India A stung by SL pace attack

Left-arm medium-pacer Sujeewa de Silva took four for 33 as Sri Lanka A dismissed India A for 198 in Nairobi on Sunday.

Left-arm medium-pacer Sujeewa de Silva took four for 33 as Sri Lanka A dismissed India A for 198 in the fifth match of the triangular series in Nairobi on Sunday.

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Reduced to 109 for five in the 32nd over with the fall of captain Mohammad Kaif, the Indians reached a competitive total only through a crucial 75-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Arjun Yadav and Yusuf Pathan.

Yadav made the lone half-century of the innings, 50 off 60 balls with one four and two sixers, while Pathan chipped in with 40 off 34 balls with one four and three sixes. That was the lone bright spot in the Indian innings, which cheered up their supporters in a crowd that constituted mainly fans of Indian and Sri Lankan origin.

Sri Lanka A captain Malinda Warnapura won the toss and asked India to bat first — after a slow but steady start, his decision was justified when Nuwan Kulasekara trapped Praveen Kumar leg-before for 18. Parthiv Patel was the next to go, edging an outswinger from de Silva to the wicketkeeper.

Captain Mohammad Kaif and Cheteshwar Pujara struggled to get the runs, adding just 16 in nearly nine overs as the Sri Lankans bowled with great accuracy.

Pujara, dropped off de Silva, fell for eight when Akalanka Ganegama bowled him with an inswinger.

S Badrinath too failed to get going and it was left to Kaif to keep the innings together, though the runs were difficult to get. Kaif was out for 38 off 82 balls, caught at point off Kulasekara.

Then Yusuf Pathan and Yadav resurrected the innings with a fine stand of 75.