Yuvraj and Dhoni clinch thriller
Two months into his Australian holiday, Yuvraj Singh finally showed up for work with a blistering 76 that set up India's chase before Mahendra Singh Dhoni survived a tense finish to guide them to a two-wicket win. The result was particularly disappointing for Kumar Sangakkara, who spent nearly the entire match on the field - much of it batting in 38-degree heat - and posted a gutsy and exhausting 128 as Sri Lanka set India 239 for victory.
Yuvraj departed with 81 still required and five wickets in hand but the captain Dhoni fought off leg problems, a sore finger and a swallowed fly to see them home. There were some late jitters as Irfan Pathan threw his wicket away, Praveen Kumar was caught hooking and Harbhajan Singh was trapped by Lasith Malinga's inswinging yorker, but Sri Lanka had left their final run too late.
Dhoni squirted the winning two through the off side with only five balls to spare after the mini-collapse of 3 for 20 caused some nervous moments. But Dhoni, who earlier this tour berated his batsmen for forgetting their roles, judged his innings perfectly and took no risks as he ran all 50 of his runs with no boundaries.
Yuvraj departed with 81 still required and five wickets in hand but the captain Dhoni fought off leg problems, a sore finger and a swallowed fly to see them home. There were some late jitters as Irfan Pathan threw his wicket away, Praveen Kumar was caught hooking and Harbhajan Singh was trapped by Lasith Malinga's inswinging yorker, but Sri Lanka had left their final run too late.
Dhoni squirted the winning two through the off side with only five balls to spare after the mini-collapse of 3 for 20 caused some nervous moments. But Dhoni, who earlier this tour berated his batsmen for forgetting their roles, judged his innings perfectly and took no risks as he ran all 50 of his runs with no boundaries.
n.vemana
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