India outclasses Sri Lanka as Dhoni leads the side to a rare series win

By John Cheeran
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has given Indian cricket what is needed at this juncture – a morale boosting series win.
Yes, the jagged edges in our cricket are still the same.
But after getting scared out of their wits against rookie but unconventional spinner Ajantha Mendis, and losing the Test series, this one-day series win, India’s first in Sri Lanka, should not be belittled.
As it has been observed earlier, this bunch of players will play an increasingly significant role in Indian cricket and that was evident on Wednesday as first Virat Kohli, and then Suresh Raina and captain Dhoni helped India to a decent total. The only disappointment was Yuvraj Singh. What Yuvraj needs is a dose of self-confidence, and in that, only he can help himself.
Again Indian bowlers upset the rhythm of Sri Lankan batting by striking early and thereafter taking wickets regularly.
Sanath Jayasuriya threatened to take the game away from India, but he could not sustain his aggression. With Kumar Sangakkara woefully out of form a big effort had to come from skipper Mahela Jayawardene. Indian bowlers, especially, Harbhajan Singh ensured that no batting revival took place.
It may be a bit hurting, but fact of the matter is that Sri Lanka, the World Cup runner up, has played far better cricket than India in the recent times. And that showed during the Test series. In that context, this series win scripted by Dhoni and his band of the willing, should be celebrated for that, for that feel good factor.