India minimise Malinga threat, again
One of the world's best death bowlers is taken for runs at the death by India's batsmen. A renowned game-changer has struggled to change games against India. Why does it happen?
Records show that no team plays Lasith Malinga better than India do. In 27 ODIs spread over eight years against India, Malinga averages nearly 43 for his 31 wickets, at an economy-rate of almost six an over. The trend has continued in this series, in which Malinga's five wickets in four games have cost 44 runs each and he has conceded 6.19 runs an over. Even in the third game, when he removed MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma off successive deliveries, Malinga went for 60 in his ten overs. That kept another trend intact - Malinga has never taken more than two wickets in any game against India.