India lose, Venkat’s (Lan)kaptaincy ends

India were SLated to play their last match on June 16, but as it was washed out, the reserve day had to be used. The match marked the One-day International debuts of two Sri Lankans named Ranjan – Madugalle and Gunatilleke.

Srinivas Venkataraghavan, the Indian skipper, won the toss and chose to field. His opposite number, Bandula Warnapura, scored 18 off 51 balls. His innings included a couple of boundaries. He was caught by Anshuman Gaekwad. Mohinder broke the opening stand, which was worth (Amarna)thirty-one.

Coincidentally, both the teams had an opener named Sunil. Wettimuny, the man from Colombo scored 67 off 120 balls, including eight fours. He was caught by Dilip Vengsarkar. Kapil Dev broke the 96-run stand.

The third-wicket pair put on 20. Roy Dias’ 88-ball innings of 50 included a couple of boundaries. He was caught by Amarnath off his own bowling. Madugalle, who faced 16 balls, scored four. He was K(hann)aught by Surinder off Amarnath, who broke the 28-run stand.

The fifth-wicket partnership was worth 52. Duleep Mendis bagged the player of the match award for his 57-ball innings of 64, which included a boundary and three sixes. He was run out.

Pasqual scored 23, and was unbeaten. His 26-ball innings included a boundary. He S(udat)hared an unbroken sixth-wicket stand with Somachandra de Silva, who faced four balls and scored a run.

India conceded 11 extras. Sri Lanka scored 238 for five off 60 overs. Ghavri bowled a dozen wicketless overs, K(ars)anceding 53. Venkataraghavan, who bowled 12 wicketless overs, conceded 44. Bishan Singh Bedi bowled 12 wicketless overs, included a couple of maidens. He conceded 37.

Dev bowled 12 overs, including a Kapil of maidens. He conceded 53 and picked up a wicket. Mohinder bowled a dozen overs, included three maidens. He conceded 40 and picked up (Amarna)three wickets.

Wettimuny’s more (Sun)illustrious namesake, the Mumbai-born Gavaskar, faced 54 balls, scoring 26. His innings included two boundaries. He was caught by Dias. Bandula broke the opening stand, which W(arnapur)as worth 60.

Anshuman Gaekwad scored 33 0ff 52 balls. His innings included two boundaries. He was caught by substitute Ajit de Silva off the bowling of his namesake, who broke the 16-run Stan(ley)d.

The third-wicket pair put on 43. Viswanath, who faced (Gundap)pachpan balls, scored 22. He was run out. Brijesh Patel, who faced 13 balls, scored 10. His innings includeD(e Silv)a boundary. Somachandra broke the 13-run stand.

Dilip Vengsarkar, who faced 57 balls, scored 36. His innings included three boundaries. He was caught by Stanley. Somachandra broke the fifth-wicket stand, which was worth pandrah.

Dev scored 16. His 19-ball innings included a Kapil of fours. He was caught by Warnapura. Stanley broke the sixth-wicket stand, which was worth 13. Mohinder Amarnath, who faced 15 balls, wasn’t in seventh heaven, because Somachandra broke the two-run stand.

Ghavri, who faced eight balls, scored three (Kars)and was caught by Warnapura. Tony broke the eight-run (O)pa(r)t(ha)nership. Khanna, who faced 17 balls, scored 10. His innings included a boundary. He was caught by Dias. Opatha broke the 15-run stand.

Venkataraghavan, who faced nine balls and scored (Sriniv)as many, was unbeaten. Bishan Singh Bedi, who faced eight balls, scored five. He was caught by Sunil Jayasinghe. Opatha broke the six-run partnership.

Sri Lanka, who weren’t a Test-playing nation then, conceded 14 extras, and dismissed India for 191 off 54.1 overs, winning by 47 runs. Gunatilleke’s nine overs included a maiden. He conceded 34 and was wicketless.

Warnapura, whose 12 overs yielded 47, picked up a wicket. Stanley de Silva, who bowled 12 overs, conceded 36 and picked up two scalps.

Opatha bowled 10.1 overs, conceding thirT(on)y-one, and picked up three scalps. Somachandra bowled 11 overs, included a maiden. He conceded 29, and picked up three wickets.

It was Bedi’s and Patel’s last One-day International appearance, and Venkat’s last ODI as skipper.

In fact, 1979 is, so far, the only edition of the World Cup in which the Indians failed to win a match.