Sachin Tendulkar hit his 44th one-day century to lead India to a 46-run win over Sri Lanka in the final of their limited-overs tri-series on Monday.
Tendulkar, the world’s leading Test and one-day scorer, made 138 off 133 balls as India piled up 319-5 after batting first in the day-night match at the Premadasa stadium.
Sri Lanka made a gallant chase after the stiff target, buoyed by a blistering opening stand of 64 in 7.5 overs by Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya, before they were all out for 273.
Dilshan hit 42 off 29 balls when his dismissal in the eighth over, bowled by Harbhajan Singh, triggered a dramatic collapse in which five wickets fell for the addition of 67 runs. Off-spinner Harbhajan finished with 5-56 to signal India’s morale-boosting win ahead of the eight-nation Champions Trophy, which opens in South Africa on Tuesday.
Skipper Kumar Sangakkara and Thilina Kandamby revived Sri Lanka with a 51-run stand for the sixth wicket, when India earned a lucky break to make it 182-6.
Sangakkara, who made 33, saw his bat fly out of his hands and break the stumps as he attempted to pull a full toss from Rudra Pratap Singh.
Kandamby and Chamara Kapugedara scared the Indians by adding 70 for the seventh wicket, but both batsmen fell in the space of 12 runs, derailing the Sri Lankans.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who did his team a favor by winning the toss on a wicket that slowed down, made 56 from 62 balls during a second-wicket stand of 110 with Tendulkar.
Yuvraj Singh remained unbeaten on a quickfire 56 off 41 balls as India plundered 85 runs in the last 10 overs.
Tendulkar battled oppressive heat and humidity to bat for 46 overs despite developing leg cramps in the later part of his innings, necessitating the help of a runner. He hit 10 boundaries and a six before being leg-before to Ajantha Mendis after smashing a six and two boundaries earlier in the over.
It was Tendulkar’s 86th international century — 42 in Tests and 44 in one-dayers — to complement his world record 12,773 Test and 16,895 one-day runs in a brilliant 20-year career.
Tendulkar put on 95 for the first wicket with fellow veteran Rahul Dravid, who contributed 39 after being asked to open the batting in place of the axed Dinesh Karthik.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS