partner Ajit Agarkar struck next when he had Samaraweera (6) caught at square leg by Harbhajan Singh. Sangakkara and Jayawardene added 57 runs for the third wicket before R P Singh dismissed both in successive overs. Singh first had Jayawardene (20) caught at short mid-wicket by Murali Kartik and then in his next over induced an edge from the willow of Sangakkara (32) that went high up in the air for Yuvraj to take the catch close to the stumps. Singh took his third wicket in the same over when he had Tillekeratne Dilshan (4) caught behind by Dhoni. The Sri Lankan ship was steadied by the 133-run partnership between skipper Atapattu and Russel Arnold. Both scored their half centuries at a brisk pace but the dismissal of both the batsmen off successive deliveries resulted in Sri Lanka managing to score less than 250. Dravid brought back Pathan in the attack in the 47th over and on the first ball, the local lad had Atapattu (59) caught at deep square leg by Harbhajan. On the very next delivery (as the batsmen had crossed over), Pathan had Arnold (68) caught at deep extra cover by Harbhajan again to reduce the Lankans to 218/7. Agarkar then clean bowled Lokuhettige (5) and Murali Kartik had Vaas (11) caught at the deep mid-wicket boundary by Yuvraj as the Lankans managed 244/9 in their 50 overs. The biggest positives that emerged from this series was the emergence of youngsters like Suresh Raina, R P Singh and Venugopal Rao, the improvement of Dhoni behind the stumps in addition to his swashbuckling stroekplay, the coming back to form for Pathan, Harbhajan and Yuvraj, Gautam Gambhir returning to ODI cricket after two years and scoring a hundred, the comebacks of Sachin and Kaif and most importantly gelling and performing of the team as a unit and the youngsters not only getting full support of their seniors but the seniors like Dravid, Sachin and Sehwag playing second fiddle at the crease and letting the youngsters enjoy their moments in the middle. The approach shown by Dhoni in this series of mixing caution with aggression may well see him selected for the Test series against Sri Lanka. Full marks to coach Greg Chappell and skipper Dravid. India now gear up for the 5-match ODI series against South Africa, which starts from Wednesday in Hyderabad. in-depth coverage > India-Sri Lanka Series 2005 > |
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