India v Sri Lanka
At The Oval, June 30
15-Apr-2003
At The Oval, June 30. India won by four wickets. India 4 pts. Toss: Sri Lanka.
India completed the second win of their London weekend thanks to a mature sixth-wicket
partnership between Yuvraj, one of the heroes from the previous day, and Kaif. With India tottering
at 135 for five in pursuit of 203, the pair added 60 at almost a run a ball to make the result a
formality. Vaas had hinted at a return to form by removing both openers, but Tendulkar responded
with typical authority. One square cut hit an unsuspecting pigeon, which was carried off the field
by Jayawardene; it later recovered. Sri Lanka had been given a flying start by Jayasuriya, who
chose to bat first on his 33rd birthday, and quickly cut Zaheer Khan for six over third man. But
Agarkar removed Kaluwitharana with his first ball, added the scalp of Jayasuriya - his 150th
wicket in one-day internationals - and then got rid of Arnold. From 97 for five, Sri Lanka relied
on Jayawardene's patience to get them to 200. But with Muralitharan still injured, it looked at
least 30 below par.
Man of the Match: A. B. Agarkar. Attendance: 18,500; receipts £290,000.