India’s resurgence impresses Jayawardene

SL batsman looks to outsmart opponent in today’s semi-final.

CARDIFF: Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene is under no illusions about the scale of the task confronting his side when they face India in a Champions Trophy semi-final in Cardiff today.

The latest high-profile One-Day International (ODI) contest between the teams is a repeat of the 2011 World Cup final in Mumbai in which Jayawardene made unwanted history. He became the first man to score a century in a World Cup final yet finish on the losing side, with India victorious by six wickets.

Jayawardene also made an unbeaten 84 to help his side secure a 20-run victory over defending champions Australia that booked Sri Lanka’s place in the last-four.

But having seen India beat Sri Lanka in a warm-up match at Edgbaston earlier this month, the right-handed batsman has been impressed by their form in the tournament.

“I think they’re playing really good cricket,” said Jayawardene. “Their batting looks really strong, so that’s a key area we need to focus on.”

A perfect record so far for India

India are the only side in the group stage of this Champions Trophy with a perfect record following wins over South Africa, the West Indies and archrivals Pakistan.

Hard-hitting opener Shikhar Dhawan, the mainstay of the India batting praised by Jayawardene, is the tournament’s leading scorer so far with 264 runs, including two hundreds.

The influx of youth has also seen a marked improvement in India’s fielding and this has backed up a well-balanced attack featuring left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and seamers Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.

However, with yorker specialist Lasith Malinga leading the way, Sri Lanka can tame any top order.

Jayawardene added, “Warm-up games, or whatever, don’t count right now.

“We are playing hard and passionate cricket. That has been the mantra of our success in the past and I hope it continues in the future also.”

There is provision for a ‘Super Over’ in the event of a tie but if rain causes a no-result, India will go through to the final at Edgbaston due to a superior net run-rate.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2013.

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