Sri Lanka v India - as it happened

5.33pm: Hello and welcome to the first in a decisive Group F double-header. This is going to be complicated, but also gripping. Sri Lanka need to win. India need to win by 20 runs or so. And excitingly India have won the toss and will bat , which helps them in a way I'm not entirely able to explain but simply feel must be the case. 5.37pm: It's a slower pitch, which will help those scuttling, flinching bouncer-shy top order India batsmen. No getting duffed up today. 5.42pm: Your teams tonight: India KD Karthik, G Gambhir, RG Sharma, SK Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, YK Pathan, PP Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, R Vinay Kumar, A Nehra Sri Lanka ST Jayasuriya, DPMD Jayawardene, KC Sangakkara, TM Dilshan, CK Kapugedera, CU Jayasinghe, AD Mathews, NLTC Perera, S Randiv, SL Malinga, T Thushara So popular MTV presenter Murali Vijay is out and Karthik will open. Chawla comes in too to bowl his flat leg-breaks. For SL Jayasuriya is down to open again. You've got to love the aged semi-retired maestro. 5.59pm: Also, of course, no Mendis for Sri Lanka as Thushara comes in. Mystery spinner eh? Work that one out. 1st over: India 8-0 (Karthik 5, Gambhir 3) Karthik cuts the first ball from Mathews powerfully for four, that's a lovely shot albeit to a rather rubbish half-tracking delivery. Gambhir then hoicks a legside three. And everybody looks much happier not having to face a growling, sweating yellow-shirted maniac bowling at 150kph. 2nd over: India 11-0 (Karthik 6, Gambhir 5) This is a slow-ish pitch, and some non-express bowling from Thushara, around 82mph but on a decent length and with a loud intimidatory "waaargh!!" noise as he delivers. Karthik tries and faisl to carve him through the off side. He's a good player too. I saw him get a lovely double-quick 80-odd in Delhi last month. 3rd over: India 19-0 (Karthik 11, Gambhir 8) Gambhir is dropped off the first ball of the over by Sangakarra standing up to the stumps to Mathews. It was a fine edge but he got nowhere near it. Karthick then walsk down and swats an aggressive legside four to midwicket. Sangakarra comes up to the stumps for him too. I don't mind him up there. He's quiet quiet. Not like that Irishman with the radio inside his head that tells him to jabber and wiffle non-stop. He is without doubt the worst. Gambhir again hoicks to leg but it's just two on this very slow outfield. There will be a lot of running today. 4th over: India 29-0 (Karthik 13, Gambhir 16) A short wide ball from Thushara is cut powerfully for four by Gambhir, followed by a cover driven two that really should have been a three. Terrible running from Gambhir there. Last ball is a tennis ball bouncer that Gambhir gloves on the bounce to Sanga. Very easy batting out there right now. But wait... here comes Malinga. 5th over: India 35-1 (Raina 1, Gambhir 21) An elegant shuffle down the pitch to the first ball of the over by Gambhir and it's sliced down to third man. Followed by a WICKET! Karthik c and b Malinga 13 (India 30-1) as Karthik drives a full ball straight back, turning his wrists on it too early, and Malinga takes a nice low catch. The elegant Raina is in, so two left-handers. Raina carves an indolent single to third man and he's off. He seems more likely than most to be able to clear these long boundaries. His muscular legside flick is particularly impressive. Gambhir deflects the final ball of the over past where second slip would be for four. 6th over: India 52-1 (Raina 17, Gambhir 21) Raina duck-hooks a short one for two. Blimey he even looks terrible against the short one on this dead pitch. He follows up with a nudge to fine leg for four and then a wonderful, elegant, full stretch cover drive to the ropes, then a great wump over long-on and a wristy "work" through midwicket. Impressive stuff and this dusty dead surface will suit these players, very IPL-like. Phil Sawyer has noticed the lack of email action: "I'm game, but I'm buggered if I can think of a decent riff. Incidentally, the original title of this email was 'All alone?' until I realised just how sinister it sounded." How about du-du-du-du, du-du-dee-dudeeeowww-dow . Prizes of course for the first correct guess. 7th over: India 65-1 (Raina 23, Gambhir 27) Mathews is back and India have got a bit of a wriggle on here. Raina dabs a tickled legside glance for four, with the delicate touch of a a world class chalk pavement portrait artist applying the fine textured finish to David Hasselhoff's hair. Followed by a no-ball for height and another glance for four that Malinga pretty much waves over the ropes at fine leg. This looks like a different game for India. Give them a feather bed and they're top class. 8th over: India 71-1 (Raina 26, Gambhir 30) Randiv comes on to bowl some off-breaks. He bowls a nice tight over with a little bit of turn. On riff questions Scott W wonders: "Is it the main theme from Jaws?" And Phil Sawyer asks: "Is it what KP has called his child?" On the KP sprog I have no news but I'm guessing something modern and exciting like Jayden or Jordan or Jay-Z or Kev-Kai. You know the kind of thing. Dilshan on for his first bowl of the tournament. 9th over: India 80-1 (Raina 27, Gambhir 37) Dilshan is comfortbaly milked for some low-key ones and twos by the two Indian lefties. A reminder: India need to win by 20 runs here so they might like to get after the spinners a bit more. Plenty more of them to come in this attack. But still a low-risk nine runs from the over and that's the 50 partnership for these two from an excellent 29 balls. 10th over: India 90-1 (Raina 34, Gambhir 39) Randiv carries on and he's a wily customer, albeit not quite a Murali in the turn stakes, perhaps not helped by a slightly low arm. Blimey, he gets one to bounce back on to the stumps from a defensive prod by Gambhir, but no bail is dislodged and oddly enough it's given as a wide. India are cruising this. If it was a Test Match you'd be thinking 650-3 and one of those epic 1980s-style five day draws. 11th over: India 96-1 (Raina 37, Gambhir 41) Dilshan carries on and this is fairly gentle stuff. Gambhir thwacks a single out to midwicket straining every muscle in his wiry frame and I think he's going to struggle to hit boundaries on this thing. Maybe India could promote one of their sluggers next. A bit of Y-Path might be the order of the day. 12th over: India 98-2 (Raina 38, Dhoni 1) Love the inter-over music in this tournament. No Final Countdown here. Just some stuff I'm not really sure how to describe. Dancehall perhaps. And it's a WICKET! Gambhir c Sangakkara b Malinga 41 (India 96-2) off Malinga's first ball of a new spell. A bit of a windy waft off the back foot and a clear edge. The new man is Dhoni, which seems like the right thing. Get in there skipper. Excellent over from the slinger, varying his pace and bowling those cutters of his. Four dot balls in there, the last a very craft slower bouncer. Sanath Jayasuriya MP on to bowl his left-arm slow things. 13th over: India 110-2 (Raina 41, Dhoni 10) Sanath slings in his selection of darts, javelins and powder-puff bungers, the third of which is monstered for six over wide midwicket by Dhoni. There's some momentum for you. Lovely bottom-handed drive-whip shot and a nice swift skip down the pitch. Twelve opff the over and India are quietly motoring here. 8.57 an over. 14th over: India 119-2 (Raina 49, Dhoni 11) Randiv is back on, running up and almost stopping there before he delivers. A Robert Croft-style variation. Dhoni is very quick and scampers an expert blocked single, followed by a spectacular wallop for six by Raina, down on one knee and wumped miles over the short midwicket boundary. He can do that kind of thing. Very strong player. Randiv then bowls a coupl of jaffas, quicker balls, the last of which should have been a wicket but Sangakkara misses the stumping . I now fancy India here; sides chasing have tended to fold in this tournament and you can see India bowling with a bit of fire with a total behind them. 15th over: India 126-2 (Raina 50, Dhoni 16) Thushara back to bowl his left arm slingy seamers and Raina gets his 50 off 37 balls. That is a nice breezy knock but he needs to go on and show his talent for hitting the ball a long way. A dropped caught and bowled chance off the final ball and India really do need to get a shift on now. This could be fun. 16th over: India 134-2 (Raina 57, Dhoni 17) Malinga is back and his first ball is smeared along the ground through wide midwicket for four. He follows it up with a 88mph full ball that is jammed out for single. Lots of swiping but still only singles after that. Raina looking a bit frantic now. And Clare Davies is out there! "Good to know that Phil Sawyer is still with us despite having had blood extracted today. Hope he's not too faint. I'm contemplating cooking a curry for supper as I feel this would go quite appropriately with this evening's match. It'll use up the leftover chicken." Excellent news. Although, in the interests of political correctness the Guardian would pioint out that other dishes are also served in the sub-continent. 17th over: India 139-2 (Raina 59, Dhoni 19) Perera comes on and starts with a wide. Lots of swiping and swishing from Dhoni and Raina who look a bit too desperate to clobber the big shots. Excellent length from the bowler though, not giving any free hits. Blimey just five off it and maybe India are going to lose their way here. Three overs to go and they might struggle to get 170. Just seven an over in the last nine overs. It's all a bit fraught. 18th over: India 147-4 (Pathan 0, Dhoni 20) Thushara again and Raina swats a furious four through midwicket. Next ball though it's a WICKET! Raina c Jayawardene b Thushara 63 (India 144-3) as Raina hits high out to the skipper at deep square leg and he takes it very casually. Yuvraj is the new man with 15 balls to make an impression. Big wind up and he drives his first ball for one. It has been hard going out there and maybe this is a better score than it looks. The pitch is crumbling visibly. And oh dear it's another WICKET! Yuvraj c Jayawardene b Thushara 1 (India 147-4) as Yuvraj bunts a full toss straight to the man on the boundary. 19th over: India 156-4 (Pathan 8, Dhoni 21) This is all quite hard going now. Pathan is the new man but so few balls for the big man to have an effect. He Surrey-cuts his first ball for four past the keeper. Very lucky but India are desperate now and they'll be very pleased with that. Malinga then gulls Pathan with a wonderful slowie that he plays a golf shot at and misses by miles. Sri Lanka have really pulled this back in the second set of ten overs. It really is going to be tough to win by 20 runs. Nine off the over and some nice running by Dhoni in there. 20th over: India 163-5 (Dhoni 23) Perera bowls the last over and he's done very well until now. His second ball is swiped wildly miles in the air by Pathan and eventually trickles for four over extra cover. Pathan then leaves a bouncer. Eh? We know he doesn't like it there but you've got to have a swing. He makes an agonised face. And then it's a WICKET! Pathan c Kapugedera b Perera 0 (India 163-5) off the last ball as Pathan goes for a crazed skirling swipe that almost clears the (non-existent) clouds. And that is that. So. If India can keep Sri Lanka to 143 or less they will finish above them and it goes to the next game as far as they're concerned. If Sri Lanka get to 144 India are out. Exciting times ahead. No? I think it's a decent score for a win, but 143 may be something else. Much will depend on that top order and the first six overs. And keeping up our semi-private three-way conversation Phil Sawyer would like to do some assuring: "I'd like to assure Clare Davies that apart from a bit of initial wobbling about the place I seem to be unscathed. Mind you, anyone who's seen me on a night out with me would say that wobbling about the place is pretty much par for the course." You dog you. 1st over: Sri Lanka 5-1 (Dilshan 1, Jayasuriya 0) And we're off, the left-armer Nehra bustling in only to be whipped for four first ball, followed by a WICKET! Jayawardene c Pathan b Nehra 4 (Sri Lanka 4-1) as the skipper has a nibble at a ball angling across him and Pathan takes it at slip. That is exactly what India needed and they duly whoop with delight. Wickets are key here as that Sri Lankan middle order is a bit creaky. 2nd over: Sri Lanka 6-1 (Dilshan 2, Sangakkara 0) A long middle order, but still not quite as top class as the top four. Dilshan owes them some runs and he's facing Kumar whose work I'm not that familiar with. He looks to be a tall, upright, slightly jerky right-arm fast-medium merchant. And he's got a WICKET! Jayasuriya c Karthik b Kumar 0 (Sri Lanka 6-2) as Jayasuriya has a whack at a short-ish one but finds midwicket with a mistimed, looping semi-pull. He's goen for a duck and I fear the great man may be shot. It has been a bit cruel to watch. And now India are all over this. Incidentally, as I'm sure you know by now, being on the internet and all, Gordon Brown has resigned as Prime Minister and David Cameron will be invited to check in to No10 by the Queen. You may have heard it here first. Now, back to the real stuff. 3rd over: Sri Lanka 18-2 (Dilshan 14, Sangakkara 0) Dilshan decides to counter-attack as he pulls a pair of boundaires off the first and third deliveries. Those were both very poor balls on this flat old thing and Dilshan put them away in a blur of righteous wrath. He follows up with a nick past slip for four, run down rather than edged. Stephen Bahr asks: "Will you be doing the OBO for the West Indies v. Australia as well? I'll be having some Trinidadian chickpea curry with roti for my lunch then." Mmmm. Chickpeas. No, afraid not. I'll be lounging by the barbie eating charred meat, swilling cold lager, listening to Men At Work and talking too loud by then. 4th over: Sri Lanka 32-2 (Dilshan 27, Sangakkara 0) Harbhajan on and Lovely stuff again from Dilshan as he dances down and hits another four through cover. Then he swipes another through square leg as Harby pitches short and Dilshan has turned this match around very quickly. Great counter-attacking. He punches another three through cover and that is 13 off the over. 5th over: Sri Lanka 37-2 (Dilshan 29, Sangakkara 4) Kumar has changed ends and his first ball is short and is almost Dilshaned but he misses out with angry-looking back foot club. The next ball Yuvraj misfields horribly and they get a freebie single. A good tight over after that as he puts it in the right area, full and straight, and Kumar can't get the ball off the square. Until the final ball, that is, which he clubs through cover for another four. More Jamie Oliver stuff from Clare Davies: "I'd like to assure all OBO readers that while I considered other dishes from the sub-continent, the curry won and was, though I say it myself, truly magnificent. A good use of leftover chicken and could only have been bettered if I'd made the naan myself – but that really is going too far on a cricket night with a very short innings break." Well, that's all three of us reassured, plus Bahr who is drinking rum and doing the limbo even now. 6th over: Sri Lanka 41-2 (Dilshan 32, Sangakkara 5) Pathan is on to bowl his inoffensive non-breaking off-breaks. Dilshan milks him for a couple. He's on 32 off 19. Sri Lanka look relatively calm here, as they should. If they get to 143 they will be odds-on to go through pace all the various computations. And India look a little muted now. They really do need wickets. Here comes Piyush Chawla, whose name sounds like a loud and disbelieving exhalation of breath. As in "India to win this?" "Piyush Chawla...." 7th over: Sri Lanka 47-2 (Dilshan 33, Sangakkara 10) Chawla bowls his flat leg-breaks and offers up a full-bunger that Sangakkara can only swat to the man at midwicket. A late cut then beats the diving fielder Gambhir at short third man and it goes for four. Bit of a cue-ender but that was poor fielding in a tight game. Phil Sawyer is having "five bean chilli freshened up with a chopped tomato and some lime juice" (oooh get him) and the answer is: it was Sunshine Of Your Love by (um) Cream. Boring but true I'm afraid. 8th over: Sri Lanka 50-3 (Mathews 1, Sangakkara 11) Pathan carries on and Dilshan swats him straight to deep backward square leg for another WICKET! Dilshan c Yuvraj b Pathan 33 (Sri Lanka 49-3) . That opens the door for India. Dilshan was looking very good. 26 balls for his 33 runs, but that was too close to him to get the elevation and a simple catch. This game is still very much alive and the skipper gave Dilshan a ticking off there as he left. You don't see that very often. 9th over: Sri Lanka 52-3 (Mathews 2, Sangakkara 12) A send-off from your own player there. Very unusual. Chawla carries on and that is a good over, just two off it. Meanwhile Stephen Bahr has reassuring news: "While I'd like to say I am drinking rum and doing the limbo or some such other Caribbean inspired dance, the truth is I'm at work, drinking coffee and wondering why I am not, in fact, off drinking rum somewhere." 10th over: Sri Lanka 58-3 (Mathews 4, Sangakkara 17) Harbajhan is back on and he's cut for three by Sangakkara, the ball dying on this mossy outfield. Angelo fiddles a single. The West Indies players are watching this, iPods on, looking a little nervous. Sri Lanka need to go at ten an over from here to win. That is going to be tough. Eight an over to knock India out. 11th over: Sri Lanka 67-3 (Mathews 12, Sangakkara 17) Dhoni has a slip in for Chawla. He knows you can get at Sri Lanka if you get through these two. The pitch is getting more and more sluggish. Bit of pressure on the batting side now, and there a pretty good way of lifting it as Mathews slog-sweeps for six miles over midwicket. That was a top shot from a decent enough ball. And V Balaji notes, on names: "I think Barney Ronay sounds like an antique rocking chair maker from Provence. As in "India to win this?" "You must be off your Barney Ronay..." I've had a lot worse. 12th over: Sri Lanka 78-3 (Mathews 13, Sangakkara 26) Wow, Sangakkara is down the pitch to Harbajhan and swinging that over midwicket for six . That was a top shot. Then he drives in the air for two. You feel this is his game to win now for Sri Lanka. 11 off the over, which is not much more than what they need. Just 66 to knock India out though. 13th over: Sri Lanka 84-3 (Mathews 16, Sangakkara 30) Yuvraj comes on to bowl his deceptively effective round-arm pies. Some fine fielding in the deep by Karthik, diving full length to save two runs as Sangakkara pulls a short ball. the run rate is up to 11 here and you do get the feeling Sri Lanka have in mind the lower total. Could be a dicey way to go. 14th over: Sri Lanka 100-3 (Mathews 16, Sangakkara 46) Pathan is back on and Sangakkara is showing more urgency here as he swipes the first ball of the over high over the head of midwicket for six. Plenty more swipes after that and he finally times one, swatting a lovely flat six into the stands again. He came down the pitch there and hit it very cleanly. 16 off the over and Sanga has his runs off just 31 balls. This is some clinical batting. Sangakkara is having a drink and he's sat down looking a tiny bit shaky. Very hot out there. Bit of a rub down. Get on with it man. 15th over: Sri Lanka 107-4 (Mathews 22, Kapugedera 1) Mathews joins in, hooking the first ball from Kumar for four and that was a pretty terrible short ball. But then it's a very big WICKET! Sangakkara b Kumar 46 (Sri Lanka 105-4) as Kumar comes round the wicket and beats the wild swish stepping away. A lovely brief innings but he will be kicking himself. This middle order is brittle. 37 still needed to win the sub-textual battle in this match. 16th over: Sri Lanka 112-4 (Mathews 25, Kapugedera 3) Or if not brittle at least inexperienced. Mathews wil have to hit the big shots here. He's the man in. A strangely lacklustre Harbajhan continues and he looks a little prim and sukly and pained. Chris Gayle is eating a burger in the stands. He looks whatever the complete opposite of nervous is. Five singles in that over and they're milking Harbajhan like a prize moose. 52 needed from 24. Or 34 from 24. 17th over: Sri Lanka 123-4 (Mathews 31, Kapugedera 8) Nehra comes back and India need another wicket here. Kapugedera has a wild backfoot slash at a short ball and misses. Then he paddles a rubbish short wide legside thing off for four, drawing a cloud of sand as it bounces on its way. That was a really terrible ball. The next one is edged past Dhoni for one. He got finger tips on that at full stretch, but Mathews has made it hurt even more by smiting the next ball for four through cow corner. 11 off the over and that could be a killer for India in the tournament. 18th over: Sri Lanka 134-4 (Mathews 37, Kapugedera 13) Chawla is back and his first ball is ragged for four over cow corner by Mathews. India look a bit stunned by that. Kapugedera then smacks another four off the back foot past point off the last ball. Another good over. Alex McGillivray points out: "Has anyone seen Chris Gayle look anything other than completely serene? I haven't." I think I saw him laughing once. And he did a wild chattering celebration when he got a hundred at the Oval. 19th over: Sri Lanka 151-4 (Mathews 39, Kapugedera 28) Kumar is back and he bowls wide of off stump to Mathews who squeezes a single, then scampers a two to deep point, with the fielder barely jogging in. Kapugedera then smashes a low full toss over the diving fielder at long-off for six and India are out!! . He follows it up with another massive blow for six over wide midwicket and that was a top shot! Could the West Indies be all-but going out here too? 13 to win off six. 20th over: Sri Lanka 167-5 (Perera 0, Kapugedera 37) Amazing shot off the first ball by Mathews, bunting a full toss by Nehra over long-off for six . What a hit that was. Barely any effort in it. then he scampers a single to leave six needed off four balls and India need to keep concentrating this for their hosts. A scampered two leaves four needed off three. Then a single to deep point. but with three needed off two Nehra throws down the stumps as they try to pinch one and it's a WICKET! Mathews run out 46 (Sri Lanka 161-5) . Great little knock and he's distraught. Three needed off one ball. Kapugedera to face. And blimey he whacks it for six!!!! What a shot over cover off a very hittable half volley!! Sri Lanka win by five wickets. 9.18pm: Well what a finish. Sri Lankan players run on to the field whooping with delight and what a great hand by Kapugedera who finished on 37 off 16 balls. So Sri Lanka will be in the semis unless the West Indies absolutely thrash Australia. Over to you Chris Gayle. 9.18pm: That's all from me. Thanks for your emails. Barney.