India have some distance to travel before earning the right to proclaim themselves world champions, but they can at least argue that they are the dominant force on the Asian sub-continent after Monday’s 183-run trouncing of Sri Lanka in a World Cup Super Six match at the Wanderers.
After a relatively quiet start to the tournament — Australia whipped them by nine wickets some three weeks ago — the Indians have run into form as the competition nears its closing stages. This is not entirely unconnected with then form of their supreme batsman, Sachin Tendulkar, but the manner in which they have dismissed both their great Asian rivals, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, inside the space of 10 days suggests that this is not a one-man show.
Tendulkar, who made 98 in the six-wicket win against Pakistan, scored one less against Sri Lanka, top-edging a leg-side paddle as he tried to move carefully to his century by means of singles. His frustration at falling on 97 will have been appeased, however, by the fact that he has now scored 571 runs at this World Cup, thus breaking his own record for a tournament of 523 set in 1996. He has at least two more matches to play, and possibly three of India reach the finals. It seems very much the case that Tendulkar has decided there are a great many runs on offer at this World Cup and he wants as many of them as he can get.
Yet if Tendulkar’s 97 was the basis of India’s 292 for six, the victory itself was carved out by the Indian seamers, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra as Sri Lanka were bundled out for 109.
If there is an obvious weakness in this Indian team, it is the lack of a fifth bowler. On Monday, though, Sourav Ganguly didn’t need even a fourth bowler as his pace trio tore through the Sri Lankan batting. The long-serving and, to judge by his customary weary trudge, long-suffering Srinath was the chief architect of the Sri Lankan collapse.
He claimed three wickets in his two opening overs and a fourth in his fourth over as Sri Lanka stumbled from three for three to 15 for four and then 40 for five. Four of Sri Lanka’s top five failed to score and the match was effectively over as a contest less than four overs into the Sri Lankan innings when Aravinda de Silva was trapped leg before by Srinath at 15 for four.
Kumar Sangakkara hit a defiant 30 and Muttiah Muralitharan flailed around cheerfully at the death for 16, but it was a pitiful batting display from Sri Lanka.
Srinath finished with four 35, Nehra, who cleaned up the tail, had an identical return and Zaheer claimed the two remaining wickets for 33. It was not as if Sri Lanka could blame the pitch, although there were some eyebrows raised at the start when Sanath Jayasuriya won the toss and asked India to bat. If he’d hoped for early inroads, he was to be disappointed as Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag put on 153 for the first wicket. Sehwag has struggled for form in this World Cup, but his 66 on Monday will restore his confidence and may yet prove to be perfectly timed for India’s run in.
Jayasuriya grumbled afterwards about his bowlers not keeping the right lines. He seemed to be referring to Prabath Nissanka and Dilhara Fernando rather than Chaminda Vaas (who took two for 34 in his 10 overs), but so confident and so commanding is Tendulkar at the moment that he probably would have made runs wherever Sri Lanka bowled. There was also a 48 from Ganguly to keep the momentum going and although India faltered in their closing overs, failing to reach the 300 than seemed on offer, it didn’t really matter in the end.
India’s victory almost certainly assures them of second or third place on the final Super Six log. If they finish in either of these positions, they will avoid Australia in the semi-finals and if the Indians continue to build both their form and confidence, they could mount a serious challenge in the final itself.