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Brijesh Patel nets Rs 2.5 million in benefit tie

Former Test star Brijesh Patel got a Rs 2.5 million purse. Indian speedster Javagal Srinath and batsmen Rahul Dravid and Vinod Kambli got a lion's share of the spotlight. And 20,000 spectators at the Karnataka State Cricket Association stadium in Bangalore got a rare opportunity of watching India comprehensively defeat Sri Lanka, albeit in a rain-reduced festival game.

Both teams in fact did the occasion proud, fielding lineups that were close to their best. Thus, Lanka was led in by Ranatunga, and had Sanath Jayasuriya, Aravinda D'Silva, Roshan Mahanama, Chaminda Vaas, Muthiah Muralitharan, Kumara Dharmasena, Chainda Vaas, Romesh Kaluwitharana and Duleep Liyanage among the regulars, with Sanjeeva Ranatunga and Promodaya Wickremasinghe being the part-timers in the side.

India fielded Tendulkar, Azharuddin, Jadeja, Dravid, Kumble, Kambli, Robin Singh, Javagal Srinath, Nayan Mongia, Sunil Joshi and Abey Kuruvilla.

Winning the toss, Tendulkar elected to field first. And the biggest cheer was for Javagal Srinath, bowling for the first time in India colours after a ten month gap (excepting, of course, his turning out for the India Sixes side in Hong Kong recently). Freshly returned from Adelaide, where he and fellow speedster Venkatesh Prasad underwent a 14-day stint at the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy under Dennis Lillee and Rodney Marsh, Srinath for the first time after his injury went flat out for the first three overs, showing no reduction of pace or change of action from the one that had, prior to his injury, put him in the list of top pace bowlers in the world.

Jayasuriya was in aggressive mode against both Kuruvilla and Srinath, though Kaluwitharana continued to struggle for the touch he has been short off for the last few months. However, Kuruvilla got him to top edge a pull off a slower ball to present a return catch, and also took out the wicket of Kalu. At the other end, Srinath squared up Mahanama and had him caught behind off a leg-cutter, and then took out Aravinda D'Silva to a super catch at cover by Rahul Dravid.

The Ranatunga brothers Sanjeeva (who top scored with 45) and Aravinda appeared to be mounting a recovery, when Sunil Joshi bowled the latter with a faster ball that sneaked under the attempted cut. A couple of interruptions for rain at this point reduced the game, eventually, to a 38 overs a side affair, and Sri Lanka were bowled out for 153 runs in 37.2 overs.

India the produced a chase on the lines patented by the Lankans, hammering the required runs in just 17 overs, for the loss of one wicket. The highlight was a 138-run second wicket partnership between Rahul Dravid and Vinod Kambli that scattered the bowling, the former making an unbeaten 60 off 51 balls with eight fours and a six, while Kambli outdid himself with a swashbuckling 81 off 45 balls with 14 fours and one six that not only enthralled the crowd, but gave the Indian selectors food for some thought.