Hobart, Feb 28: India went into their last league match of the CB Series downcast, dispirited and with very little support. They now find themselves out of the long and dark tunnel that has been the tour of Australia, basking in the glory of an improbable and famous victory. Virat Kohli played the most crucial knock of his ODI career as India made a mockery of Lasith Malinga’s bowling figures. In the end, the bonus point was gained, records broken and faith restored. Take a look at the key numbers from India’s redemption game.
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Sri Lanka (320 for four) posted their highest total against India at a neutral venue, expunging the 308 for eight they made at Karachi on July 3, 2008. Incidentally, Sri Lanka’s highest total against India in Australia was 289 for six at Brisbane on February 21, 2012.
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Kumar Sangakkara (105) made his 13th ODI hundred – his fourth against India.
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Tillakaratne Dilshan (160*) scored his 11th ODI hundred – his fourth against India.
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Dilshan also equalled his highest score in ODIs. He had made 160, also against India, on December 15, 2009. Incidentally, Sri Lanka lost the match on that occasion too.
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Dilshan's innings is the highest by a non-Australian in Australia. The previous highest was England’s David Gower’s 158 against New Zealand at Brisbane on January 15, 1983. The previous highest by a subcontinental player in Australia was 141 by Sourav Ganguly against Pakistan at Adelaide on January 25, 2000.
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Incidentally, the previous highest score by a Sri Lankan batsman on Australian soil was 128 by Kumar Sangakkara at Adelaide on February 19, 2008 – also against India.
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The 200-run partnership between Dilshan and Sangakkara is Sri Lanka’s highest for the second wicket in ODIs. This obliterated the 170-run stand between Roy Dias and Sidath Wettimuny against India at Delhi on September 15, 1982, and also between Sanath Jayasuriya and Hashan Tillakaratne against New Zealand at Bloemfontein on February 10, 2003.
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Dilshan and Sangakkara provided the 15th instance of two batsmen scoring hundreds together in the same match against India. The other such instance for Sri Lanka against India had come at Sharjah on October 27, 2000 when Marvan Atapattu (102*) and Mahela Jayawardene (128) made hundreds.
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Interestingly, on seven out of 15 occasions where two batsmen have scored centuries in the same match against them, India have managed to win the match.
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Zaheer Khan became India’s leading wicket-taker against Sri Lanka in ODIs with the wicket of Angelo Mathews, surpassing Harbhajan Singh’s tally of 62 wickets.
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The first-wicket partnership of 54 runs between Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag was India’s best opening partnership of the entire tour.
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Before today, India had not managed a single century partnership in seven games of the tournament. Today, they forged two – 115 runs for the third wicket between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli and 120* runs for the fourth wicket between Kohli and Suresh Raina.
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Virat Kohli (133*) made his ninth century in his 82nd match – his second against Sri Lanka. Six of them have come in chases – all successful.
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This was also Kohli’s highest score in ODIs, beating the 118 against Australia at Visakhapatnam on October 20, 2010.
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Kohli raced to his hundred off just 76 balls – the fastest hundred by an Indian on Australian soil. The previous fastest had come off Gautam Gambhir’s bat – off 99 balls against Sri Lanka at Brisbane on February 5, 2008.
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The hundred was also the third fastest for India against Sri Lanka. The two fastest hundreds for India against Sri Lanka have come off Virender Sehwag’s bat – off 66 balls at Rajkot on December 15, 2009 and off 75 balls at Colombo RPS on February 3, 2009.
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India reached the winning target in just 36.4 overs. They now hold the distinction of the quickest 300-plus chase in ODIs. Sri Lanka had chased down 324 for two against England at Leeds on July 1, 2006 in 37.3 overs.
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Lasith Malinga went for 96 runs in 7.4 overs – his worst figures in ODIs. He had conceded 85 runs in 10 overs against New Zealand at Johannesburg on September 27, 2009.
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Malinga’s economy (12.52) is in fact the worst for any bowler bowling at least seven overs in a match. Sri Lanka’s Tapash Baisya had achieved an economy of 12.42 while conceding 87 runs in seven overs against England at Nottingham on June 21, 2005.
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India have now chased down a 300-plus target on 10 occasions in ODIs – more than any other team. Sri Lanka are second with seven such instances.
