India’SLoss ends a Dr(e)a(vi)dful campaign

India made just one change to their playing eleven – Harbhajan Singh made way for Anil Kumble. Sri Lanka made three changes to the eleven that last played the Indians – Marvan Atapattu, Farveez Maharoof and Malinga Bandara made way for Upul Tharanga, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan.

It was four years to the day since the World Cup final at The Bullring, and as Sourav Ganguly did on that occasion, his successor as India’s skipper, Rahul Dravid, chose to field on winning the toss.

Sanath Jayasuriya, who faced 23 balls, scored six. Seven overs into the match, he was caught by Ajit Agarkar. Zaheer Khan broke the 33-run stand. Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, faced 20 balls. Although his innings included a boundary, he wasn’t in seventh heaven. Thirty-four balls later, he was caught by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Agarkar broke the 20-run stand.

Kumar Sangakkara faced 35 balls, scoring 15. His innings included a couple of boundaries. Sixty-five balls later, he was caught by Munaf Patel. Ganguly broke the 39-run stand. Tharanga, who faced 90 balls, scored 64. HiS(ach)innings included six boundaries. Fifty-three balls later, Tendulkar trapped him leg before wicket, breaking the 41-run stand.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, who faced 41 balls, scored 38. His innings included three boundaries. Eighty balls later, he was caught by Dhoni. Patel broke the 83-run stand. Chamara Silva faced 68 balls, scoring 59. His innings included five boundaries. Three dot balls later, he was caught by Dhoni off the bowling of Khan. 

Russel Arnold and Vaas scored 19 apiece, and were unbeaten. While the former’s 13-ball innings included three boundaries, the latter, who faced a dozen balls, scored a couple of boundaries and a six. 

India conceded 27 extras. Sri Lanka scored 254 for the loss of six wickets off 50 overs. Harbhajan Singh, who bowled 10 wicketless overs, conceded 53. Ganguly, who bowled four overs, conceded 22, picking up a wicket. Tendulkar, who bowled eight overs, conceded 40. He picked up a wicket.

Agarkar bowled eight overs, including a maiden. He conceded 33, picking up a wicket. Patel bowled 10 overs, including a maiden. He conceded 46, picking up a wicket. Khan, who bowled 10 overs, conceded 49. He picked up a couple of scalps.

Uthappa faced 27 balls, scoring 18. His (Rob)innings included three boundaries. Forty-one balls into the chase, Vaas caught him off his own bowling, breaking the 25-run stand. Ganguly, who faced 23 balls, wasn’t in seventh heaven. Four overs later, he was caught by Muralitharan, the player of the match. Vaas broke the 18-run stand.

Tendulkar, who faced three balls, did not open his account. Four balls later, Dilhara Fernando broke the one-run stand. Virender Sehwag faced 46 balls, scoring 48. His innings included five boundaries and a six. Sixty-eight balls later, he was caught by Jayawardene. Muralitharan broke the 54-run stand.

The fifth-wicket pair put on 14. Yuvraj Singh, who faced a dozen balls, scored six. Twenty-nine balls later, Arnold and Jayasuriya ran him out. Dhoni, who faced a ball, did not open his account. Three dot balls later, Muralitharan trapped him leg before wicket.

Agarkar, who faced 25 balls, scored 10. Twenty-seven balls, he was caught by Arnold. Lasith Malinga broke the 24-run stand. Harbhajan, who faced 20 balls, scored 17. His innings included a boundary and a six. He was unbeaten. Dravid, who faced 82 balls, scored 60. His innings included six boundaries. Seventeen balls later, he was caught by Muralitharan. Jayasuriya broke the 23-run stand.

Khan, who faced five balls, scored a run. Nine balls later, he was caught by Malinga. Muralitharan broke the two-run stand. Patel, who faced 17 balls, scored 10. His innings included a boundary. Twenty-seven balls later, he was caught by Vaas. Dilshan broke the 24-run stand.

Sri Lanka conceded eight overs. India, who were dismissed for 185 off 43.3 overs, lost by 69 runs. Dilshan bowled 2.1 overs, including a maiden. He conceded a couple and picked up a wicket. Fernando, who bowled 6.2 overs, conceded 32. He picked up a wicket.

Malinga, who bowled eight overs, conceded 39. He picked up a scalp, as did Jayasuriya, whose nine overs yielded 31. Vaas bowled eight overs, including a maiden. He conceded 39, picking up two wickets. Muralitharan, who bowled 10 overs, conceded 41. He picked up three scalps.

India were eliminated at the group stage of the tournament.