Top 5 factors which helped India whip Sri Lanka

With both teams vying to play England in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, the second semi final between India and Sri Lanka proved to be a rather lopsided affair. In a surprisingly  lackadaisical performance by the men from the Island nation, India proved yet again why they are heralded as tournament favorites as they marched to an 8 wicket victory. Here is a quick look at the top 5 game changing moments from the match.

1) Dilshan retired hurt - Sri Lanka were dealt a body blow right at the start of their innings, when their opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan was forced to retire hurt in the fifth over. Dilshan was batting fluently till he hurt his right leg, running for two after working the ball off his pads through mid-wicket. After several minutes of on-field treatment, he managed an over and a half but was forced off the field on 12.

He came back to resume his innings in the 48^th over, eventually scoring an unbeaten 18 off 21 balls. While he was unable to take the field for the remainder of the match, his invaluable off-spin was sorely missed on a track that aided spin bowling.

2) Slip catching by Raina - In a position hitherto unseen for arguably India's best fielder, Suresh Raina was a revelation at second slip, holding three catches one after another. The Indian pace bowlers zipped the ball both ways off a full length as Perera (4) and Thirimanne (7) quickly fell to smart catches at second slip by Raina. He snaffled a third when Sangakkara (17) fended a nasty delivery low to his right, thereby reducing Sri Lanka to 41 for three after 18 overs.

3) Abysmal batting performance by Sri Lanka - Despite being asked to bat in conditions heavily weighted in favour of seam bowling, much was expected out of the batting unit comprising of Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Dilshan. For the second straight match, Sri Lanka went to bat first and struggled. In an inspired bowling performance by the three Indian quicks upfront, the Lions were unable to force the issue as the scoring rate was kept under a tight leash throughout the innings. Kusal Perera's miserable run with the bat continued as he was caught by Raina in the third over for 4. With the inform Dilshan having to retire hurt in the fifth over of the innings, Sri Lanka's misery was further compounded when they slumped to 41 for three after both Thirimanne and Sangakkara fell to well-taken slip catches by Raina off Ishant Sharma. 

Such was the confidence in the Indian camp, that Dhoni himself came on to bowl in the 24^th over, nearly getting the prized scalp of Mahela Jayawardene, as he bowled four impressive overs conceding 17 runs. The captain Angelo Mathews battled hard for his top score of 51 in an innings where no other batsman made more than Jayawardene's 38. But the fact that Mathews took 89 balls for his runs, including just one six and one four, was testament to the grip India's bowlers exerted, with the final score reading 181 for eight. 

4) Solid partnership by Indian openers - Taking early wickets was the only way Sri Lanka could have made a match out of this, but the ominous form of both the Indian openers prevented that as they raced to 77 in 17 overs, thereby giving the side a solid start and ensuring that the team chased the target of 182 comfortably.

5) Half-centuries by Dhawan and Kohli - Making most of the three dropped catches, Shikhar Dhawan continued his purple patch, as the stylish southpaw scored his second ODI half-century in a stroke filled innings of 68. With Virat Kohli finally among the runs and scoring an unbeaten 58 en route to his 23^rd ODI half-century, Team India cantered into the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 dismissing Sri Lanka by 8 wickets.