This was the 3rd T20 final I attended. I was very much hoping for an India – Pakistan final, only to be let down again by Pakistan’s fragile batting line-up.
Any Pakistan fan would normally cheer for any Indian opposition, but my reasons behind cheering Sri Lanka were anything but patriotic. Having witnessed the anguish of the home fans at Colombo in 2012, it was only fitting that Sanga and Mahela bowed out of the international T20 format in winning style.

Pre-match build up and hype:
This contest was too close to predict. The best 2 teams in the competition had made the final.
India having steamrollered everyone in this tournament thus far were overwhelming favourites for most. I was ironically staying in the same hotel as the Indian team, their players had kept a very low profile and only a couple were spotted at the team breakfast.

Sri Lanka on the other hand should not have been underestimated. Having already beaten India in a warm-up game, Bangladesh was now almost their second home having been on tour here since January.

Key performer:
Kumar Sangakkara – a classy innings from a special player. India’s bowling has been excellent this tournament, but Sangakkara kept his cool in the run chase with some excellent sweeps and off-drives, especially against India’s main spin threats – Mishra and Ashwin. His partnership with Thishara Parera deflated any Indian hopes of a win. It was interesting to see Perera sent ahead of Mathews. Was it a case of an ex-IPL team mate being able to pick the Mishra wrong-un?
Malinga also bowled an excellent last over.

One thing you’d have changed about the match:
Both Kumar Sangakara and Mahala Jayawardene batting together till the end to see Sri Lanka home. Mahala too was looking in sublime touch with his cheeky late dabs before being dismissed through a sharp catch by Ashwin.

The Indian scapegoat:
It is no secret that the fate of the match was decided in the last 4 overs of the Indian innings. Only 19 runs were scored and crucially Virat Kohli was kept off strike. There was a belief amongst both Indian and Sri Lankan fans that Yuvraj Singh’s puzzling innings had cost India the game. Where is Suresh Raina many were shouting? Sitting close to the Indian dugout – you could most sense MS Dhoni wanting to run out there whilst Yuvraj was play dot ball after ball.
MS Dhoni has a history of surprising with selections and tactics in finals, but perhaps India were a bit too predictable this time.

Face-off you relished:
Virat Kohli vs. Lasith Malinga.
Could Malinga put the demons of Hobart behind him? Could the iceman Virat Kohli continue his unbelievable tournament and carry India over the finishing line one more time?
If truth be told, Virat was again in sublime form and looked totally untroubled against any of the Sri Lankan bowlers, including Malinga. Ironically, he was given a lifeline by Malinga when he was dropped in Herath’s first over.

Wow moment:
Can Virat Kohli put a foot wrong these days? Right from the moment he walked out to bat, he looked a different class and you could easily see why arguably he’s the best player in the world at present. The arrogance with which he dismissed Kulasekara for 6,4 and 4 is his 3rd was a treat to watch. He also took a superb catch inches away from the boundary to dismiss Dilshan.

Shot of the day:
Kohli’s 6 over long off to Hearth. This was during a spell he hardly gave anything away.

Crowd meter:
Getting to the Sher-e-Bangla stadium is a mission in itself. Those who have visited Dhaka would know that traffic and power naps in the car are a regular occurrence. The journey from my hotel took an hour.
Unsurprisingly, the match was a sellout. Besides Dhaka having a large expatriate community, a lot of Indians and Sri Lankan’s had also flown in for the match. Sitting in the grandstand, there was a good mix of both Indians and Sri Lankan’s present in their relevant clusters.
The local Bangladeshi crowd were however overwhelmingly cheering for Sri Lanka and they particularly came alive in the second half, applauding and standing up to every Sri Lankan run.
The Sri Lankan fans were generally quiet when Kohli was on strike, but got louder and louder as the game went on.
Popular Sri Lankan chants across the stadium included:
“Go Lanka Go”
“Malinga Malinga Malinga”
“Yuvraj Singh – are you playing a test match”
“Boo hoo India”

Fan of the day:
Sudhir Kumar fashioning the new number ‘7’ gave it his all. I sometimes wonder how he keeps his energy levels up relentlessly waving the Indian flag. The flag he holds is twice the size of him!

Ground staff and entertainment:
The pre match rain nearly played spoilsport. With the storm from Thursday night still afresh in people’s memory, many feared that the game was going to go to the reserve day. This would have been catastrophic for many people such as myself, who had their flights booked for the following morning. All credit to the ground staff and the 4 ‘super soakers’ for getting the game on. The 10 minute fireworks at the end of the presentations ceremony were very impressive too.

Overall experience:
9/10
Not the greatest cricket contest, but a fitting ICC tournament win for Sri Lanka. The atmosphere was good, but not as great as the other finals I have attended – Lords and Colombo.
A special mention also to all Bangladeshi officials and ground staff/volunteers for being excellent hosts.