Choosing to field quickly became a nightmarish decision for Sri Lanka, as Rahane and Dhawan refused to leave the pitch before scoring 111 and 113 respectively, with the knocks comprising 27 boundaries and five sixes collectively.
Suresh Raina contributed a half-century, while several cameos by the following batsmen helped India amass 363-5 on the completion of their innings. Suraj Randiv dismissed Rahane, Raina and stand-in captain Virat Kolhi, but it was too little too late.
“The first 10 overs were slightly challenging,” said man-of-the-match Rahane. “But later on, it got really easy for us. Dhawan and I really enjoyed batting in the middle. We’ve started really well and will take one game at a time.”
Sri Lanka were unable to mount a threatening chase, with none of the players managing to reach a half-century and Mahela Jayawardene top-scoring with 43. The visitors were sent packing on 194 runs, with Ishant Sharma picking up four wickets.
The match was the first of a hastily-arranged five-match ODI series after the West Indies abruptly cancelled their tour of India half-way through due to internal disputes.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2014.
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