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India v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI, Rajkot | Sehwag and Tendulkar dazzle

Monday, December 14, 2009

India started quietly on a well-grassed pitch, but once the acceleration came, Kumar Sangakkara's decision to bowl first looked foolish as Virender Sehwag clattered a 66-ball hundred, while adding 153 with Sachin Tendulkar at nearly eight runs an over. Dilhara Fernando provided some respite with a beautiful delivery that nipped back to bowl Tendulkar, but by then India were over the hill and far away. Sehwag's blitz included a six on to the roof of the shamiana behind cover, while Tendulkar eased to 69 from just 63 balls.

There was some early movement for both Nuwan Kulasekara and Chanaka Welegedara, making his one-day debut, and the openers didn't take too many chances. Sehwag twice drove Kulasekara through cover, and there was a lovely back-foot push from Tendulkar as just 19 came from the first five overs. Suddenly, though, the game exploded into life, with Sehwag taking Welegedara for three fours in an over.

Thereafter, Sri Lanka were all over the place, with Tendulkar timing the ball magnificently in the V and Sehwag moving into six-hitting mode. Kulasekara, with his lack of pace, was the ideal target, clouted over cover and then pulled over midwicket with an ease that must have sent a chill down Sangakkara's spine.

Another emphatic pull off Welegedera took him to 50 from just 34 balls and he then spent some time at the non-striker's end watching Tendulkar do his thing. After two glorious lofts down the ground, Tendulkar opted for the impudent, upper-cutting Fernando over gully and slip to reach his own half-century from 48 balls. After overs 6-10 produced 52 runs, the bowling Powerplay cost Sri Lanka 36.

But worse was to follow. Angelo Mathews was introduced, and Sehwag immediately went downtown, thumping one behind the sightscreen and then over cover as the six balls cost 18. Tendulkar joined in with an imperious straight loft off Jayasuriya and it needed Fernando to give the Sri Lankans some breathing space.

Sehwag though doesn't like pauses, and after a brief lull when only singles were taken, he whacked a short one from Jayasuriya over midwicket for six. Two fours off the hapless Mathews later, he had his 12th century, and with half the innings to go, Sri Lanka faced the dire prospect of chasing more than 350. MS Dhoni, who promoted himself to No.3, rubbed it in with a six off Jayasuriya that nearly went out of the ground.

V Sehwag c Dilshan b Welegedara 146 102 17 6 143.13
View dismissal SR Tendulkar b Fernando 69 63 10 1 109.52
View dismissal MS Dhoni*† c Mathews b Fernando 72 53 7 3 135.84
View dismissal SK Raina c Jayasuriya b Kulasekara 16 20 2 0 80.00
View dismissal G Gambhir c †Sangakkara b Kulasekara 11 8 1 0 137.50

Harbhajan Singh not out 10 10 1 0 100.00

V Kohli not out 0 0 0 0 -

Extras (b 4, lb 4, w 10, nb 6) 24











Total (5 wickets; 42.2 overs) 348 (8.22 runs per over)
To bat RA Jadeja, P Kumar, Z Khan, A Nehra

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