Yet another India-Sri Lanka match, but this one of great importance to India, who were looking to bounce back after their surprise defeat to Zimbabwe in the first game of the Micromax Cup. For Sri Lanka, this would be a chance for Tillekeratne Dilshan to rediscover some form after an indifferent few months, but with the added pressure of captaining his team. With such names as Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan being rested, the future of India and Sri Lanka decked it out in Bulawayo.
Put in to bat, Sri Lanka had to contend with the two-faced nature of the pitch and an Indian bowling attack which had learned its lessons from the Zimbabwe game. Upul Tharanga was run out in the second over, and with the ball not coming onto the bat, Dilshan was forced into consolidation mode early on. He ground his way to his first international 50 in a while, and while not a pretty affair, might have boosted his confidence a touch. Thilan Samaraweera and Chamara Kapugedera found it tough going, dismissed for 19 and 20 respectively. Dilshan was run out for 61, and his vice-captain Angelo Mathews took the helm, hitting only two 4s and two 6s in his highest ODI score of 75. Nuwan Kulasekera and Thissara Perera, who looks like a good prospect for Sri Lanka's future, struck some quick boundaries to push their team to 242. Considering the slow nature of the pitch, Sri Lanka would have been relieved (if only somewhat) that their bowlers had a target to defend.
But once the moisture from the overnight rain had dried off, the wicket became far more honest. Without the pressure of a large chase on their hands, the Indian batsmen encountered few problems in chasing. While the first boundary came for the Sri Lankans in the 9th over, Dinesh Karthik struck India's first boundary off the second ball of the innings. Karthik and Murali Vijay fell cheaply, but Rohit Sharma brought up his second consecutive century to make light work of the Sri Lankan total. He was well-supported by Virat Kohli (82); together, they added 154 for the third wicket, and it was more than enough to see India home. Unsurprisingly, Sharma received the Man of the Match award as India coasted home by 7 wickets and with 39 balls remaining.
So India rediscover their winning ways after a stuttering start to the tournament. Their bowlers hit all the right areas, the fielders were all over the Sri Lankans, and the batsmen did not have to work too hard on a pitch that became easier to bat on as the day went on. The Sri Lankans, on the other hand, have a lot of work to do. Ajantha Mendis took only 1 wicket for 64 runs in his 10 overs, figures that will only add to the speculation that his aura has all but faded. The positive news for the Sri Lankans is that Dilshan found some form again (even if he's not back to his swashbuckling best as yet), and the maturity of Angelo Mathews' innings belies his 22 years (he turns 23 tomorrow) and his relative inexperience (only 19 ODIs). Their next assignment is against Zimbabwe; and after a magnificent victory against India and knowing that their home conditions undid the Sri Lankan batsmen, the host team will be smelling blood.