Rajkot: India had a narrow escape against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the five match series with the tourists nearly chasing down a mammoth target of 415. Tillakaratne Dilshan scored a swashbuckling 160 off 124 balls but India just managed to scrape through for a three run win.

Chasing 415 to win the game, Sri Lanka were given the best start possible by Tillakratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga as they added 188 runs for the opening wicket off just 24 overs. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara then almost sealed it for the Lankans with a 40-ball 90 but a middle order collapse during which they lost Sangakkara, Jayasuriya and Jayawardene in quick succession derailed their chase for a while.

After Dilshan was dismissed for 160 (124 balls, 20 fours and 3 sixes), Thilina Kandamby and Angelo Mathews kept them in the game with a 56 run sixth wicket stand. It was only during the last few overs of the innings that the Indian bowlers resurrected themselves a bit with Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra strangling the batsmen for runs with a brilliant display of death bowling.

Sri Lanka lost two wickets in the penultimate over bowled by Zaheer Khan which was probably the turning point of the game. Needing 11 to win from the last over, it was upto Ashish Nehra to save the day for the Indians. And he kept his cool to bowl full and straight, Sachin Tendulkar saved a boundary with a brilliant catch at midwicket, and India managed to hold the Sri Lankans three runs short of the target.

Brief Scores:

India 414 for 7 (Sehwag 146, Dhoni 72, Tendulkar 69) beat Sri Lanka 411for 8 (Dilshan 160, Sangakkara 90, Tharanga 67) by three runs

Man of the Match: Virender Sehwag

Tagged with: Angelo Mathews, Ashish Nehra, India, Kumar Sangakkara, Rajkot, Sri Lanka, Thilina Kandamby, Tillakratne Dilshan, Zaheer Khan

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