India v Sri Lanka, World Cup 2011, final, Mumbai

Gambhir keeps India afloat

Lasith Malinga stunned India with two early wickets, including the one that thwarted Sachin Tendulkar's bid for his 100th international century, but Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli responded with a doughty third-wicket stand of 83 to keep their team's hopes very much alive in the World Cup final at Mumbai. However, when Kohli was brilliantly caught by Tillakaratne Dilshan for 35, India were 124 for 3 after 25 overs, needing another 151 to secure the crown for the first time in 28 years.

Following a blistering finale to the Sri Lankan innings, in which 63 runs were smacked in five Powerplay overs, the onus fell on Virender Sehwag to respond with a volley of his own. But, having hit a boundary from the first ball of six of India's previous eight innings in the tournament, he was denied by Malinga at the seventh time of asking, and then worse was to follow one ball later. Trapped on the back foot by Malinga's skiddy round-arm style, he was pinned in front of middle and leg, and not even a review could save him from a second-ball duck.

The Wankhede Stadium was stunned into an eery silence, but as Mahela Jayawardene had proved for Sri Lanka, this is a surface that rewards finesse as much as brutality. To that end, Tendulkar started with an ominous intent, as he responded to a crushing weight of expectation with 18 runs from his first 12 balls, including two wonderful boundaries in three balls - a straight-driven four as Nuwan Kulasekera overpitched, followed by a crashing cut as he dropped too short and wide.

Malinga, however, was never less than menacing, and having hurried Tendulkar with a lifter outside off, he lured him into a loose drive to a full-length outswinger that grazed the edge to be snaffled by Kumar Sangakkara. His personal dream was over, and with it went the hopes of a faithless minority in the crowd, who turned to leave as soon as their hero was gone. But Gambhir and Kohli were in no mood to surrender, and slowly but surely they rebuilt the prospects of their team.

Thisara Perera and Nuwan Kulasekera played vital roles with the bat, but in their primary role as front-line seamers they lacked the menace of Malinga and were easily squeezed for 65 runs in their combined allocation of 10 overs. It took the introduction of the newcomer to the squad, Suraj Randiv, to unsettle the Indian accumulation, as his high-kicking offspin prompted a loose drive from Gambhir on 30, who was dropped by a diving Kulasekera at long-off.

In the final match of his career, Muttiah Muralitharan was held back until the 19th over, and though he started with a long-hop that was cut straight to point, he might have made the breakthrough from his second ball, as Gambhir galloped back for a second run to third man only for Sangakkara to fumble the shy as it bounced awkwardly in front of him.

But the breakthrough finally came from the third spinner in Sri Lanka's armoury. Dilshan's second over included a beautifully placed cut for four from Kohli, but one ball later he was on his way, superbly caught in the fingertips as Dilshan dived full-stretch across the crease to intercept a lofted drive. It left Gambhir, whose 56-ball half-century was an excellent controlled performance, and MS Dhoni with a massive responsibility on their shoulders, against an asking rate that was approaching six an over.