Bionic Man leads India into final

Report: India beat Sri Lanka by six wickets

Mahendra Singh Dhoni had complained about the Asia Cup schedule earlier, and there's little doubt that India had the worst of it, with back-to-back games against the two other big sides in the competitions. But having succumbed so meekly to Pakistan to leave themselves on the brink of elimination, Dhoni led the way with the bat as India chased down the 309 they needed to seal a place in Sunday's final.

Sri Lanka didn't need to win this game, and rested Chaminda Vaas and Ajantha Mendis. But there was certainly no lack of effort from them with Pakistan watching anxiously from the sidelines. They batted with purpose, but missed out because none of the three who made half-centuries, or Sanath Jayasuriya who made 43, could go on and play a defining innings.

On pitches as placid as these, it's pointless trying to blame bowlers for their shortcomings. There's something farcical about a batsman coming down the track, being deceived, yet still having time to readjust and run the ball down to third man. That's what one-day cricket on the subcontinent has been reduced to, mindless batathons where the bowlers are beasts of burden. Only RP Singh and the remarkable Muttiah Muralitharan managed to buck that trend on Thursday, but there's something deeply wrong when totals in excess of 300 become yawningly mundane.

India's batsmen still deserve some credit though. The conditions weren't taxing, but the situation was. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag gave them the ideal start, and there was another fine hand from Suresh Raina as he and Dhoni stitched together the game's defining partnership. By the time Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma finished things off, the challenge had become a cruise.

It will be different on Sunday, with Sri Lanka playing their best XI and India managing 48 hours of rest. Pakistan, who fluffed their lines badly in the group stages against India and were then thrashed by Sri Lanka, will feel hard done by, with Friday's game against Bangladesh now of no consequence. For Geoff Lawson and Shoaib Malik, it could have real significance though.

With the Champions Trophy on home soil in a couple of months time, Pakistan cricket may decide that the time is right for a fresh start. That all-too-brief halcyon age under Bob Woolmer and Inzamam-ul-Haq seems like a long time ago now.

Comments

[worriedforcricket]

If this meaningless batathlon of a competition is any indication, I despair for the Champions trophy and the bowlers.

[Som]

I think tracks like this are tailormade to bury one-day cricket right under it. Batsmen develop inflated ego and bowlers' an inferiority complex as crowd yawns at the sheer predictability.