KINGSTON – Sri Lanka thrashed India by 161 runs in their Celkon Mobile Cup One-Day International yesterday, as Upul Tharanga smashed an unbeaten 174 off 159 balls and shared a huge opening stand with Mahela Jayawardene.
Tharanga blasted 19 fours and three sixes and scored at better than a run-a-ball in a career-best performance that spurred Sri Lanka to a formidable 348 for one off their 50 overs at Sabina Park.
The openers put on 213 for the first wicket, with veteran Jayawardene making 107, striking nine fours and two sixes off 112 balls. The giant opening stand came after Sri Lanka were sent in to bat by stand-in India captain Virat Kohli, who replaced the injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
India faltered badly in pursuit to be bowled out for 187 off 44.5 overs.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja topscored for India with 49 not out but Sri Lanka spinners Rangana Herath (3-37) and Sachithra Senanayake (2-46) kept a tight grip on India, the recent ICC Champions Trophy winners.
Tharanga became the ninth Sri Lankan to pass 5 000 runs in One-Dayers when he reached 21.
Sri Lanka’s opening pair was restrained in adding 47 in the first ten overs, benefiting from some scrappy India fielding. Murali Vijay grassed a chance from Jayawardene when he was on 25 in the 13th over.
Jayawardene made the Indians pay dearly and got to three digits before Tharanga. It was the 16th One-Day century for the 36-year-old former skipper.
He fell soon afterwards to the same reverse sweep that should have caused his downfall earlier. This time the chance was snapped up by Umesh Yadav off Ravichandran Ashwin.
But his dismissal only spurred the flow of runs as Tharanga and Angelo Mathews shared a rapid, unbeaten stand of 133 off just 68 balls.
Tharanga, dropped on 91 at deep point by Yadav off Ishant Sharma, reached his 13th One-Day century off 124 balls and blasted 74 runs off his next 35 balls to further deflate the Indians.
Sri Lanka skipper Mathews contributed an efficient, undefeated 44 off 39 balls with four fours and one six.
India, needing to score at a run rate of close to seven per over, never managed to create any momentum in their chase.
The result left India without a point in their first two matches of the series, while West Indies (nine points from two) and Sri Lanka (five points from two) lead the standings heading to Trinidad for the second leg of the tournament. (AP)
