ICC Champions Trophy 2013: Semi Final 2: India v/s SL - Heroes of the Day

I really don’t see the point of India playing Sri Lanka too many times in a single calendar year. Be that as it may, the 2011 World Cup finalists squared off in the second semi-final of the final edition of the Champions Trophy. Beset by a wet outfield and an injury scare to the experienced Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Emerald Islanders could only manage to post 181 on the board. That total never looked threatening to the Indians, and they won with 8 wickets and 15 overs to spare.

Here are some of the Heroes of the Day:

Angelo Mathews (51 runs off 89 balls – 1 four, 1 six; 1/10 off 4 overs)

Skipper Angelo Mathews played a calculated innings as he joined former captain Mahela Jayawardene with his side reeling at 41/3. The two added 78 runs for the fourth wicket – the highest of the SL innings – in order to give their bowlers a defendable total. Mathews also struck the only six off the innings – a powerful thwack over long-on off Ishant Sharma – which was easily the best shot of his knock. With the ball, the 26-year old all-rounder dismissed the entrenched Rohit Sharma, but by then the platform had already been set for India’s eventual win.

Mahela Jayawardene (38 runs off 63 balls – 3 fours)

With fellow former captain Kumar Sangakkara falling cheaply, it was left to the other stalwart in the SL side to steer his side to a big score. Jayawardene has been a perennial thorn in India’s flesh, as he so amply displayed in the 2011 World Cup final. However, he was tied down by accurate Indian bowling, and eventually played a rash stroke to an arm ball from left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. It wasn’t his day today, as his side posted a meagre total which the Indians chased down comfortably.

Ishant Sharma (3/33 in 9 overs)

The long-haired lanky pacer finally showed some signs of regaining his form with a superb bowling effort today. He used the short ball to good effect, and didn’t let the openers get off to a rollicking start (with Bhuvneshwar Kumar also keeping a check on the run flow). He paired up well with Suresh Raina in the slips as the latter pouched two clean catches off the young seamer. These are good signs for India as they face off against England in the final.

Ravichandran Ashwin (3/48 in 10 overs)

Chennai lad Ravichandran Ashwin was also in his elements as he finally unleashed the carrom ball after a considerable period of time. He used this weapon twice and was rewarded with the wickets of the dangerous Angelo Mathews and the plucky Nuwan Kulasekara. Ashwin seems to have perfected the art of pausing before sending down a delivery, and benefited from this move by removing the entrenched Jeevan Mendis with a flighted delivery. All in all, a fine bowling performance from the off-spinner.

Shikhar Dhawan (1 catch; 68 runs off 92 balls – 6 fours, 1 six)

The Delhi southpaw seems to be going from strength to strength in this last edition of the Champions Trophy. His scoring sequence reads 114, 102*, 48 and 68. Both spin and pace came alike to him as he went about dismantling the Lankan attack in his own style. His upper-cut off fast bowler Lasith Malinga was a treat to watch. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up with the Player of the Tournament award at Edgbaston!

Virat Kohli (58 n.o. off 64 balls – 4 fours, 1 six)

RCB captain Virat Kohli has now made the No.3 slot his own with a solid performance today. He added 65 runs for the second wicket with opener Shikhar Dhawan, mixing caution with aggression as he went about crafting his innings and chipping away at Sri Lanka’s paltry total. In the company of Suresh Raina, the former U-19 World Cup winning skipper scored the remaining 40 runs required for the win and took his side into yet another final.

Suresh Raina (3 catches; 7 n.o. off 4 balls – 1 four)

I’m not a fan of this guy, but he does have some redeemable characteristics. His fielding is one of them. Three catches in a single game helped the Indian bowling attack to tighten the screws on the scoring rate. He’s still struggling with the short ball, and though he managed to hit the winning boundary off a Malinga short delivery, it was a very ugly-looking stroke. Nevertheless, he had a good day on the field, and played his part in piloting India to the final of another major ICC event.