Dhoni, Bhuvi script unlikely comeback as India snatch victory from jaws of defeat

Losing 7 wickets for 22 runs and still requiring another 100 odd runs it looked all but over for the men in blue and finally Sri Lanka could sniff a victory in the ongoing series against India, but MS Dhoni and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar scripted an unlikely comeback to take India home with 3 wickets remaining.

M.S. Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar Kumar anchored India’s chase after a stunning batting collapse as it edged past Sri Lanka by three wickets in the second One-Day International cricket match here on Thursday.

Leg-spinner Akila Dananjaya returned career-best figures of six for 54 to reduce India to 131 for seven while chasing a Duckworth-Lewis revised target of 231 in 47 overs.

Dhoni, who scored 45, then put on an unbeaten 100 runs with Bhuvneshwar, who made a career best 53, to steer the team home in 44.2 overs and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

“When I went in to bat, MS told me to play my natural game like I play in Test cricket and don’t take any pressure as we had a lot of overs at that time. We knew if we played them out we would chase easily,” Bhuvneshwar said at the post match press conference after being adjudged Man of the Match.

“I knew there is nothing to lose in this situation as we were already seven down. I was just thinking that I can play and that I have to support MS as much as I can. And that’s what I tried to do,” he said.

Earlier, Milinda Siriwardana made a gritty 58 to lift Sri Lanka to 236 for eight in 50 overs after being put into bat. He put on a crucial 91 for the sixth wicket with Chamara Kapugedara, who made 40, after the host was in trouble at 121 for five against a disciplined Indian attack with Jasprit Bhumra claiming 4 wickets.