The third One Day International (ODI) between India and Sri Lanka, just like the first ODI, turned out to be a one-sided affair, as India won the match by 6 wickets and 35 balls to spare.
Let’s take a look at some of the key performances and rate them according to their contribution in the game.
GRADE A
Mahela Jayawardene fought a lone battle for Sri Lanka in the middle. Jayawardene, who got no support from the other end, scored a brilliant century to give some respect to Sri Lanka’s total. Mahela Jayawardene scored 118 runs off 124 balls. Jayawardene smashed 12 fours and 1 six in his innings.
Umesh Yadav bowled with good pace and took 4 Lankan wickets. Although, Yadav gave away 53 runs runs in his 9 overs, it was his spell early on in the match that pushed Sri Lanka on the back foot. Yadav first dismissed Kusal Perera and then bowled a peach to Kumar Sangakkara, who got out on the first ball for a golden duck.
Axar Patel was once again bang-on with his lines. Axar, who is now giving a very tough competition to Ravindra Jadeja, took 2 wickets for 40 runs in his 10 overs. Axar is slowly pushing Ravindra Jadeja for a permanent place in the side.
Shikhar Dhawan carried on his good form and scored 91 runs off just 79 balls. Dhawan smashed 8 fours and 1 six.
GRADE B
Tillakaratne Dilshan gets a B Grade for his fighting knock of 53 runs off 80 balls. Although, he struggled to time the ball, his partnership with Mahela Jayawardene was crucial after two quick wickets.
India’s captain Virat Kohli came in to bat at No. 4 and played a good knock of 53 runs off 61 balls. Kohli also became the fastest player to score 6,000 runs in One Day International (ODI) cricket.
GRADE C
Kumar Sangakkara tops the Grade C category for his first ball duck. Sangakkara, who hasn’t been in the best of form, has been rested for the last 2 matches and he will head back to Sri Lanka on Monday.
India’s new-ball bowler Dhawal Kulkarni gave away 58 runs in 9.2 overs. Although, he took one wicket, giving away 58 runs at an economy of 6.2 will not help his cause, as far as cementing a place in the team is concerned.
Sri Lanka’s lower-order batsmen SMA Priyanjan, PC de Silva and Thisara Perera, are all in the “Grade C” category for batting irresponsibly and not supporting Mahela Jayawardene.
Sri Lanka’s captain Angelo Mathews also gets a Grade C for his poor with both; bat and ball. Mathews scored just 10 runs off 14 balls and bowled 3 overs for 17 runs, without taking any wicket.
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By The Cricket Lounge
