India vs Sri Lanka semifinal, Highlights - ICC Champions Trophy 2013 - As it happened

India required 182 to beat familiar rivals Sri Lanka in the second semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 in Cardiff. They did so with tremendous ease as Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli made brilliant half-centuries. (Scorecard | Commentary):

 

Here is the final match report - ICC Champions Trophy: India dismiss Sri Lanka to set up final versus England

 

Feature - India in Champions Trophy final: The men who stood up and became heroes

 

Ishant Sharma, Man of the Match: My strength is bounce and pace and that's what I am trying. Up front Bhuvi and Umesh have bowled really well. Have been bowling to plans and playing the role of a senior bowler. Conditions were really favourable today. Last three games may not have been the best but today they were.

 

MS Dhoni on win: I think it's a well written script. Dilshan's loss had a decent impact on the game. We were worried about their spinners though. Oppositionare wary if bowlers are good, on the other hand it is good to practice against good bowlers in the net. We had to keep a few bowlers of the fast bowlers at the death. My spell went off pretty well. Raina has always been brilliant. Not only Raina, all others supporting too and making my life easy. England are a very good side. We know the same about them and so do they. It will be an even battle in the final!

 

Angelo Mathews on loss: Batters finding it hard to gather momentum as the conditions were tailor-made for bowlers early on. All the younger guys need to take responsibilities, including me, that is a bit of a concern. We would have bowled too if we had won the toss. Character shown after first game was brilliant.

 

India is into the final as Malinga's over cost Sri Lanka 14 runs. Kohli (58*) and Raina (7*) remained at the crease as India beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in Cardiff. Men in Blue now face the Men in Red (England) in the final on Sunday.

 

They also become the first team to qualify for the Champions Trophy Final thrice!

22:20 (IST): Fifty for Virat Kohli, 23rd in ODIs, with a massive six off Jeevan Mendis. And the Delhi lad is back with a slam. India in cruise mode!

 

22:16 (IST): And as soon as Malinga comes, Kohli (41) goes bang-bang! 11 he took off the Lankan stylish bowlers' over. 155/2 in 33 overs.

 

22:12 (IST): And Dhoni sends in Suresh Raina, who was brilliant with his catching today. He badly needs batting practice too though before the final.

 

22:07 (IST): Finally, "Gabbar" Dhawan departs! Dragged his foot forward and missed Jeevan Mendis' wrong 'un. Sangakkara looked confident with the stumping all the while. He scored 68 off 92. The man can play like he wants! India 142/2 in 31.5 overs.

 

Another one bites the dust! Comedy of errors in the middle as Sachithra Senanayake drops that man Shikhar Dhawan, again, and then overthrows too. He has been dropped thrice today. Batting on 67 now. India 140/1 and 42 away from the berth in Final.

 

21:58 (IST): Kohli (27) finding his touch, which seems long lost now, the way India have played this Champions Trophy. A fine boundary to finish off Jeevan Mendis' over.

 

21:55 (IST): India in cruise mode with Kohli (22) and Dhawan (56) at the crease. Kohli hit a blistering four off Kulasekara in the 29th over. 122/1, another 60 required off 21 overs with 9 wickets in hand.

 

Meanwhile, as Dhawan ushers in a new era, end of one in cricket with Ricky Ponting announcing retirement from all forms in October.

50 for Dhawan! A 50 for the stylish left-hander, this one a bit lucky though. They say, you make your own luck! India 114/1 after 27 overs.

 

Shikhar Dhawan since his comeback
187 (174b)v Aus
114 (94b)  v SAf
102* (107b) v WI    
48 (41) v Pak   
50* (63b) v SL (via Mohandas Menon)

 

21:36 (IST): Malinga bowls a fiery over, as always, but fails to make an impact. 104/1 in 25 overs.

 

21:30 (IST): All hunky-dory for India but pretty sedate stuff in Cardiff. 100/1 after 23 overs. Kohli (12) finding his feet while Dhawan (46) bats on.

21:21 (IST): Kohli (7) and Dhawan (41) meanwhile bat steadily for India, taking them home run-by-run. 89/1 after 21 overs.

 

21:18 (IST): Just like the first innings where Sri Lanka was batting, six people entered the field and disrupted play when Indian was batting as well. They seem to be carrying flags with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) logo. 1000 pounds fine for each who invaded.

 

Rohit Sharma bowled! As always, a drinks break works wonders for the bowling team. Angelo Mathews removes the in-form Indian right-hander for 33 off 50 balls. And in comes Virat Kohli, who has a stupendous record against Sri Lanka. 77/1 in 17 overs. Rohit had a wild hoick at that slower one from the Lanka skipper.

 

20:50 (IST): Overs, 15: India have gone a bit quiet but then hardly any pressure on Dhawan, Rohit. Mathews had an LBW shout in that over of Dhawan. It though hit the inside edge of the left-hander's bat. And a Sri Lankan review wasted. 68/0, Dhawan on 31 off 50 and Rohit 29 off 40.

 

20:41 (IST): Rohit Sharma hits a couple of boundaries off Kulasekara, both off the backfoot. India well on course for a massive win. Rohit batting on 26, Dhawan on 28; India 61/0 in 13 overs.

 

20:37 (IST): Shikhar Dhawan riding his luck! More bestowed on him in Perera's third over. Inside edge for four. He though hit a fine cover drive too in that over. 50/0 in 12 overs, Dhawan (27) and Rohit Sharma (18).

 

20:33 (IST): Nuwan Kulasekara bowling great lines and lengths. Just his sort of pitch and conditions. 0/17 in his 6 overs. Dhawan was dropped again in that over by the seamer, Sangakkara the culprit keeping-up. Living a charmed life the Indian opener. 42/0 after 11 overs.

 

20:28 (IST): Dhawan and Rohit looking a bit edgy out there. Now Rohit's edge fell just short off first slip off Thisara Perera and Dhawan too went down the track and mistimed one. 40/0 after 10 overs.

 

20:24 (IST): After the six, India have gone a bit quiet. Shikhar Dhawan dropped by Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews at slip in Kulasekara's over. Last three overs have yielded just 10 runs. 38/0 after 9 overs.

 

Indian batsmen vs Malinga in ODIs Kohli (B 133,R 152,Avg 152,SR 114) Dhoni (B 142,R 161,Avg 53,SR 113) Raina (B 75,R 89,Avg 29,SR 118) #ct13

- Rajneesh Gupta (@rgcricket) June 20, 2013

20:10 (IST): Lasith Malinga bowls a decent over, trying hard to get Sri Lanka that early breakthrough. Shikhar Dhawan plays like he always does - nonchalantly. Hits a upper-cut for six off the last ball, just after he had smiled after facing a bouncer! Rohit Sharma survived a LBW appeal in that over too. India 28/0, require 154 more to win against Sri Lanka.

 

 

20:05 (IST): India going steadily after 5 overs, 21/0. Rohit Sharma on 11 off 15 while Shikhar Dhawan on 8 off 15 balls.

 

19:56 (IST): Another four by Rohit Sharma off Kulasekara's second over. India start strongly, 13/0 after 3 overs.

 

19:53 (IST): Shikhar Dhawan too scores a boundary in Lasith Malinga's over. India 8/0 after 2 overs.

 

In Pics: When MS Dhoni had a bowl at the Champions Trophy, yet again!

19:48 (IST): Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma start India's chase! Good start to the first over by Rohit as well as Kulasekara! A crisp boundary by the Mumbai batsman while the Sri Lankan did beat him a bit outside the off-stump! India 4/0.

 

Stat attack: The last time Ishant Sharma claimed a 3 wicket haul in an away ODI: 3/60 also vs SL at Colombo,RPS, Feb 2009 - 4 years ago! (Mohandas Menon)

 

As per D/L India need to be after 20 overs: If it gets to that situation (Read Innings report)
40/0
49/1
59/2
71/3
86/4
104/5 (via Mohandas Menon)

 

19:15 (IST): A Last ball four by Malinga takes Sri Lanka to 181/8. India though, would be pretty much satisfied and comfortable going into the dressing-room.

 

Another drop! Now Rohit Sharma in the deep puts down Lasith Malinga. Not that it matters much but India will have to work hard on their catching in the deep. And apparently the crowd was running on to the ground as Rohit was busy dropping the catch.

 

Wicket! Ashwin removes Mendis off the first ball of the last over of the innings! The lefty scored 25. Sri Lanka 171/8 in 49.1 overs.

 

19:00 (IST): And the fighter that he is, Dilshan comes back to bat despite his injury. He is still limping.

 

Ashwin gets Kulasekara bowled 'Round the legs'! That was a carrom ball by the Tamil Nadu bowler and it turned sharply. The Sri Lankan left it all alone and is distraught! He waits for the third umpire to give him out too! Silly, silly dismissal. India getting wickets at 45.5, 46.5 and now 47.5! Lanka 164/7!

 

18:54 (IST): Sri Lanka in deep, deep trouble as Thisara Perera departs for a duck! Ishant Sharma gets his third as the tall, lanky Lankan holes out to deep square-leg without troubling the scorers. Simple catch for 'Gabbar' Dhawan. 160/6 now in 47 overs. Why Kulasekara or Perera were not sent in earlier is a mystery!

 

18:49 (IST): Angelo Mathews departs after being dropped! Kohli's drop did not cost India much, just the 1 run in fact. Ashwin bowls his carrom ball and gets his leading edge for an easy catch to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He scored 51 off 89 and Sri Lanka 159/5 in 46 overs.

Virat Kohli puts down Angelo Mathews! That was a massive hoick by the Sri Lankan skipper but Kohli could not hang-on at long-on.

 

18:42 (IST): Indian bowlers have not bowled many bad overs, but Ishant's 7th over could be called one - 8 off it and Sri Lanka 154/4 in 45 overs. Angelo Mathews completes a fine fifty, a skipper's knock too. It can be said though that Sri Lanka could have gone a bit hard a bit earlier.

 

18:37 (IST): Mendis and Mathews trying hard to get Sri Lanka to a fighting total. Indian bowlers on target though. Umesh's over did cost 8 runs but Ashwin came back to give away just the 5 off his seventh over. 146/4 in 44 overs.

 

18:30 (IST): Nothing dramatic! 4 runs off Ashwin's 6th over and Umesh Yadav is being brought back. Sri Lanka 133/4 after 42 overs. A target of around 200 could do them wonders but even that seems a dream as of now.

 

18:27 (IST): Ravindra Jadeja ends a fine spell of bowling with 2 runs off his last over; 1/33 overall. Sri Lanka 129/4 in 41 overs.

 

18:24 (IST): No respite for Sri Lanka, Ashwin bowls a 6-run over. 126/4 in 40 overs.

 

18:21 (IST): Jeevan Mendis steals the thunder from Jadeja, who was in line to bowl his second consecutive maiden over. Sri Lanka 120/4 after 39 overs.

 

18:20 (IST): Ashwin follows Jadeja with a maiden of his own as India stamp total authority on the match. Jadeja, in fact, bowled a wicket-maiden.

Two sharp turners by 'Sir' Jadeja to end his 8th over! New batsman Jeevan Mendis was in trouble as Jadeja bowled a couple of rippers. 119/4 in 37 overs!

 

18:12 (IST): And Ravindra Jadeja strikes timber! A straighter, faster one has Mahela Jayawardena cleaned up for 38 off 63 balls. Earlier Ashwin had bowled another tight over. Sri Lanka 119/4 after 36.1 overs.

 

18:07 (IST): Jayawardene (36*) and Mathews (31*) finally getting some momentum going. The pair has added 74 runs till now. 115/3 in 35 overs.

 

18:00 (IST): Sri Lanka went past 100 in R Ashwin's first over as he bowled 5 wides. Dhoni may be was in bowling mode still. SL, 101/3 in 32 overs.

 

17:58 (IST): Sanity prevails! Dhoni back where he belongs - behind the stumps - after the drinks break. He bowled a decent spell of 0/17 in his 4 overs. Sri Lanka would have been 5 down if not for DRS. Sad thinking about those tournaments where the system is not in place, at least for howlers it should be! Come on BCCI, do not be stubborn.

 

17:50 (IST): Ravindra Jadeja follows his skipper and almost strikes! On review, the decision is turned down yet again. Angelo Mathews survives, the ball turned sharply but was missing the top of the stumps by a fair bit. SL, 94/3 after 31 overs. Both Mathews and Jayawardene on 26 each!

 

17:40 (IST): The overs breezing past, quite literally, as 'Sir' Jadeja and Dhoni bowl in tandem (What a combination we must say). Sri Lanka 82/3 in 27 overs. Mathews (19) and Jayawardene (21). Jadeja 0/13 in three. Dhoni 0/11 in two.

 

Interesting factoid: MS Dhoni bowled for India at the Champions Trophy in 2009 against the West Indies. He took a wicket too then, clean bowling Travis Dowlin. He missed it this time, at least in the first over, but just.

 

And Dhoni comes on to bowl! And almost takes a wicket.. A huge LBW appeal against Jayawardene but the Sri Lankan calls for a Decision Review. A massive inside edge on the hot-spot. But entertainment nonetheless!

 

And as we type, Ravindra Jadeja's over flies by! 3 off it!

Meanwhile, Dhoni has handed over the wicket-keeping gloves to Dinesh Karthik. So, we are in for some entertainment now. Does not seem like a semi-final this. Dhoni to bowl?? That would be awesome!

 

17:23 (IST): First signal of intent in that over by Angelo Mathews. A six off Ishant Sharma but just that again and no single. 58/3 after 22 overs.

 

Interesting Stats: Sri Lanka's 47/3 is the lowest by a team in this year's Champions Trophy after 20 overs. (Pakistan 52/3 vs South Africa at Birmingham)

 

17:18 (IST): Angelo Mathews making it a habit of ruining the overs off the last balls. This time Umesh Yadav at the receiving end. 3 off the last ball and 5 off his 7th over. Sri Lanka 52/3 in 21 overs. The conditions and situation still look grim for Sri Lanka though.

 

17:11 (IST): A below-par performance by Sri Lanka till now. Going at just over 2-runs an over as Ishant tightening the noose. 47/3 after 20 overs. Skipper Angelo Mathews on 3 and Jayawardene on 3.

 

17:02 (IST): Another one for Ishant, another one for Raina! The same sort of dismissal as Thirimanne. Sangakkara goes for a painful 17 off 44 balls. Sri Lanka reeling now at 41/3 in 18 overs. Ishant 2/7 in his 4. (In pic: Sanga kicks his chewing gum after getting out)

 

16:57 (IST): The match trudges along as Sri Lanka's two most experienced batsmen - Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene - are at the crease to bail them out of this crisis. 39/2 in 17 overs as Bhuvneshwar continues his spell. Now 1/18 in 9 overs.

 

India strike a crucial blow! Dilshan's replacement Lahiru Thirimanne departs. Ishant Sharma the bowler this time as Suresh Raina takes a fine, fine catch at second slip. Fast becoming a good fielder in the cordon. He scored 7 off 31 balls and Sri Lanka now 36/2 in 15.2 overs.

 

16:42 (IST): Bhuvneshwar's eighth over on the trot is a maiden, his second of the day. 1/15 in his 8 overs. 36/1 after 15 overs. Going at snail's pace, in Test match mode in difficult conditions, are Sri Lanka. (Read this claim by Sanath Jayasuriya meanwhile)

 

14 overs, 16:40 (IST): Just a four off Ishant Sharma's over. Sri Lanka dealing in boundaries but just one an over and no singles. Sangakkara (13) and Thirimanne (7), 36/1.

 

16:34 (IST): Kumar Sangakkara, 13 off 33 balls, ruins Bhuvneshwar's 7th over with a four off the last ball. He still has fine figures of 1/15 in 7 overs. 32/1 in 13 overs.

 

16:29 (IST): The Indian juggernaut rolls on with Ishant Sharma continuing the good work done by Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. One of his first over. Sri Lanka 28/1 in 12 overs.

 

And now Dilshan's replacement Thirimanne in a bit of trouble. Umesh Yadav's in-swinging delivery hit him flush on the unprotected area behind the pad, right next to the knee. Looks in a spot of bother, grimacing in pain. 26/1 in 9.2 overs. All well though after a short treatment.

 

16:10 (IST): A sedate start by Sri Lanka as Indian bowlers Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar hitting the right areas. The outfield is still not 'dry' as per the commentators. 5 runs of Yadav's 4th over. 26/1 in 8 overs.

 

And sadly for Sri Lanka, Dilshan walks off! Retired hurt for 12 off 14 balls. Lahiru Thirimanne comes in to bat. Sri Lanka have to rebuild now, practically two down.

 

15:54 (IST): Finally some respite for Sri Lanka, 10 runs off Umesh's second over even as Tillakaratne Dilshan slipped and has apparently hurt himself. He is limping now. 16/1 in 4 overs.

 

And Bhuvneshwar Kumar strikes first blow for India! Suresh Raina gobbles up a simple catch at second slip to dismiss Kusal Perera for 4. That bowl swung a bit and went away from the left-hander. 6/1 in 2.4 overs.

 

15:40 (IST): Umesh Yadav bowled a 'swinging' first over. Prodigious swing at display in Cardiff. Sri Lanka 5/0 after 2 overs.

15:35 (IST): A lovely flick for a four, through backward square-leg, by Kusal Perera in Bhuvneshwar Kumar's first over. Sri Lanka 4/0.

 

15:32 (IST): INDIA XI: S Dhawan, RG Sharma, V Kohli, D Karthik, S Raina, MS Dhoni, R Jadeja, R Ashwin, I Sharma, B Kumar, U Yadav

 

SRI LANKA XI: KJ Perera, T Dilshan, K Sangakkara, L Thirimanne, M Jayawardene, A Mathews, J Mendis, N Kulasekara, R Herath, T Perera, L Malinga

 

15:16 (IST): The sudden, unexpected toss has taken place and India have put Sri Lanka in to bat. India is unchanged and Sri Lanka have made two changes - Jeevan Mendis and Thisara Perera come in while Shaminda Eranga and vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal miss out. (Toss report)

 

14:53 (IST): The latest from Cardiff is that the toss is at around 15:10 (IST) with the match beginning 15:30 (IST). The match remains 50-over a side affair as of now. The pitch and the square are fine while the wet patches in the outfield are being dried up.

 

14:43 (IST): Umpires still undecided on a start time, meaning the toss is delayed at Swalec Stadium. Sun still remains to be behind the clouds, lights are on.

 

14:17 (IST): Despite the overcast conditions, experts at the venue feel the match may still start on time.

 

14:15 (IST): Former skipper Mahela Jayawardene, while warming up to face India, says: "You can't control the weather. Sangakkara and I have been shouldering our responsibility as senior statesmen in Sri Lankan team for years and we want to continue doing that in the coming days. Both teams will know the strengths and weaknesses of each other, having played a lot of cricket against each other, so looking forward to the match."

 

13:55 (IST): The covers are coming off at the Swalec Stadium. But no sign of sunlight. Despite the overnight rain, the outfield is not in the worst condition.

 

India vs Sri Lanka in ICC tournaments:

1979 World Cup: Sri Lanka
1992 World Cup: No result
1996 World Cup: Sri Lanka (league stage), Sri Lanka (semi-final)
1999 World Cup: India
2002 Champions Trophy: No result, No result (Final, including reserve day)
2003 World Cup: India
2007 World Cup: Sri Lanka
2011 World Cup final: India

Summary: Won by Sri Lanka - 4, Won by India - 3, No results - 3.

 

13:22 (IST): Rain has stopped in Cardiff but it still remains very cloudy. There are no reserve days for this tournament. Remember India's final vs Sri Lanka in 2002 Champions Trophy went into a reserve day in Colombo, which too was rained off, resulting in the teams sharing the trophy.

 

For the statistically minded, the following bowlers have bowled the most dot balls in this year's ICC Champions Trophy so far:

James Anderson (124 dot balls), Lonwabo Tsotsobe (105), Stuard Broad (104), Ravindra Jadeja (98), Lasith Malinga (97), Sunil Narine (94), Ryan McLaren (91), Saeed Ajmal (89), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (87).

 

12:58 (IST): In case rain plays a dampener in today's clash and the match is washed out, India will proceed to the final as they had topped their Group B - winning all three games, while Sri Lanka collected 4 points from two wins in Group A.

 

12:35 (IST): It is pouring in Cardiff. The drainage at Swalec Stadium is good but the forecast is not good for today - 70 per cent chances of rain. There were light showers overnight. Almost the entire ground is covered and it looks like a delayed start for sure.

 

11:45 (IST): Ahead of the semi-final clash, India skipper MS Dhoni addressed the media on Wednesday. Catch all the highlights from Dhoni's presser.

 

11:38 (IST): Check out the training pics as the players sweat it out on the eve of the game (Picture Gallery: Kohli, Dhawan hit the nets hard; Mahela, Malinga 'on the ball'). Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's chief selector, Sanath Jayasuriya says that Angelo Mathews and Co. will try to target India's bowling. "Their (India) bowling isn't the best, so we need to have a very good plan. The goal was to make the semifinals. Anything can happen now," Jayasuriya told the BBC on Wednesday.

 

11:33 (IST): Read the Match Preview (Upbeat Sri Lanka look India in the eye). India were the first team to make the round of last four from the tournament's Group of Death with an all-win record, Sri Lanka grabbed the last semifinal berth on Tuesday after warding off a late challenge from Australia. The 20-run win against the Aussies at The Oval enabled the Lankans to finish level on points with England, but an inferior run-rate pushed them to No. 2 and earn a date with India at Sophia Gardens.