• SINGAPORE. Apr 3 Srl Lanka* firebrand batsmen were tamed by Javaaal Srinath a* India claimed a 12-run re venge win over the world champion* tn the Singer Cup match here todav report* AFP
Srinath look the top three batsmen and Srl Lanka ran out of steam as they went for a modest 199 on a hot and hu mid day at the Padang ground Sri Lanka were all out lor 187 with 11 balls left.
It was a bowler* day.' said Srl Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga a* a thunderstorm loomed we played a couple of bad shots — that is where we went wrong.
Srinath — who finished with four for 35 and also hit an unbeaten 28 which brought him the man-of-the-match award — and his new-ball partner Venkatesh Prasad sent back four batsmen with just 23 runs scored
■Srinath dismissed Romesh Kaluwitharana with his fifth delivery after being struck for a four when the opener pulled a full-toss Into the hands of Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddln.
He then had the better of Sanath Jayasuriya, who Tuesday scored the fastest one-day century against Pakistan Jaya suriya was caught at short-leg by Sanjay Manjrekar after ma king Just seven.
Aravinda de Silva flicked Prasad into Rahul Dravid's hands at square leg and Srinath caught Marvan Atapattu plumb in front. •
Skipper Ranatunga made 13 before falling to left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju, caught at short mid-wicket by Az haruddin to reduce his side to 53 for five
Roshan Mahanama and Hashan Tlllekeratne put on 92 for the sixth wicket before the game again turned India's way
After grafting 66 balls lor 42. Tillekaratne tried to clear the boundary off Raju and was caught by Prasad.
when Mahanama fell for a gritty 66. which included three boundaries off 124 balls, to a catch by Ajay Jadeja off Raju the Indians sensed victory.
Srinath yorked Chaminda Vaas and a brilliant direct hit by Sachin Tendulkar sent Upul Chandana packing. It was all over when Pramodaya Wlck-remasinghe was run out in a horrible mix-up with Muttiah Muralitharan
India s win. after two successive defeats to Sri Lanka in
■the World Cup. was bufit around an invaluable 94 by opener Navjot Sadhu, who was taken to hospital for treatment of heat exhaustion afterwards.
The result did not look possible after India lasted only 45.4 overs on a small ground on which Srl Lanka had trounced Pakistan by 34 runs on Tuesday.
"It was a small total but difficult to chase." Azharuddln said. "You can really put pressure on the other side ''
The Indians opted to bat and Sidhu compiled his 94 runs off 116 balls. There were Just four boundaries in a patient innings as India's middleorder collapsed.
The 32-year-old Sikh became the eighth wicket to fall with the score on 191 when he was bowled by a slower delivery by medium-pacer Vaas whom he tried to pull to the square-leg boundary
Sidhu s eighth wicket partnership of 55 with Srinath was the biggest of the Indian innings. unbeaten Srinath contributed 28 including a six.
Sachin Tendulkar gave
Singapore fan* a glimpse of hi* awesome talent scoring 28 in a 33-run ■ partnership with Sidhu before becoming the lirst batsman to fall
The Indian superstar straight drove Vaa* for a six and nit three four* of the 31 l>ail* he faced
The Bombay batsman fell driving Pramodaya Wlckrema •inghe Into the hand* of Muttiah Muralltharan at short mid on. and the inning* Immediately loot it* momentum.
Wickets fell regularly as an incisive, accurate attack ba eked by superb fielding pinned down the Indian scoring rate
The win should serve as a morale-booster for India when they face arch-rivals Pakistan on Friday in a match that will decide who contests Sunday's final.