New Delhi: India suffered an unlikely defeat at the hands of a spirited Sri Lankan side in their Group B clash of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 at The Oval on Thursday. But there were moments of brilliance from the Indian side, and one such moment was the run out of Kusal Mendis by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Put into bat by Sri Lanka, India set a 322-run target, thanks to a patient hundred from Shikhar Dhawan and fifties from his opening partner Rohit Sharma and veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It looked a good total.
But a 159-run second-wicket stand between Danushka Gunathilaka and Mendis flattened the Indian spirit, which laid the foundation for a seven-wicket win, thus making an interesting make-over of the group.
Despite the defeat, there were takeaways for India. Dhawan’s century, his opening stand with Rohit, Dhoni’s contribution – both with bat and gloves and Kedar Jadhav’s finishing touches were high-points from the match.
But one moment which thrilled Indian fans was Bhuvi’s direct hit to send Mendis back in the 33rd over.
Indian pacer read the situation well, and on his follow-up, reacted quickly to pick the ball up at short mid-on before producing a direct hit at the striker’s end. Bang one, and a wicket for India.
It happened off the fourth ball of the over. Mendis softly played towards mid-on, but he didn’t see Bhuvi’s reaction, and made a mess while calling for a quick single. In his attempt to make ground, Mendis even produced a desperate dive but it wasn’t enough.
He was left stranded at 89, face down.
Here’s the video:
WICKET: Mendis run-out courtesy a direct hit by Bhuvneshwar https://t.co/peXAaHtA0e #cricket @icc
— Cricket-atti (@cricketatti) June 9, 2017
The result ensured that all four teams are with a win each, and the remaining two fixtures have become virtual quarter-finals. India take on South Africa on Sunday, and on Monday, South Africa play Pakistan in do-or-die matches.
Source: Zee News