India overpower Sri Lanka

India 316 for 5 (Dhawan 146) beat Sri Lanka 260 (Tharanga 61) by 56 runs
Scorecard

Shikhar Dhawan cracked his third century of the tournament - a magnificent 146 from 136 balls - as India muscled past a competitive Sri Lankan side to reach the last four of the Under-19 World Cup. India, who had to win their last two matches to qualify after slipping up against South Africa, batted first and posted a massive 316 for 5. Thereafter they needed only to keep their heads.

It wasn't all plain-sailing for India, however. They were rocked back on their heels in the opening exchanges by Manoj Chanaka, who grabbed three wickets in his first four overs, as India slumped to 39 for 3. But Dhawan, who has been in coruscating form throughout the tournament, found a dependable ally in Suresh Raina, and together they added 134 for the fourth wicket to turn the innings around.

Sri Lanka's captain, Mohamed Maharoof, eventually snared Raina for 54 (173 for 4), but he only had the effect of stirring a hornet's nest. Out marched India's wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, who cracked an unbeaten 70 from just 39 balls, with six fours and four sixes. And though he was eventually run out in the 48th over, Dhawan responded to the surge in tempo as well, as India virtually doubled their score in the final third of their innings.

Sri Lanka needed a blistering start if they were to have any hope of stealing a place in the semi-finals, and Upul Tharanga provided just that by cracking 61 from 42 balls to launch the innings. He was well supported by Harsha Vithana as 83 runs came from the first 10 overs. But Tharanga was eventually bowled by Rudrapa Singh, before Praveen Gupta's slow left-arm spin caused a further stutter with a pair of return catches, compounded by Maharoof's first-ball run-out.

At the halfway point of the innings, Sri Lanka were well up with the run-rate, but wickets in hand were a problem, and the remainder of the innings slipped away in a succession of cameos. Several batsmen reached hard-hitting 20s, but could not pick the gaps in a deep-set field, and were strangled out by Gupta and Ambati Rayudu.

After the match, Dhawan insisted he was surprised to have scored three centuries in the tournament. "I didn't expect to score as many runs as I have done, but obviously I am delighted," he said. "The most important thing is that we keep winning games and we are now in the semi-final."

D.S. de Silva, Sri Lanka's coach, joined in the praise of Dhawan's innings. "I thought that after getting off to a good start our spinners would be able to keep the runs down, but India's batsmen got out of the situation well and in the last 10 overs they took the game out of our reach," he said. "Dhawan and Karthik both batted well and we weren't able to do the same when it was our turn to bat. This tournament has been a good experience for our players and they will go back to Sri Lanka as better players."