Indian pacers were on top of their game right from the first ball
India registered a comprehensive win over Sri Lanka in the first One-Day International (ODI) of the five-match series to take a 1-0 lead at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday. It was an all-round team effort by the home side which included centuries by openers Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane, followed by an all-round effort by Suresh Raina. However, it was Ishant Sharma’s four-wicket haul which was the final nail in the coffin of the visitors.
Defending a target of 364, Indian pacers were on top of their game right from the first ball. Even as it was Ishant Sharma who bagged wickets by the bagful, the pressure was put on by Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron who applied the pressure with a good spell of fast bowling. They ran hard and bowled fast, making the Sri Lankan openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upal Tharanga hop at their crease.
It was Sri Lanka who won the early honours in the game through some tight bowling and the pitch was lending support too, with plenty of nip and moisture on the surface which restricted the Indian openers to drop anchor and see out the danger.
Rahane and Dhawan slowly grew into the game and it was Rahane who broke the shackles first up with a flurry of boundaries. Once the batsmen got to their fifties, the duo launched a spectacular assault on the weakened attack, sans Ragnana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekera and their lynchpin, Lasith Malinga.
Source: Dhaka Tribune