Nagpur: Tillekaratne Dilshan, it seems, has a one-point agenda in the ongoing ODIs: To upstage Team India’s biggest performer of the day.
Dilshan almost succeeded in Rajkot (scoring more than MoM Virender Sehwag, but Sri Lanka still lost); on Friday, he came off best in neighbouring Jamtha.
As a much deserved bonus, Dilshan took the MoM award for his tenth international hundred of the year. It’s a 12-month period he simply won’t be able to forget.
A blazing career-best 160 proved futile in the opening match of the Karbonn Cup, but a comparatively restrained 123 was enough in ODI No.2, rendering India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 107 of no use.
With Dilshan controlling the innings so beautifully, Sri Lanka, despite hiccups in the middle-order, won by three wickets to make it 1-1 in the five-match series.
The target, 302, was reached with five balls to spare. At the crease were two Knights, a hobbling Angelo Mathews and Ajantha Mendis.
Mathews was unbeaten on a most effective 37 from 25 deliveries, confirming that he’s an all-rounder who looks set for big things.
A feature of the second session was the poor fielding, with the Indians reluctant to attack the ball. It impacted big on the result.
Misfields, overthrows, a disgusting lack of effort... Everything was on view.
Clearly disappointed, Dhoni, who’d won the toss, said: “This is India’s best batting side and this is India’s best bowling unit... We need to accept the fact that we aren’t the best fielding side and, perhaps, score 20-30 more...
“You can’t just become a Jonty Rhodes... Fielding has to come naturally and one can’t change the character of an individual.”
Dhoni added: “We’d come close to a par score and the only way to defend was to get early wickets... We didn’t (Dilshan and fellow-opener Upul Tharanga put on 102)... At the end of the day, international cricket is hard and tough and (ideally) you don’t want spinners to start early...”
Asked whether he actually had a strategy for the in-amazing-form Dilshan, Dhoni replied: “It’s not that we don’t have a plan, but he’s a batsman who plays almost all the shots... It happens in cricket.”
The home team had full points in Rajkot, but the limitations of its attack on a flat wicket were there for all to see. It didn’t get any better in Jamtha.
Work, therefore, needs to be done on more than one front.
Dhoni had four let-offs (thrice by Kumar Sangakkara and, then, by Mendis), but did well to make capital of those lives. Having also collaborated the day’s highest partnership, 126 for the fifth wicket with Suresh Raina, he had reason to feel let down.
Incidentally, Dhoni registered a hundred in successive ODIs (following the superb 124 against Australia, in end-October) at the same venue.
Dhoni has, of course, been scoring heavily against Sri Lanka — two hundreds in the three-Test series, a 46 in the Mohali T20, 72 and 107 in the ODIs.
“I’ve batted in different positions and have learnt about the different pressures... It’s a credit to teammates that they’ve allowed me to play my natural game... I’ve promoted myself whenever the team has needed quick runs,” Dhoni pointed out.
Sangakkara, the winning captain, praised his team. “It was a great effort and I’m very proud of the boys... We’re still making mistakes, but want to keep improving...”
Actually, having dropped senior-most pro Sanath Jayasuriya (manager Brendon Kuruppu told The Telegraph that he’d been “available” for selection), Sangakkara couldn’t afford to finish a loser.
While the Indians have quite a bit to worry about, the visitors can take even more comfort, from the excellent performance of debutant Suraj Randiv, who came the other day as an additional spinner.
The tall 24-year-old is talented and is going to be projected as Muttiah Muralidharan’s successor.
