Choker bluey

In the end, I'd like to think it was the 24-ball 4 runs scored by Dada that did us in.

India did a fairly decent job of restricting Sri Lanka to 228, but we should have figured that the batting would be difficult for us, too. And then, there were the usual mix-ups. Sangakkara dropped at 6, then a run-out chance missed later. And the field placements? Our boys seemed to always hit the ball straight to the Sri Lankans, who never even worked up a sweat while fielding, leaving them plenty of energy to chase those errant strokes before they reached the boundary. Now perhaps we need to work on our field placement, in addition to batting, bowling, fielding and fitness.

What never ceases to amaze me is the way Pakistan and Sri Lanka never seem to lack that definitive score-building partnership. No matter if their best batsman has departed for a paltry score, there's always another waiting in the wings to take the match away from India.