InD(hon)ia triumph, beating the iSLanders

India made just one change to their playing eleven – Ashish Nehra made way for Sreesanth. Sri Lanka made a couple of Cha(mar)anges to the eleven that last played the Indians – Angelo Mathews and Silva made way for Thilan Samaraweera and Muttiah Muralitharan.

Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka’s captain, won the toss, choosing to bat. Upul Tharanga, who faced 20 balls, scored just a couple. Thirty-seven balls into the match, he was caught by Virender Sehwag. Zaheer Khan broke the 17-run stand. Tillakaratne Dilshan faced 49 balls, scoring 33. His innings included three boundaries. Sixty-two balls later, Harbhajan Singh broke the 43-run stand. 

Sangakkara faced 67 balls, scoring 48. His innings included five boundaries. Sixty-eight balls later, he was caught by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was adjudged the player of the match. Yuvraj Singh, the player of the series, broke the 62-run stand. Mahela Jayawardene, who faced 88 balls, scored 103. His innings included 13 boundaries. He was unbeaten. 

Samaraweera, who faced 34 balls, scored 21. His innings included a couple of boundaries. Sixty-two balls later, Yuvraj trapped him leg before wicket, breaking the 57-run stand. Chamara Kapugedera, who faced five balls, scored a run. Ten balls later, he was caught by Suresh Raina. Khan broke the three-run stand.

The sixth-wicket pair put on 66. Nuwan Kulasekara, who faced 30 balls, scored 32. His innings included a boundary and a six. Forty-nine balls later, Dhoni ran him out. Thisara Perera, who faced nine balls, scored 22. His innings included three boundaries and a six. He was unbeaten.

India conceded a dozen extras. Sri Lanka scored 274 for the loss of six wickets off 50 overs. Virat Kohli, who bowled an over, conceded six. He was wicketless, as was Sachin Tendulkar, who bowled a couple of overs, conceding a dozen.

Sreesanth bowled eight overs, conceding 52. He was wicketless, as was Munaf Patel, who bowled nine overs, conceding 41. Harbhajan, who bowled 10 overs, conceded 50. He picked up a wicket. Khan, who bowled 10 overs (including three maidens), conceded 60. He picked up a couple of scalps, as did Yuvraj, who bowled 10 overs, conceding 49.

Sehwag, who faced a couple of balls, did not open his account. Two dot balls into the chase, Lasith Malinga trapped him leg before wicket. Tendulkar, who faced 14 balls, scored 18. His innings included a couple of boundaries. Thirty-five balls into the match, he was caught by Sangakkara. Malinga broke the 31-run stand.

Kohli, who faced 49 balls, scored 35. His innings included four boundaries. Ninety-three balls later, he was caught by Dilshan, who broke the 83-run stand. Gautam Gambhir, who faced 122 balls, scored 97. His innings included nine boundaries. Perera broke the 118-ball stand, which was worth 109. 

The Indian skipper faced 79 balls, scoring (Dho)ninety-one. His innings included eight balls and a couple of sixes. He was unbeaten, as was Yuvraj, who scored 21 off 24 balls. His innings included a couple of boundaries.

Sri Lanka conceded 15 extras. India scored 277 for the loss of four wickets off 48.2 overs, winning by six wickets with 10 balls to spare. Suraj Randiv bowled nine overs, conceding 43. He was wicketless, as was Kulasekara, who bowled 8.2 overs, conceded 64.

Muralitharan had unhappy memories of his swansong. He bowled eight wicketless overs, conceding 39. Dilshan, who bowled five overs, conceded 27. He picked up a wicket, as did Perera, who bowled nine overs, conceding 55. Malinga, who bowled nine overs, conceded 42. He picked up two scalps.

Twenty-eight years after India won the World Cup for the first time, they won their second title.