Much before birthday boy Yuvraj Singh hit Angelo Mathews for a six to bring up Indias victory,the party had begun in the stands. The 40,000 who gathered at the PCA stadium in Mohali celebrated Indias emphatic reply after Sri Lanka had set up a daunting target of 207 in the second Twenty20 international on Saturday. Unlike in the last match,India never lost sight of the target,and with useful contributions from the top-four,cantered to a six-wicket win,levelling the series 1-1. In the process,they also broke the record of the highest chase in Twenty20 internationals,surpassing South Africas chase of 205 against West Indies in the first T20 World Cup. However,while the excitement was no less in the Indian dressing room,the win was more of a relief than anything. For the situation had been hopeless mid-way through the evening,especially after the Indian fielders had dropped six catches and their bowlers had given away 17 wides to allow the visitors to go past the 200-run mark for the second match in a row. It was a blazing start by Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir that raised the hopes again. The pair pulled,cut,drove and played inside-out strokes,adding 58 inside the six powerplay overs. The partnership was cut short when Gambhir was run out for 21 (18 balls),but it didnt affect the chase as Sehwag was batting in full flow. The right-hander hit three sixes and seven fours in his 36-ball 64,piecing together another 50-run partnership with Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His dismissal,caught by Weeraratne off Lasith Malinga in the deep,though didnt turn out to be a relief for the visitors,and they had one man to blame Yuvraj. On his 28th birthday,the left-handed allrounder,who had earlier taken three wickets,launched a brutal assault on the Lankan bowling,hammering 60 in just 25 balls (five sixes and three fours) to make short work of the chase. Earlier in the first innings,India followed up their disastrous outing in Nagpur with another poor effort in the field. The Sri Lankan top order got off to a roaring start,raising 50 in just 4.3 overs. Sanath Jayasurya (31) looked in sublime touch from the very first ball,and Sangakarras (59) good form continued. The real impetus to the innings,however,was provided by Chinthaka Jayasinghe (38 off 28 balls) and Mathews (26 not out in 13 balls),who took them to what looked like a safe total. Gambhir tested MOHALI: After Sreesanth was admitted to hospital on Friday following a positive test for H1N1,a few other members of the Indian team also underwent tests. Gautam Gambhirs throat swab was sent for testing,and Indian team manager Mayank Parekh and video analyst Dhanayaj showed swine flu symptoms. Apart from Sreesanth,three others were suspected with mild swine flu symptoms,which included Gambhir. Other than them,no other team members have so far shown any signs of the illness. Gambhirs sample had been taken purely as a precautionary measure, said Punjab Cricket Association president IS Bindra. Gambhir was suffering from mild cough but there were no signs of any fever. Sreesanth will be in hospital for the next three days. ENS
