Ajanta Mendis's mystery 'carrom ball' knocked India out cold and helped Sri Lanka win their fourth Asia Cup title.
Sri Lanka won by 100 runs having scored a modest 273 all out at Karachi's National Stadium. It is the lowest score a team has defended in this tournament, and it is India's 22nd loss in their last 24 ODI finals.
The little-known seam and spin bowler was practically unplayable on the night. His figures of 8-1-6-13 are the best in Asia Cup history.
Mendis's remarkable spell began after Sanath Jayasuriya clobbered a 79-ball hundred with the Lankans in some trouble having been asked to bat by M.S. Dhoni.
Chasing 274 and their fifth Asia Cup title, India got off to another blazing start with Virender Sehwag's 60 from 36 balls. But the game turned on its head when Mahela Jayawardene brought Mendis on.
The spell that changed it all
Mendis mixes seam and spin and has a peculiar delivery, which he flicks with his middle finger, almost like hitting a striker while playing carrom.
It had helped him take 5-31 against Pakistan in a league match earlier in the tournament. He finished with 16 wickets, the most by a bowler in one edition of the continental championship.
Mendis struck big in his first over of the game. The impetuous Sehwag stepped out to cut his second delivery, missed the line and got stumped.
Two balls later, Yuvraj Singh played around a straight ball that stayed low and was bowled for zero.
Suresh Raina then played a horrific swing across the line, missed, and was bowled.
Rohit Sharma, struggling to read the bowler's hand, fell LBW to a ball that pitched around leg and cut away from him.
Mendis's mesmerising first spell read 4-0-8-4 and Sri Lanka had one hand firmly on the trophy. From 76-1 after nine overs, India slipped to 97-5 in the 16th over.
Earlier, Gautam Gambhir had become India's first fall, when he stepped out to cut Chaminda Vaas and hit a poorly timed slash to point.
With the top order blown away by Mendis, it left Dhoni and Robin Uthappa to play damage control. It wasn't easy, since Muttiah Muralitharan bowled a miserly spell from the other end.
Uthappa's watchful 20 (41 balls, 2x4) ended when he was trapped in front by Murali.
Then, Mendis came back for a second spell and struck twice in his sixth over. Irfan Pathan, who'd had a woeful tournament, couldn't read a googly and edged it to slip.
Next ball, R.P Singh couldn't read a leg cutter and got bowled. Pragyan Ojha survived a huge leg before shout the next ball, but Simon Taufel, the umpire, wasn't keen on Mendis having his hat trick.
Mendis's figures read 6-0-9-6 at this stage.
The one man who stood between Sri Lanka and victory was Dhoni (74 balls, 4x4). And when he edged Vaas behind to Kumar Sangakkara, India's last hope departed.
Ishant Sharma and Ojha stood around, delaying the inevitable, but Nuwan Kulasekara bowled Ishant to round off a comprehensive win.
Posted by Joseph DeSilva | Views 547 | Share Blog
