Established 1961 13 Sports Thursday, December 14, 2017 Rohit smashes third ODI double ton in India’s big win India beat Sri Lanka by 141 runs to level series

MUMBAI: Opener smashed his third SCOREBOARD one-day international double to set up India’s comprehensive 141-run win against Sri Lanka in the second match of the series at Mohali yesterday. MOHALI, India: Final scoreboard of the second one-day interna- Leading the hosts in the absence of rested skipper tional between India and Sri Lanka in Mohali yesterday: , Rohit laid waste to the Sri Lankan with an unbeaten 208 off 153 deliveries to help India India post 392 for four in their 50 overs. R. Sharma 208 India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal then took three S. Dhawan c Thirimanne b Pathirana 68 for 60 as the hosts restricted Sri Lanka to 251 for eight S. Iyer c sub (Chaturanga) b Perera 88 in their 50 overs to square the three-match series at 1- M.S. Dhoni lbw b Perera 7 1. Former Sri Lanka remained H. Pandya c Thirimanne b Perera 8 unbeaten after a dogged 111 for his second ODI century Extras (b1, lb1, w11) 13 but the touring side never had a realistic chance in their steep chase. Sri Lanka, who lost the three-test series 1- Total (4 , 50 overs) 392 Fall of wickets: 1-115 (Dhawan), 2-328 (Iyer), 3-354 (Dhoni), 4-392 (Pandya) Did not bat: D. Karthik, M. Pandey, B. Kumar, W. Sundar, J. Bumrah, Y. Chahal Final match Bowling: Mathews 4-1-9-0, Lakmal 8-0-71-0 (w1), Perera 8-0-80- to be played 3 (w1), Pradeep 10-0-106-0 (w3), Dananjaya 10-0-51-0 (w1), Pathirana 9-0-63-1 (w3), Gunaratne 1-0-10-0 (w2). on Sunday

Sri Lanka (target 393) D. Gunathilaka c Dhoni b Bumrah 16 U. Tharanga c Karthik b Pandya 7 L. Thirimanne b Sundar 21 0 against India, had been hoping for a repeat of the A. Mathews not out 111 series opener in Dharamsala on Sunday, when India N. Dickwella c Sundar b Chahal 22 were bundled out for 112 in a seven- defeat. With India slumping to 29 for seven in their previous A. Gunaratne st Dhoni b Chahal 34 game while first, Sri Lanka captain Thisara T. Perera c Dhoni b Chahal 5 Perera had no hesitation in putting the hosts in after S. Pathirana c Dhawan b Kumar 2 winning the toss. A. Dananjaya c Sharma b Bumrah 11 But Rohit, who notched up his 16th hundred in the S. Lakmal not out 11 50-over format, and fellow opener Extras (lb2, w9) 11 denied them any early success with a watchful start. Total (8 wickets, 50 overs) 251 The 30-year-old added 115 with Dhawan, who made 68, to build a solid base for India and then added 213 Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Tharanga), 2-30 (Gunathilaka), 3-62 for the second with fellow Mumbai batsman Shreyas (Thirimanne), 4-115 (Dickwella), 5-159 (Gunaratne), 6-166 (Perera), Iyer, who scored 88 in what was his second ODI. 7-180 (Pathirana), 8-207 (Dananjaya) The right-handed batsman hit 13 fours and 12 sixes MOHALI: Indian team captain Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the second (ODI) match Did not bat: N. Pradeep with his first 100 coming off 115 deliveries in the 40th between India and Sri Lanka at The Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali yesterday. — AFP Bowling: Kumar 9-0-40-1 (w2), Pandya 10-0-39-1, Bumrah 10-0-43- over. Rohit then tore into Sri Lanka’s bowlers and 2 (w2), Sundar 10-0-65-1, Chahal 10-0-60-3 (w5), Iyer 1-0-2-0. India scored 147 in their last 10 overs. It was the sev- Result: India won by 141 runs enth time a batsman had scored 200 or more in ODIs the 50-over format. Sri Lanka paceman Nuwan ing. The third and final ODI will be played at Pradeep went for 106 runs off his 10 overs, while Visakhapatnam on Sunday before the two teams meet Series: Three-match series level at 1-1 with Rohit’s 264 against the same opponents in Kolkata in 2014 being the highest individual score in Perera gave away 80 off his eight overs of seam bowl- in a three-match series. —Reuters

have taken a couple of months to really World changed realise that. “These last two incidents have proved that. I’ve seen words written down, ‘trivial misdemeanour at best’, but since the for English Stokes incident times have changed for the English cricket team.” Cook was referring All-rounder to further off-field alcohol-related scandals cricket after involving and Marsh in line on the tour of Australia. “It’s sad in some Stokes incident ways because we have always been a bit different to football and been able to go for Test recall under the radar a bit and enjoy playing PERTH: Senior batsman says cricket for England and enjoy seeing the PERTH: Skipper says he is leaning the world has changed for English cricket country outside that,” Cook said. But the towards playing all-rounder as in the wake of the damaging spotlight was now firmly on England and Australia’s fifth bowler in today’s potentially Ashes- affair, and warned the team cannot afford its off-field antics and “it’s now down to us deciding third Test against England in Perth. Smith any more “mistakes”. The star all-rounder to adjust to it quickly and we can’t afford declined to finalise an Australian XI at his Test-eve is currently banned from the international any more mistakes”. media conference yesterday as selectors mull over game while authorities probe his alleged the merits of struggling batsman Peter Handscomb involvement in a late-night fight outside a ‘TAKING THE MICKEY’ and local star Marsh. nightclub. Experienced fast bowler James Handscomb’s place is under threat after a total of Cook, a former captain who will become Anderson said while the Duckett incident the first Englishman to play 150 Tests when 62 runs in three in the series after a difficult was not malicious and a “bit of a non Ben Stokes he appears against Australia in today’s cru- event”, the tourists had to understand the Adelaide second Test in which his batting technique cial third Ashes clash in Perth, admits his current situation and act smarter. Duckett came under the microscope. If recalled, it would be side has been slow to learn from the fall- was fined and will play no further part in minor incident will be seized upon. Australia skipper can expect some serious the first appearance for Marsh since a shoulder out. Dubbed a “behavioural cleanskin”, the remaining matches for the England “I know Australia will use the Duckett . “In the first innings (in Adelaide) injury mid-way through Australia’s Test series in Cook senses England should have learnt Lions in Australia after he poured a beer incident as a way of goading us, or taking I sensed he was more bothered about what India earlier this year. their lesson months ago that standards over Anderson in a Perth bar. “The frustrat- the mickey. Fine. The players have moved Stuart (Broad) and I were saying to him, His chances have improved through his ability to would be intensely scrutinised in the wake ing thing is that what was a pretty silly on already. Our main focus is getting back which was not very interesting,” Anderson provide a fifth bowling option to support Australia’s of the Stokes scandal. incident would have gone unnoticed before in the series. That is all everyone is talking said of Smith. “As a bowler, once you get pace attack on what is expected to be a flat WACA “It has been a very strange thing,” he but now puts an unfair question mark over about.” With batsman Steve Smith shaping him out a couple of times you realise he is wicket. “If we do go down that route it’s purely for told reporters in Perth late Tuesday. “The our (team’s) culture,” Anderson wrote in a up as Australia’s danger man in Perth, not superhuman,” he added. “You realise ‘I the reasons we think we need an extra bowler on this world has obviously changed for the column for Britain’s Telegraph newspaper. Anderson said he would again try to get can bowl to this guy’ and that makes a big wicket-nothing to do with anyone’s batting,” Smith English cricket team from September. We “We are all aware that from now on even a inside his “bubble”, suggesting the difference.” —AFP said. “The stats suggest over the past couple of years that bowlers have had a pretty heavy workload out on this wicket. We’re probably leaning down that good WACA performance. “You’ve got to take it in your way at the moment. “It will depend on what we think Root wants focus on stride, you’ve got to move on and as you’re fully aware the wicket’s like tomorrow and if it is going to be from our point of view, it’s very disappointing how things hard and fast and bouncy, that might change our have turned out so far,” he told reporters at the venue. thinking.” England’s cricket, “It’s about putting that right now, this week. We had an England, rattled by off-field booze-related inci- excellent attitude around practice yesterday and it has to dents, face the prospect of losing the series in Perth be the same today. It’s obviously been a big learner (in where they have not beaten Australia since 1978. not culture terms of captaincy),” Root added. They were heavily defeated in the opening two Tests “I think the thing that for me is that we’re so close to in Brisbane and Adelaide. Smith admitted that chang- PERTH: England captain sought to draw a line getting it right. We’ve shown that we’re in this series, it’s ing a winning team while leading 2-0 in the five-Test under the litany of off-field incidents that have dogged the just pulling that all together.” The off-field incidents have series would be a tough call on Handscomb, who team throughout the Ashes yesterday, even as a senior been used as ammunition on the field by Australia. Captain averages 47.35 in his 12 Test appearances. player admitted they would continue to haunt the side dur- Steve Smith claimed his team had unsettled Bairstow in the Despite criticism of Marsh’s consistency at Test ing the third test in Perth. series-opener at by sledging him about his level where he averages just 21.74 in 21 Tests, Smith Two-nil down to Australia after defeats in Brisbane and head-butt ‘greeting’ of Australia’s opening batsman said he has seen signs in his recent batting to suggest Adelaide, England must at least cobble a draw at the Cameron Bancroft during a boozy night out in Perth last he’s a changed player. “He’s tightened up his defence WACA to keep the five-match series alive, at a venue month. Anderson said Duckett’s gaffe was certain to be PERTH: England captain Joe Root speaks to the quite a lot,” Smith said. where they have lost their last seven matches. raised out on the field at the WACA. “Fine,” he wrote in his “I know speaking to him when he was back in the On the eve of the Perth test, however, the tourists’ column for British newspaper, the Daily Telegraph. “It will media on the eve of the third Ashes cricket team a little while ago, we spoke about softening hopes of focusing on the cricket continued to be tested probably be funnier than what they have spouted at me so Test match in Perth yesterday. — AFP with queries about the team’s off-field culture. Former far in this series.” your hands up in defence and those good length England captain criticised the side for Anderson also took a swipe at England’s coaching staff balls-not going so hard at them. “I’ve seen that behaving like “students” on tour in the wake of the sus- over their strategy during the second test defeat, saying he that are responsible for what we’re doing out there.” watching him the last couple of days in the nets and pension handed to England Lions squad member Ben and his fellow pacemen had not bowled full enough at England named an unchanged team later on Wednesday, watching some of the Sheffield Shield games, that in Duckett for pouring a drink over the head of pace bowler Adelaide Oval. “It was an oversight from the players on the but with a minor change to their batting order. defence he has actually softened his hands up. James Anderson. field but also from the coaches who could have had an Wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow has been promoted to six in “He’s still putting away the bad ball. He hits the British media, meanwhile, reported that England coach input too, which is frustrating,” he wrote. place of all-rounder who drops to seven. ball as hard as anyone I’ve ever seen. He’s a strong had threatened players that careers would Root moved quickly to play down any hint of disharmo- lad.” Smith said the groundsman had been working be on the line if another off-field distraction arose follow- ny, however, and said the team had trained with an “excel- Team to get more pace into the WACA wicket ahead of ing the Ben Stokes suspension and Jonny Bairstow’s ‘head- lent attitude”. “I think the relationship (with the staff) has Alastair Cook, , , Joe the Test. “I think he’s got more grass on it than he butt’ incident. Having already been quizzed repeatedly been really good,” he said. Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen previously has to try and get that pace on the wick- about team discipline, Root hoped that his players could “It’s probably slightly harsh to put the blame onto the Ali, , Craig Overton, , James et,” he said. — AFP put the focus back on cricket and away from the bar with a coaches... Ultimately, us guys on the field, we’re the ones Anderson. — Reuters