Sri Lanka rediscover their mojo

Midway through the game only diehard Sri Lankan pundits believed that Sri Lanka had chalked up enough runs to keep India's top-order batting machine, apparently bolstered by the return of VVS Laxman, at bay. But Sri Lanka have long been the masters of the slow strangle, especially on the slow dustbowls that are often cooked up at the Premadasa International Stadium. The re-used pitch was tailor-made for their four spinners, and they squeezed India into submission with a superb display in the field. It provided the final proof that Sri Lanka, after an inconsistent 18 months, have finally turned an important corner.

In such conditions, the value of winning the toss cannot easily be underestimated, a fact recognised by the first full house of the tournament who cheered Marvan Atapattu like a centurion when the coin landed in his favour. But Sri Lanka's batsmen, apart from Atapattu (65) and Kumar Sangakkara (53), who guided Sri Lanka to 147 for 2, so nearly squandered that advantage in the final third of the innings as eight wickets tumbled for 71 runs.

Sangakkara triggered the freefall with a loose leg-side whip immediately after the drinks break. Mahela Jayawardene's tame demise off an ill-advised paddle to Sachin Tendulkar, who was bowling round the wicket and spinning the ball like a top (the first indication that Sri Lanka's spinners might have some fun), triggered some heart flutters which Tillakaratne Dilshan did nothing to assuage with a frenetic display. First he ran out Atapattu, calling him through for a suicidal single, and then he compounded the felony with an outrageously ambitious dance down the pitch to Tendulkar. In all, five out of the top six's dismissals were self-inflicted.

But thanks to Atapattu and Sangakkara's 116-run stand, Sri Lanka at least had an opportunity to make amends. They must have taken faith from Premadasa's past, which is littered with failed run chases, and also from India's astonishingly abysmal record in finals - they have now won only one out of their last 19 finals. The came out as pumped as we have seen for years, as desperate for early wickets as was the increasingly boisterous and boozed-up crowd.

Fortunately, Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa - who has belied a reputation for docility in this tournament with some inspired and intense spells - delivered with the new ball. Indeed, while the spinners will attract the headlines, Zoysa and Vaas's contribution was utterly crucial, as they not only struck twice, removing Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly, but they pegged back the run rate. By the time Atapattu turned to spin, India had fallen well behind Sri Lanka, taking 94 balls to post their first 50 compared to Sri Lanka's 64.

Thereafter it was matter of Sri Lanka holding their nerve, which they did admirably well. The ground fielding was razor sharp and the slip catching sticky-fingered, as first Jayawardene and Dilshan flung themselves to the left to cling onto the type of half-chances that have been spilled regularly in recent times. The bowling was tight and as the dot balls added up, India fell further and further behind the asking pace.

Upul Chandana - now fizzing out his legbreaks with greater venom - and Sanath Jayasuriya combined for a crucial spell, forcing Laxman and Tendulkar to labour hard for their runs. The pressure started to boil up and Laxman, after toiling for 34 balls for his 12 runs, self-destructed. Chandana then ripped his way through the middle order, slowly but surely, each wicket dragging the scoring rate down and piling on unsustainable pressure to Tendulkar's shoulders. He tried to break free, but could have been adjudged lbw twice before being bowled by a Tillakaratne Dilshan offbreak.

Tendulkar's fall sealed Sri Lanka's victory, a win that has the potential to kick-start a consistent winning run. The mood of the team has changed in recent months and confidence is starting to snowball. The team may have only two days to prepare for a Test series against South Africa (they leave for Galle at 10am tomorrow), but they have recaptured their cricketing mojo and that should make them a formidable unit in the coming weeks.