India 392 for 4 (Rohit 208*, Iyer 88, Dhawan 68) v Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma’s template in ODIs isn’t complicated: watchful in the first 10 overs, then an attacking accumulation in the next 30 overs, and then a belligerent assault in the final 10 overs. Sri Lanka knew all about it, conceding 264 to Rohit alone in Kolkata, but he reminded them again in terrific batting conditions in Mohali. He razed his way to his third double-century in ODIs to launch India to 392 for 4 in the second ODI. Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer gave him able company with rapid fifties.
In large boundaries, Sri Lanka’s natural response was to take pace off the ball, and try bowling short. It didn’t work. Sri Lanka’s end-overs specialists Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep then tried firing in wide yorkers. It didn’t work. Straight yorkers? No. Low full tosses resulted in sixes over midwicket and square leg.
Such was the magnitude of the final third of his modus operandi that he scored more than half of his unbeaten 208 in the final 10 overs. He had nudged his way to his 16th ODI century by the end of the 40th over, and then went on to thump 107 more off his final 37 balls. He scored 144 of his unbeaten 208, close to 70% of his runs, square on either side of the wicket. India scored 147 in the last 10 overs.
Confidence is arguably the most influential factor in sport. Any team is bound to be tentative after slumping to 29 for 7 in their previous game. So when India were put in to bat in hazy conditions, Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan put away their attacking instincts, allowing Sri Lanka’s in-form seamers to win the first Powerplay: they scored just 33 runs in the first 10 overs.
Apart from their ability to steal singles with soft hands in the Powerplay, Rohit and Dhawan are also proficient because of their preference of differing lengths. Dhawan waits back for bowlers to err short, and Rohit favours the fuller length when they compensate. For 10 overs, Sri Lanka found the perfect length in between.
As fatigue crept in and new bowlers took time to settle, they erred too often. India’s run-rate rose from a little over three to above five in a few overs thereafter. Dhawan was particularly productive square on either side of the wicket, hitting nine fours before shovelling a flick to midwicket off Sachith Pathirana.
After cruising to a fifty, Rohit chose only the errant deliveries to attack. But India’s run-rate remained lofty due to Iyer’s belligerence. A slow start meant he was forced to take a calculated risk: he chipped down off Pathirana and hit him over mid-on despite not getting to the pitch. Sri Lanka changed their length, and Iyer pounced on width.
Iyer led the charge after Rohit’s ton. He displayed the strong bottom-handed power that has almost become a requisite in modern ODI batting. He also showed off his touch, guiding and scything balls on either side of point. He eventually holed out for 88 off 70 balls, an innings that featured nine fours and two sixes, in the the 46th over, but the damage had already been inflicted on Sri Lanka.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo