Team India's reign as the world's number one ODI team last exactly 24 hours and 14 minutes. They were sent crashing back to earth following a 139-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the third match of the tri-series in Colombo, on Saturday.
All-rounder Angelo Mathews single-handedly ran through the Indian batting line-up, claiming six for 20 in six overs, as the visitors were dismised for a paltry 168 in 37.2 overs.
This was India's biggest loss in Sri Lanka in terms of runs. They were comprehensively outplayed in every department of the game. And captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni rightly termed it as "one of the worst days in office" after the team's miserable performance both with the bat and ball, and even in the fielding department.
Earlier, electing to bat, Sri Lanka posted a mammoth 307 for six in their 50 overs. Sanath Jayasuriya hammered a quickfire 98 from 79 deliveries, including 13 boundaries, to give then a solid platform. Left-hander Thilina Kandamby provided the fireworks in the final overs with a blazing knock of 91 from 73 deliveries, that included 11 boundaries.
Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka started in some style as Tillakaratne Dilshan slammed a short delivery from Ashish Nehra over the point region for a boundary off the first ball of the innings. He got another boundary straight down the ground as Sri Lanka got off with 11 from the first over.
The pitch seemed a lot better than the one used for the last two matches, and both Jayasuriya and Dilshan relished the ball coming on to the bat.
Jayasuriya should have been run-out for a duck, but was lucky to survive, as Ishant Sharma at mid-off failed to hit the stumps at the non-strikers end in the second over.
The openers brought up Sri Lanka's 50 in the seventh over as the Indian pacers looked short of ideas on how to stop their onslaught and often pitched short. India's hero of the first match, Ashish Nehra, suffered with his control, giving away four wides and a no-ball and ended up conceding 21 runs in his first two overs before being taken off.
Against the run of play, Ishant struck with the vital wicket of Dilshan, who edged behind a wide delivery and was dismissed for 23 from 27 deliveries. (57-1, 8.4)
But there was no stopping Jayasuriya, who slammed RP Singh for three boundaries in the next over to take Sri Lanka to 72 for one after 10 overs.
When nothing seemed to be going India's way, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni once again took an unexpected gamble. He introduced part-timer Yusuf Pathan, who struck in his first over by getting the wicket of Mahela Jayawardene for 17 from 24 deliveries.
Jayawardene lost his balance trying to play a wide one down the leg side, and Dhoni was alert to the situation and whipped the bails off in a flash. (94-2, 14.5)
It seemed that was once piece of magic that India needed to bring themselves back into the match.
A few overs later, Harbhajan Singh rocked the Lankans by taking the prized wicket of Kumar Sangakkara. The Sri Lankan captain missed the straighter delivery and was struck on the back-pad and adjudged leg before wicket for 5. (102-3, 17.4)
Jayasuriya made sure he didn't throw away the good start as he brought up his half-century in 45 deliveries, inclusive of seven boundaries. This was the veteran left-hander's first fifty in eight innings and his 14th against the Indians.
The Indian fielding was a total disaster and Jayasuriya (74) got another reprieve in the 25th over when Dhoni failed to collect a throw and break the stumps.
The left-hander raced into the nervous nineties by slamming Pathan for two more boundaries in the 27th over as Sri Lanka reached 162 for three.
However, the 40-year-old fell agonizingly short of his 29th ODI century when he was trapped leg before wicket as he went across and tried to play Nehra on the leg side.
Jayasuriya had given the hosts a solid platform with a blazing knock of 98 from 79 deliveries, having hit 13 boundaries, and was unlucky to miss out on a deserved century. (172-4, 29.1)
Jayasuriya and Angelo Mathews ensured Sri Lanka kept the momentum in the middle overs as they added 70 runs in 69 deliveries for the fourth wicket.
However, one wicket led to another as Mathews stepped down the wicket to part-timer Raina and was stumped for 19 from 37 deliveries. (176-5, 30.5)
The effect of the Jayasuriya dismissal was clearly visible as the Sri Lankans struggled to find the boundary after his wicket. Only two boundaries were hit in the next ten overs as Sri Lanka reached 219 for five after 40 overs.
But Thilina Kandamby and Chamara Kapugedera changed gears effeciently in the final overs with some quick running between the wickets and the odd boundary hits.
Kapugedera made a brisk 36 from 43 deliveries before RP Singh ran him out with a direct hit from the cover region. However, the Sri Lankan batsman had ensured that his team was well set for a big total, courtesy an 83-run partnership in 92 balls for the sixth wicket with Kandamby. (259-6, 46.1)
Kandamby smashed the bowlers with ease in the final overs and even when he mishit, the fielders dropped him, like Nehra did when the left-hander (73) lofted one towards mid-on in the 49th over.
Kandamby single-handedly boosted Sri Lanka's total in the final overs, hitting as many as five boundaries in the last two overs. He finished unbeaten on a cracking knock of 91 from 73 deliveries as Sri Lanka posted a huge 307 for six in their 50 overs.
Sri Lanka stepped up a gear quite efficiently in the slog overs, hitting 53 runs in the last five overs for the loss of just one wicket and, not surprisingly, eight of Kandamby's 11 boundaries came in the last four overs.
India:
India made a positive start to their innings, both Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik hitting a boundary each in the second over.
Karthik look quite confident till a reckless shot caused his downfall. The right-hander was late to a short delivery but tried the pull shot and ended up gloving to the wicketkeeper down the legside for 16. (32-1, 5.4)
Tendulkar looked set for a big knock as he smashed a few boundaries early on but, like in the previous match, gave his wicket away tamely. The veteran batsman failed to pick a slower delivery from Nuwan Kulasekara and lofted it straight to the mid-on fielder and was dismissed for 28 from 33 deliveries, inclusive of five boundaries. (67-2, 14.1)
Yuvraj Singh started off in some style when he slammed the third ball he faced, from Kulasekara, straight down the ground for a boundary. However, he was all at sea against the pacy Lasith Malinga, who just kept it in the channel outside the off-stump as the lanky left-hander kept fishing.
Yuvraj's misery was cut short when he finally edged one to the wicketkeeper off Malinga for 16. (105-3, 20)
After that, it was the Angelo Mathews show, as the all-rounder destroyed the Indian team with a six-wicket burst.
Suresh Raina lasted just one delivery, he also caught behind as he attempted to open the face and guide one to the third man region. (108-4, 20.4)
Veteran Dravid toiled and even enjoyed some luck, surviving a couple of close run-out chances in successive overs. However, his luck was to run out soon when he was bowled through the gate by an incoming delivery from Mathews after a solid knock of 47 from 56 deliveries. (126-5, 24.5)
Mathews was having a dream day in office as he claimed two more wickets in his fourth over. Dhoni also failed to read the incoming delivery, inside-edged it back on to his stumps and was bowled for 8. (129-6, 26.1)
Yusuf Pathan (1) was deceived by the slower delivery that stopped and bounced outside the off-stump, and the batsman promptly edged it behind. (129-7, 26.3)
Three wickets in the space of five deliveries by Mathews had derailed the world's top team and they looked headed for certain defeat now.
But Mathews was not yet satisfied. Very soon he had his fifth wicket of the innings, when Harbhajan also inside edged one to his stumps for 4. (135-8, 29)
Ashish Nehra was absolutely clueless, like all his colleagues, against Mathews' incutter and was also bowled through his defences for 1. (139-9, 30.2)
The match was over for India in the space of nearly 11 overs during which they lost seven wickets for the addition of 34 runs. Mathews registered magnificent figures of six for 20 in six overs before he was given rest perhaps considering that the match was already in the bag.
Tailenders RP Singh (19 not out) and Ishant Sharma (13) had some fun in the middle adding 29 runs for the final wicket before the latter was scalped by Mendis.
India were bowled out for 168 in 37.2 and lost by a huge margin of 139 runs, their biggest loss in terms of runs in the island nation.
With the title clash just a couple of days away India have a lot of hard work ahead if they are to challenge the hosts. Sri Lanka could not have asked for a better game heading into the final and would definitely start as the favourites now.
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