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Struggling at 29/7, Dhoni’s 65 Helps India Post 112/10 v Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka bowled India out for 112 in the first ODI of the three-match series at Dharamshala. 

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2 0 9 0 2 0 0 – These were the embarrassing scores of seven of India’s ten batsmen during the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Sunday, 10 December. Clearly missing rested Virat Kohli, the hosts were bowled out for 112 at Dharamshala.

While only three batsmen got double-digit scores, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was Rohit Sharma’s saving grace in his first match as captain. The former Indian skipper scored 65 off 87 balls after coming in to bat at No 6.

Sri Lankan medium-pacer Suranga Lakmal was India’s destroyer-in-chief, picking up four wickets while giving away only 13 runs in 10 overs. Nuwan Pradeep (2/37) and Angelo Mathews (1/8) too helped stifling the hosts with a fine display of swing bowling under seaming conditions at the HPCA stadium.

Follow ball-to-ball updates from India vs Sri Lanka Dharamshala ODI here.

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Left tottering at 29 for seven, Dhoni and Kuldeep Yadav (19) stitched 41 runs in 47 balls for the eighth wicket to resurrect the Indian innings.

Dhoni clobbered 10 boundaries and two sixes in his crucial knock even as only two other Indian batsmen – Hardik Pandya (10) and Yadav – could reach double-digit figures.

India scored 11 for 3 in the powerplay overs, the lowest 10-over score in an ODI in the last five years, and second-lowest overall.

Sri Lanka put India on the backfoot right from the start with Mathews trapping opener Shikhar Dhawan in front of wicket in the last ball of his first over. The on-field umpire had given not out before a review by Sri Lankan team showed that the ball had hit him on line.

Lakmal produced some extra bounce with his away going delivery and Rohit ended up poking at the ball to be back to the pavillion after the third umpire overturned another not out decision.

With India tottering at 2-2, Dinesh Karthik joined debutant Shreyas Iyer in the middle. After four maiden overs in the first five overs, Iyer finally hit the first four and also got off the mark when he guided a Mathews delivery to the mid-wicket boundary.

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Karthik was then sent back to the hut by Lakmal as India ended the powerplay overs at 11 for 3. Nuwan Pradeep replaced Mathews even as Perera persisted with Lakmal and it worked as the pacer produced a superb delivery to induce a thick outside edge off Manish Pandey as India slumped to 16-4.

Two balls later, Pradeep uprooted Iyer's stumps when the debutant inside-edged a delivery onto the stumps as the hosts lost half their side in the 14th over. Pandya then scored a couple of boundaries before giving an outside edge to Pradeep.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar could not stay for long and it was left to Dhoni and Yadav to avoid the ignominy of being bowled out for their lowest ODI total of 54 against the same opponent in 2000 at Sharjah.

Yadav looked in good touch as he blasted four boundaries but Dickwella produced a brilliant stumping off the bowing of spinner Akele Dananjaya to end his innings in the 26th over.

Dhoni then added 17 and 25 runs with No. 10 Jasprit Bumrah and No. 11 Yuzvendra Chahal before being holed out in the 39th over at cover off Perera.

(With inputs from PTI.)

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