Dhoni masterminds tie in nail-biting finish

Feb 14, 2012

Vinay Kumar struck in the very first over, removing Upul Tharanga for a duck•Associated Press

He got the wicket of Tillakaratne Dilshan in his opening spell as India surged•Associated Press

Mahela Jayawardene, too, found form with a fluent 43•Getty Images

Suresh Raina also failed, caught down the leg side off Lasith Malinga•AFP

Virat Kohli was pinned in front by Thisara Perera, also for 15•Associated Press

Gambhir weathered the losses with assurance, and his fifty put India in good shape along with MS Dhoni•Getty Images

With four needed off the last ball from Malinga, he carved over the covers for three runs to tie the game•Getty Images

Irfan Pathan made a promising return to the venue where he made his international debut in 2003•Associated Press

R Ashwin got into the act too, getting Kumar Sangakkara's scalp in the bowling Powerplay as Sri Lanka struggled for respite•Associated Press

The pair added 94 in quick time to set Sri Lanka up•Associated Press

Gautam Gambhir put India's chase on target with an assured start•Getty Images

Soon after, Rohit Sharma was run out, yet again on 15•AFP

His run out following a misunderstanding with MS Dhoni gave Sri Lanka a late opening•Getty Images

That came from the in-form Dinesh Chandimal, who once again steadied the middle order•AFP

Vinay, however, helped India reclaim ascendancy with Jayawardene's wicket in the batting Powerplay. Sri Lanka lost three wickets in that block of five overs, and lost their way thereafter•AFP

But there was trouble at the other end, as Sachin Tendulkar departed for 15, caught behind off Nuwan Kulasekara•Getty Images

Suresh Raina also failed, caught down the leg side off Lasith Malinga•AFP

Dhoni wasn't ready to give up, though, and once again tackled the pressure with a top-class half-century•Getty Images