India v Sri Lanka 2nd ODI: Ambati Rayudu sets up easy win for hosts
Thursday 6 November 2014 18:07, UK
Ambati Rayudu's maiden international century helped take India into a 2-0 series lead over Sri Lanka after a six-wicket victory in the second one-day international in Ahmedabad
Rayudu finished 121 not out as the home side raced home with 33 balls to spare.
For Sri Lanka, drafted in for an unscheduled five-match ODI series due to the cancelled West Indies trip, the tour already seems to be an exercise in damage limitation.
India, though, are benefitting handsomely from the fixtures, with Shikhar Dhawan (79) and Virat Kohli (49) also finding some good form following a 169-run win in the series opener in which Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane hit centuries.
Sri Lanka, having opted to bat first, batted out their 50 overs but a total of 274-8 never looked likely to be enough.
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Kusal Perera kicked things off with a duck, Umesh Yadav striking with the last ball of the first over, before experienced duo Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara restored balance with a 50 stand.
Dilshan hit Ravichandran Ashwin for four successive boundaries in the 10th over but was gone moments later, Akshar Patel bowling him off the inside edge for 35.
Sangakkara's hopes of yet another big stand with Mahela Jayawardene died when the latter uncharacteristically picked out mid-wicket to gift Ashwin a vital scalp.
Angelo Mathews dug deep, though, adding 90 with Sangakkara for the fourth wicket.
The pair scored at a decent rate for almost 19 overs until Sangakkara, having made a sensible 61, hit a Yadav full toss straight to the waiting long-on.
Sri Lanka's progress nosedived from their position of 154-3, Seekkuge Prasanna and Ashan Priyanjan both dismissed in the 36th over while Thisara Perera and Suraj Randiv each made just 10.
Mathews was still battling, taking three consecutive fours from Ravindra Jadeja's ninth over.
A ninth-wicket stand worth 54 between Mathews, who finished 92no from 101 balls, and Dhammika Prasad, who added a breezy 30no, then gave Sri Lanka something to bowl at.
Winning runs
Prasad quickly removed Rahane to maintain momentum but that merely brought Rayudu to the crease - a position he only left after hitting the winning runs.
Rayudu and Dhawan were in tandem for 20.1 overs and chalked off 122 runs along the way.
Between them they milked an underpowered bowling attack for all it was worth, Dhawan with seven fours and a six before slog-sweeping Prasanna to deep square leg.
By that point Rayudu already had 51, with four boundaries and two sixes, and he duly climbed into another century stand with Kohli.
This time the pairing was worth 116, at more than seven an over, as frequent bowling changes failed to halt the inevitable.
Rayudu's hundred came from his 101st delivery but Kohli was denied his own lesser landmark when Prasanna had him caught for an eye-catching 49.
Suresh Raina hit his second ball for four and his third for six before Prasanna struck again, leaving him with 3-53.
It was left to Rayudu to finish it two balls later with his 10th four to go with four maximums.
