Rohit, Dhoni guide India to series victory

Jasprit Bumrah is a fine bowler. His quirky action and deceptive variations leave some of the best in the business looking silly. How then was Sri Lanka, with its current batting woes, going to handle him at his best?

Not very well, as it turned out. In the face of controlled fury from the Indian paceman, Sri Lanka was reduced to a meagre 217 for 9 from 50 overs in the third One-Day International. After Bumrah’s maiden international fifer, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni gave Sri Lanka a crash course in batting, guiding India to 218 for 4 from 45.1 overs at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (August 27). Their third successive win gave Virat Kohli’s side an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

With India needing eight runs to win, an unruly crowd in one section of the ground began hurling bottles onto the playing arena, forcing the umpires to take the players off the field. As the Special Security Forces cleared an entire section of the ground, the players returned to the field some 32 mnutes and completed the formalities, India coasting to a six-wicket win.

It must be noted that the unbeaten 157-run alliance for the fifth-wicket between Rohit and Dhoni came in the face of India losing the plot early on to Sri Lanka’s pacemen and then Akila Dananjaya.

Rohit finished unbeaten on 122 from 143 balls - his 12th ODI century - and Dhoni smashed a vintage 61 not out.

Bumrah ended with 5 for 27 from 10 overs, including a couple of maidens. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was Bumrah’s ally at the start, finished with none for 41, but he could easily have had at least a couple of wickets to show for his efforts.

The host received a shot in the arm through Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal as the late inclusions added 72 after Sri Lanka slumped to 28 for 2 within the first ten overs. Unfortunately, neither Thirimanne’s 80 nor Chandimal’s 36 could save Sri Lanka from another loss.

All this, despite an ordinary day on the field for India. Bumrah’s brutal first spell read 5-0-9-2. Bhuvneshwar’s impeccable control helped him return 6-1-28-0 in his first stint. They both could have had more success and did come close on numerous occasions, but were thwarted by Thirimanne and Chandimal’s luck and grit.

During their stay, the duo must have wondered why Chamara Kapugedera chose to bat on winning the toss. It was not the same strip on which the second ODI had been played. There was much more grass and the ball was going to do a bit early on. Not the best conditions for a batsman when Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah are the ones running in.

As Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Mendis and then the Thirimanne-Chandimal alliance found out, runs were not going to come as quickly or as easily as they had in the second ODI, and even there, Sri Lanka only managed 236.

Between Bumrah bowling an unplayable length and Bhuvneshwar getting significant movement both ways, Sri Lanka had its work cut out.

The near-capacity crowd sensed another letdown. Much to their glee, two players who did not feature in the scheme of things until Thursday evening rewarded them.

With Upul Tharanga out for two games because of a slow over-rate offence in the last match and Danushka Gunathilaka injuring his shoulder in the same game, Sri Lanka brought in Chandimal, its Test captain, and Thirimanne. Chandimal was left out of the ODI segment of the Zimbabwe tour last month, and Thirimanne had last played an ODI in January 2016.

Their partnership was one of Test-like pace, but that is exactly what Sri Lanka needed. Even when hit by a barrage of bouncers from Hardik Pandya -- one of which smacked him on his finger due to which he will be out of the series with a hairline crack -- a taped-up Chandimal stood his ground.

Even after his fall, Thirimanne stood his ground, calm and composed. He eventually got to his half-century, his third successive 50 against India after 52 in Ranchi and 59 in Kolkata in 2014. But he would not stop there. He went on to add another crucial 30 runs before chipping Bumrah to Kedar Jadhav at mid-wicket.

Milinda Siriwardana (29) only just tainted Bumrah’s figures towards the end with a few lusty blows soon after a ten-minute rain delay, but the bowler dislodged his stumps, a fitting end to a fine spell.

Within 31 balls of the start of India’s innings, there was a threat of Bumrah’s show being shaded as India lost Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli in quick succession. Dananjaya’s arrival in the 14th over brought along excitement and the potential for a repeat of the six-wicket show from the previous game.

The youngster picked up two wickets and left India stuttering at 61 for 4, as he accounted for Jadhav and the out of sorts KL Rahul.

Rohit had the silken touch, but even he needed support from the other end. Enter Dhoni.

The former skipper, whose unbeaten 45 was the cornerstone of India’s successful chase in the second game, was remarkable at the crease. Hitting the ball with ferocity and running those quick singles, Dhoni complemented Rohit perfectly. Rohit for his part was an unstoppable force.

Once the duo saw off the tense period, it settled into the groove to dismantle everything Sri Lanka threw at them.

Not even an eerily quiet stadium in the wake of the bottle-throwing incident at the end of the 44th over could shake their poise on the night.