Kumar Sangakkara smashed a career-best 78 off just 37 balls to set up Sri Lanka's 29-run win in the first Twenty20 international against India here on Wednesday. Sangakkara smashed 11 fours and two sixes to help Sri Lanka amass 215-5 before Angelo Mathews and Sanath Jayasuriya picked two wickets each to restrict India to 186-9 in 20 overs at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium.
The in-form Gautam Gambhir (55) tried to counter-attack, hitting the second fastest Twenty20 half-century, off 19 balls, with the help of 11 fours, but fell while trying to paddle sweep Mathews in the ninth over. Sangakkara earlier played a captain's knock, putting on 74 runs in 6.1 overs for the second wicket with Tillakaratne Dilshan (34) after the visitors were put in to bat.
Sangakkara, 32, hit left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha for two fours and a six to race to his fourth half-century in his 19th Twenty20 international before being run out off the last ball of the innings. Chamara Kapugedera further boosted the total with a quickfire 47 off 20 balls with seven boundaries and a six.
Dilshan, dropped on 13 by Ishant off his own bowling, combined with Sangakkara to take Sri Lanka to 89-1 after 10 overs before being bowled by a yorker from Rohit Sharma. India struck again to remove Mahela Jayawardene cheaply for nine but Kapugedera and Sangakkara made light of the setback, unleashing a flurry of hits to the fence to unsettle the Indians.
SCOREBOARD
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SRI LANKA:
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T. Dilshan b R. Sharma 34
S. Jayasuriya c I. Sharma b Dinda 26
K. Sangakkara run out 78
M. Jayawardene b Pathan 9
C. Kapugedera b Nehra 47
A. Mathews not out 15
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Extras: (b1, lb3, w2) 6
Total: (for 5 wkts, 20 overs) 215
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Did not bat: Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando.
Fall of wickets: 1-43 (Jayasuriya), 2-117 (Dilshan), 3-126 (Jayawardene), 4-195 (Kapugedera), 5-215 (Sangakkara).
Bowling: Nehra 4-0-52-1 (w2), Ishant 4-0-22-0, Dinda 3-0-34-1, Pathan 4-0-54-1, Ojha 2-0-27-0, Rohit 3-0-22-1.
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INDIA:
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G. Gambhir b Mathews 55
V. Sehwag c Mathews b Kulasekara 26
M. Dhoni c Pushpakumara b Jayasuriya 9
Y. Singh c Kulasekara b Mathews 6
R. Sharma run out 3
S. Raina c Dilshan b Pushpakumara 21
Y. Pathan c Malinga b Jayasuriya 0
A. Dinda b Dilshan 19
A. Nehra run out 22
P. Ojha not out 10
I. Sharma not out 5
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Extras: (b2, lb3, w5) 10
Total: (for 9 wkts, 20 overs) 186
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