IND VS SL - 8th Match, Group B, ICC Champions Trophy, 2017

So, group B. What have you got? The table is wide open for all 4 sides, Still one game left for each side. India-South Africa and Pakistan-Sri Lanka. Both must-win encounters for each of them. A perfect advert for Champions Trophy. Of all the games so far, one can affirm that today's clash was perhaps the most competitive. And hey! Did I mention that Sri Lanka have chased the highest ever ODI total on this ground. And also the highest ever successful chase in Champions Trophy. "Never take anything for granted" - lesson learnt for the day. With that pleasant thought, Raju Peethala bids goodbye on behalf of the entire team [Sagar Chawla, Pradeep, Ramakrishnan, Srivathsa and our scorer Naga].

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Stats and trivia:

- India's first loss in eight CT matches since losing to Pakistan in 2009 - the joint longest successful run along with West Indies

- The target of 322 chased down is:
>> Highest in CT
>> Joint highest by SL in all ODIs
>> Joint highest against India in all ODIs

- Rohit - Dhawan became the most successful pair in CT matches - 636 runs in seven innings going past 635 runs by Gayle & Chanderpaul

- Dhawan became the joint highest century maker in CT with three hundreds. The other players to hit three hundreds each are Ganguly, Gibbs & Gayle

- India became the third team to score 300 in five successive ODI innings after Australia (six in 2007) and Sri Lanka (five in 2006).

Sri Lanka did what Pakistan did to South Africa yesterday. These global events may not compromise minnows, but there will be no less entertainment. It's all about staying competitive and not being complacent. Maybe this loss came at the right time for India, one would think. They might have to reassess their bowling combination. As far as Sri Lanka are concerned, this win couldn't have come at a better time. Timely and tremendous. A win against India will certainly keep them pumping for the rest of the tournament.

Kohli: We all felt we had enough on the board at the half-way mark. We trusted our bowlers, but they were pretty good on the day. Kept their momentum going and executed their shots really well. Our bowlers bowled decently, but they batted really well. There is always hindsight to think when you don't win games, as I said we bowled decently well, but the execution wasn't quite there. Obviuosly there is food for thought, but you gotta give credit to other teams as well. You don't take any team lightly. It's going to be like this throughout the tournament and we don't expect anything less.

Mathews: It's one of the top wins. To beat India is quite fantastic. Good effort from the bowlers, they restricted India to 321. We know this is a good batting wicket and 300 is quite chaseable. You try and hit as many balls in the nets and try and keep yourself fit. As long as you hit balls and keep fit that's all counts. To walk in and bat like he did was fantastic. Kusal Mendis is a great player and we rate him very highly. Kusal Perera also played a good hand. Those crucial partnerships were the key for us. It's a must-win game for all of us in the next game. Not many people expected us to win and that took the pressure off us. Go out there and express ourselves is the plan and that will be the plan next game as well. I thought the opening partnership, they set us the platform for the middle order to go out and express ourselves. I think that was a turning point in the match.

Mendis: "It was a very good wicket. Dhawan batted well. I had a good partnership with Danushka (Gunathilaka). I am very happy to have won my first game against India. Kusal (Perera) and Angelo (Mathews) batted very well too."

Kusal Mendis is the Man of the Match

Gunathilaka, despite playing his first game in a global event, showed great maturity at the top. He hung in and stitched a game-changing partnership with Kusal Mendis. There were moments of nervousness when both of them got run out in quick succession, but the experience of Angelo Mathews and the power of Gunaratne saw Sri Lanka hop home quite comfortably. Indian bowling, apart from Bhuvi, looked out of shape. Didn't stick to their strengths and tried too many variations when batters hit them out of their lines. Fielding wise, they were quite sloppy. Dropped as far as 3 catches and missed a few run out chances.

18:21 local: Fistpumps, throat-piercing screams, faces filled with delight. Scenes in the Sri Lankan dressing room. They have every reason to enjoy and cherish this spectacular victory. No-one gave them a chance to be honest. Before the start of the game, if someone had said that Sri Lanka would beat India by 7 wickets, I would have laughed and ridiculed them for their foolishness. Happy to be proven wrong now. Cricket is a funny game and it continues to prove why.

Harsha Bhogle: The Champions Trophy is alive again and there are some crucial matches coming up now. Only England, among the favourites guaranteed a place

U Yadav to Mathews, 1 run, Sri Lanka have beaten India without breaking sweat. That's quite a statement. Mathews has his arms aloft before soaking into a celebration of his own. Pulls the short ball behind square and pulls Sri Lanka out of the mire. They are well and truly in contention for a semi-final spot now

U Yadav to Mathews, FOUR, greyhounds down the pitch and takes his side on the brink of a victory. A captain masterclass. A fifty on his comeback. Angelo Mathews, you beauty. Hammers Umesh Yadav straight down the ground

U Yadav to Gunaratne, 1 run, adjusts at the last moment and steers it from off and middle towards third man. That's the sign of a good Test batsman. Sri Lanka, watch out

U Yadav to Gunaratne, 2 runs, slower short ball, Gunaratne swivels to lift the pull over square leg

Umesh Yadav [9.0-0-59-0] is back into the attack

Just a couple of hits away now. Sri Lankan dressing room look all charged up

Bumrah to Gunaratne, 1 run, very full, Gunaratne drills hard to mid-off

Bumrah to Mathews, 1 run, pulls his length back, but the line's very friendly, glanced away off the hip towards fine leg

Bumrah to Gunaratne, 1 run, too full, missed his yorker by an inch, Gunaratne biff-drives it to extra cover who is standing on the edge of the circle

Bumrah to Mathews, 1 run, walks forward and across and drives an easy single down to long-on