Tri-nation Series: India rue lack of application

Tharanga leads Sri Lanka to victory in third match.

KINGSTON: India lamented lack of application on the field after Upul Tharanga plundered the highest individual score in a One-Day International (ODI) in the Caribbean as Sri Lanka won by 161 runs in the third match of the Tri-nation Series at Sabina Park.

Replying to Sri Lanka’s mammoth 348 for one in their 50 overs, in which Tharanga made an unbeaten 174 and Mahela Jayawardene 107, World Cup and Champions Trophy holders India were dismissed for just 187 in the 45^th over.

“It was a bad day at the office,” admitted India’s stand-in captain Virat Kohli.

“We took some time to switch on in the field and by then Sri Lanka were off and away, and even when we batted I don’t think we applied ourselves as well as we should have.”

India looked a pale shadow of the side that had gone unbeaten in lifting the Champions Trophy in England just over a week earlier.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews praised his side’s effort.

“We really needed this,” he said. “Hats off to Mahela and Upul, who really set this up for us and allowed the bowlers to complete the job.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2013.

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