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Team India a picture of allround confidence

S. Dinakar

— Photo: AP

BONDING WITH THE BEST: The Pathan brothers, whose tale has been one of skill, passion and heart, have come a long way.

Colombo: India underlined a triumphant tour of Sri Lanka with a famous victory in the Twenty20 International on Tuesday. The side is growing in confidence in all forms of the game. New situations are throwing up fresh heroes.

Growing up in Vadodara, Irfan and Yusuf would toss to decide who would be the pillion on the long bicycle ride to the practice sessions. In the cauldron that the Premadasa Stadium was, they sped away to glory on a mean machine on the Twenty20 highway.

The Pathan brothers — they share a strong bond — have come a long way. Their tale has been one of skill, passion and heart.

Instruction

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said later that team had instructed Yusuf to go after the bowling. “He did not have to rotate the strike. Yusuf had to go for the big blows. We know he has the ability.”

Chasing 172 was never going to be easy. Dhoni conceded, “The spinners were getting the ball to turn and rotating the strike was quite demanding.”

Then, Yusuf did what his skipper told him. He dumped the ball into the stands. There was an astonishing turnaround.

Yusuf adds much to the team in the shorter versions since his faster variety of off-spin can peg back the run-rate. “He is a tight bowler, does not spin it much. But Yusuf can be very useful in certain situations,” said Dhoni.

His all-rounder status under scrutiny, Irfan made a statement when India stared at defeat. The left-hander batted with remarkable composure, picked his spots and timed the ball.

As a left-arm paceman, Irfan is fighting the demons within. There was a period where his confidence levels had dipped alarmingly. He is now putting back the pieces.

Irfan bowled with greater control and rhythm. Importantly, he bowled a fuller length and achieved some movement.

Skipper Dhoni feels Irfan is gradually finding his way back. “It is not easy for a paceman in these conditions if he is bowling first change,” he said.

Irfan had his moments though. He dismissed dangerman Sanath Jayasuriya thrice and added depth to the batting line-up.

This free-spirited cricketer — Irfan is seldom short of a laugh and has a great passion for music — has shown character.

He journeyed through an unlit path to bask under the lights on a big day at the Premadasa Stadium.

Another gain

The vibrant Ravindra Jadeja has been another gain for India. He is strokeful with the willow and does not suffer from stage fright.

Apart from being an outstanding fielder, Jadeja’s arm-ball could be his great ally as a left-arm spinner.

And the competition among the cricketers has been healthy. Before Jadeja received a look-in Pragyan Ojha bowled with a mix of flight, spin and bounce. He bowls from close to the stumps and his line — middle and off — is a good one.

Little has gone right for Sri Lanka in the home series.

Now, the island nation will seek a new skipper following Mahela Jayawardene’s announcement that he would relinquish captaincy after the Pakistan series. The genial cricketer wants the new captain to have sufficient time to build the side for the next World Cup.

The Lankans face challenging days. They have not been playing the key moments of the contests as well as they have done in the past. The one-off Twenty20 game was another example.

As captain Tillakaratne Dilshan acknowledged, the Lankans conceded too many extras during crucial stages. The lack of big blows in the final overs, as Dilshan admitted, saw Sri Lanka falling short by at least 10 to 15 runs.

Sri Lanka fined

It was a rewardless night for the Lankans after Malinga Bandara’s probing leg-spin had provided a gilt-edged opportunity to the host.

To make matters worse, the team was fined 10 per cent of its match fee — skipper Dilshan coughed up twice the amount — for bowling two overs short by Match Referee Chris Broad.

As Jayawardene has indicated, the Lankans need to rebuild. And India has to aim even higher.

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