India 119 for 3 in must-win game as heavy showers stop play
Rohit Sharma yet again made a useful contribution as his unbeaten 48 helped India reach 119 for three against Sri lanka in 29 overs in the final round robin league match of the Celkon Cup Tri-Series when rain stopped the proceedings.
In-form opener Shikhar Dhawan (15), skipper Virat Kohli (31) and Dinesh Karthik (12) were three batsmen who were dismissed in the process. Giving Rohit company was Suresh Raina who was batting on four.
During his patient innings in which he faced 83 balls, the talented Mumbaikar hit a couple of boundaries and a big slog swept six off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath. With lankan bowlers sticking to a disciplined line, it wasn't easy to hit big strokes Rohit curbed his natural instincts to play a responsible knock so far.
Herath was the most successful among the lankan bowlers grabbing two for 32 in six overs while his captain Angelo Mathews bowled a very econimical first spell in which he took the wicket of Dhawan giving away only five runs in five overs.
Dhawan tried to give rival captain Angelo Mathews the charge only to guide the ball to Mahela Jayawardene at the second slips. Jayawardene, thus became the first cricketer to complete 200 catches in limited overs cricket.
Skipper Kohli started off by clipping Dilhara lokuhettige to the boundary through mid-wicket region and then also cover drove Malinga for another four.
Along with Rohit, Kohli started building the innings in a slow and steady manner. Meaqnwhile Rohit was dropped by Jeevan Mendis when he was on 12 with Malinga being the unfortunate bowler.
After a 49-run partnership, it was the left-arm spin of Herath that saw the end of stand-in Indian captain. Herath pushed one quicker and it caught Kohli plumb on the back-foot.
Karthik started with a bang as he pulled Herath over mid-wicket boundary for a big six but the spinner had the last laugh. He bowled a delivery that pitched on the middle and turned enough to beat Karthik's bat and hit the off-stump.
India need to win the game in order to make it into the final of the tri-series while if Sri lanka win, West Indies would go through. Wednesday is the reserve day for the game and if play is not possible also on Wednesday, India would be eliminated and Sri lanka would play hosts West Indies on Friday.
Brief Scores
India: 119 for 3 in 29 overs
(Rohit Sharma, 48 batting, Suresh Raina 4 batting, Kohli 31; Herath 2/32) against Sri lanka.