India 188 for 6 (Dravid 64, Yuvraj 37) beat Sri Lanka 187 all out (Atapattu 50, Nehra 2-28) by 4 wickets
scorecard

At 59 for 4 in the 20th over, chasing just 188 but with Sachin Tendulkar gone, India looked like the doddering outfit of old, masters at turning victories into defeats. Three no-losses in a row, it seemed, was about as good as it got. That was until a cool Rahul Dravid (64 and Man of the Match) and Yuvraj Singh (37) bandaged the Indian innings with a fine 91-run fifth-wicket partnership that brought a glimmer of new hope for Indian cricket's future.

The partnership ended when Dilhara Fernando gave Sri Lanka a faint lifeline with the last ball of his ninth over, startling Yuvraj Singh with a high full-toss outside off which the batsman just patted away with a reflex action to Upul Chandana at point. India were 150 for 5 in the 40th over, but Sri Lanka had already confirmed that they lacked that spark and spirit which delivers unlikely victories. And they were up against a team that had what they missed. For sure, this is a new Indian team charged with the steely stuff that makes champions. Yet again in this series, they calmly wriggled out a tight situation and finished the job.

More importantly, the lower order stood up to fight when the top tumbled. Dinesh Mongia fell in the 13th over for 5 (30 for 2) and Sourav Ganguly followed in the next over for an unremarkable 24 off 51 that included two fours and one life. When Sachin Tendulkar (19 off 25 balls) paid with his wicket for his tearing hurry to finish the match, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh were left holding the fort. Hold well they did.

This innings was yet another milestone towards the rapidly evolving "Dravid: The Master One-Day Batsman". There were plenty of moments to suggest that development, such as when he danced down the wicket to Thilan Samaraweera and drove him straight back over his head for a splendid six. The timing of the shot and its occurrence in the innings was perfect. And by the time Dravid was run out in the 47th over, he and Mohammad Kaif had already run singles like hungry hares after free carrots to put India just 9 runs short of the target. Ajit Agarkar completed the formalities, thumping Upul Chandana to the mid-on boundary to equal the score, and then punching the air in delight when the luckless Chandana bowled a wide that served as the winning run. India and England go to the finals and Sri Lanka have two games to salvage some self-respect.

It was another nightmare in an English Summer of Horror for the Sri Lankans. Nothing it seemed can bring them winner status, not even Chaminda Vaas's fighting bowling figures of 10-1-26-2, not even having Virendar Sehwag bowled sensationally off the first ball of the Indian innings, not even Dilhara Fernando having Sachin Tendulkar caught at mid-off after dropping him in the previous over at backward point. Ultimately, the target was too little to defend and the burden of missing Muttiah Muralitharan too great to bear.

Earlier, their batsmen had surrendered to the pitch, conditions and some magnificent Indian seam bowling. "Birmingham". John Wright should use that as a mantra to inspire his bowlers to now seriously stake a claim to the 2003 World Cup. Their happy result of pitching the ball up on a tight line and letting an upright seam do the talking gave India a target of just 188 to chase.

Under a cloudy sky and on a rich green outfield fed with over one inch of overnight rain, Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Agarkar gave the Sri Lankan batsmen a torrid time after Sourav Ganguly asked them to bat first. Both the openers, Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, struggled against a probing length outside off. Jayasuriya, inspite of a signature slashed six off Zaheer over point, was hopping at the crease and hurrying into defensive prods. He had a life in Nehra's fifth over, with Dinesh Mongia leaping high to his right at second slip but failing to cling to Jayasuriya's edge, the result of a forcing shot to point.

It did not cost India. Jayasuriya (22) tried another of his expansive slashes to the point territory, but the ball went off the inside edge and onto middle stump (33 for 1). A recovery seemed to be building with an 84-run partnership between Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene for the third wicket. They came together when Kaluwitharana (8 off 21 balls), seemingly determined to perfect the art of getting out to Agarkar's first ball of the spell, replayed his exit at the Oval last Sunday, flashing outside off for Rahul Dravid to take the catch (41 for 2).

But after Anil Kumble got rid of Jayawardene (36), the procession began. The last eight wickets collapsed for 52 runs. Marvan Atapattu went in Kumble's next over for 50, victim off a classic sucker ball that drew him hopefully forward and then slipped between the bat-pad gate to crash into off stump (129 for 4).

Zaheer Khan, brought back to the attack by Ganguly, struck deeper into the Sri Lankan middle order dispatching Avishka Gunawardene (7 off 29 balls) with the eighth ball of his new spell. Gunawardene's plans for a vicious slash to point only had the ball spiraling high behind square on the off side for Yuvraj Singh to pouch a sitter. Two run-outs hurried the end, another happy indicator of Indian fielding on the upswing. The four regular bowlers shared the spoils with two wickets each and with none going over four an over. Now, Wright and Ganguly can only fear complacency as the great enemy this summer.

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