India have task cut out

Fri, Jul 4 01:35 AM

Normally, one wouldn't feel too inclined to give too much of a chance to a team chasing a target over 300. But it's different here in Karachi; 300 has almost been a par score and teams have chased down such totals rather comfortably.

So, India wouldn't have felt too disappointed when Sri Lanka set them a 308-run target. Apart from the tailor-made batting conditions, the fine form of their batsmen will also give them some much-needed confidence.

Nevertheless, this 300-plus target will suddenly look as huge as it actually is if India fail to get off to a quick start or lose wickets early on. The Sri Lankan bowling has been the best in the tournament, and hasn't been carted around by batsmen like other attacks.

Although Lanka seemed to have done India a favour by excluding their new spin sensation Ajantha Mendis from the side, the presence of Muralitharan is enough to make life tough for batsmen in the middle overs. Anyhow, the Indian bowlers finally showed some spunk.

They might have conceded 300 runs, but they didn't look as helpless and completely at the mercy of the batsmen as they had in the last couple of matches. RP Singh, brought back in place of Yousuf Pathan, gave India a good start with Ishant Sharma.

Ishant has been pretty ineffective so far, but he looked charged-up on Thursday and should have felt hugely relieved when he dismissed the dangerous Sangakkara, brilliantly caught by Dhoni, early on. The lefthander has been in an ominous form and his departure would have left India letting out a huge sigh of relief.

But with Jayasuriya still around, happiness is bound to be short lived. The marauder soon began punishing the bowlers, choosing Pathan for some special treatment.

He repeatedly stepped out to Pathan, sending him crashing through covers. Luckily, Ishant managed to induce an edge while he tried to pull a rising delivery going down the leg, and Dhoni made no mistake to see the danger man return without inflicting too much damage.

With both Sangakkara and Jayasuriya out, the Indian bowlers had a chance to at least slow down proceedings. They did that for while, but captain Jayawardena (50) and Kapugadera (75) struck fine half centuries to keep the Lankan innings on track.

And once Jayawardena fell, Chamara Silva also struck a half-century to keep things moving.

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