India overcame a brilliant century by Tillakaratne Dilshan to defeat Sri Lanka by three runs in a dramatic start to the five-match one-day series on Tuesday.
Dilshan made 160 off 124 balls as the tourists made a spirited effort to surpass India’s highest one-day total of 414-7, before falling agonisingly short in a high-scoring thriller.
Sri Lanka were on their way to recording the second highest run chase in one-day history when they began the penultimate over needing 15 to win off the last 12 balls with five wickets in hand.
But pace spearhead Zaheer Khan conceded just four runs and seamer Ashish Nehra gave away seven runs in the final over to seal India’s win.
Three wickets fell in the last two overs, including that of Thilina Kandamby (24) and Angelo Mathews (38), to end Sri Lanka’s desperate bid to record a famous win.
The biggest chase in one-day history stands in the name of South Africa, who made 438-9 to defeat Australia at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on March 12, 2006.
Earlier, Virender Sehwag smashed 146 off 102 balls on a ground with shorter boundaries as India surpassed their previous one-day record of 413-5 against Bermuda in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.
Sri Lanka made a spectacular chase of the daunting target as Dilshan and Upul Tharanga (67) hammered 188 for the first wicket in 24 overs.
Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara propelled Sri Lanka further with a blistering 90 off 43 balls that contained 10 fours and five sixes.
Sangakkara and Dilshan added 128 for the second wicket from just 75 balls to lift the tourists to a comfortable 316-1 by the 37th over, when India hit back with four wickets in the space of 29 runs.
Sangakkara was caught on the square-leg fence off seamer Praveen Kumar, before off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had Sanath Jayasuriya stumped and then bowled danger man Dilshan in successive overs.
Mahela Jayawardena was run out for three attempting a second run, but Thilina Kandamby and Mathews put on 56 for the sixth wicket to keep the tourists’ hopes alive.
The swashbuckling Sehwag hit 17 boundaries and six sixes after the tourists won the toss and elected to field in good batting conditions.
The fifth-highest total in one-day cricket was fuelled by a blazing opening stand of 153 in 20 overs by Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar.
Tendulkar, the world’s leading Test and one-day batsman, made 69 off 63 balls with 10 fours and a six before he was bowled by Dilhara Fernando.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni continued the batting feast as he added 156 for the second wicket with Sehwag, before both batsmen fell in successive overs.
Dhoni hit seven boundaries and three sixes in 72 off 53 balls.
The second match will be played in Nagpur on Friday.
India had won the preceding Test series 2-0 and both teams won one Twenty20 international each. — AFP
