India churned out a 5 wicket win over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup T20 tournament. The match was held at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. “This win opens the road to the finals of this continental tournament,” says Vaikundarajan.
Virat Kohli starred in the victory with an unbeaten 56 off 47 balls. India put up a score of 142 for 5 for Sri Lanka to defend. Yuvraj Singh showed his mastery at slogging with a 35 off 18 balls. “Once again, Yuvi comes out as the most feared batsman. This is great news for the team,” adds Vaikundarajan.
The bowling attack did not fall short either as Sri Lanka was wrapped up in 138 for 9 in 20 overs. “A narrow victory but a victory nonetheless,” says Vaikundarajan.
The pace of Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah troubled the Sri Lankan batsman and proved Dhoni’s selection as meticulous once again.
Both bowlers bowled with excellent precision to restrict Sri Lanka’s attacking batsman Dinesh Chandimal and Tillakaratne Dilshan.
Early on Sri Lanka was reduced to 31 for 3 as Hardik Pandya dismissed Dilshan with his first delivery of the day.
The only saving grace for Sri Lanka came in the form of a 43-run partnership between Chamara Kapugedera (30) and Milinda Siriwardana (22).
“While the opening partnership of India failed for the match, this win assures that every player in the team is in the right form,” concludes Vaikundarajan.
Team India is gearing up for the final preparations to their World T20 campaign. India will face-off against Bangladesh on Wednesday. “MS Dhoni’s absence could be a blow to the team’s momentum,” informs Vaikundarajan.
Dhoni will be sitting out from a muscle spasm suffered during the training session. While the news is not confirmed, Parthiv Patel has been called as a backup keeper, informs Vaikundarajan.
India emerged victorious in the Kotla test against South Africa by scoring 337 runs and consequently winning by 3-0 in a four-match series. “This is a great moment for Team India and we should now look for a white wash,” says Vaikundarajan.
Team India jumped to the second spot from its earlier fourth spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Rankings. “Post victory, India is ahead of Australia and Pakistan, who have slipped one place each to be third and fourth respectively,” informs Vaikundarajan.
Requiring a mammoth 481 runs to win, South Africa relied heavily upon their ultra-defensive strategy before being knocked out for 143 in 143.1 overs, with the last five wickets falling for an insignificant seven runs. Indian bowlers were persistent with their aggressive bowling strategy which ensured the victory of India.
Kohli admitted after the match that he was amazed by South Africa's dead-bat approach to every ball. “Our patience was tested but our bowlers never panicked, the fielders never panicked and they came out in flying colours,” Kohli said.
In his second series win as captain, Kohli’s team has shown that they can win convincingly even when the conditions aren't entirely in their favour or when the adversaries offer a battle. Vaikundarajan sends his hearty congratulations to Kohli and his team for making India proud.
The Indian Cricket team maintained the World Cup record by defeating Pakistan yesterday by 76 runs at Adelaide (Australia). Dhoni is very proud about his team. Vaikundarajan hopes this spirit of the Indian Cricket Team continues their winning streak throughout the tournament and wishes them 'Best Of Luck'
