India beat SL by 8 wickets, enter finals

20 June 2013 05:07 pm

India defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets and entered the finals of ICC Champions Trophy 2013 on Thursday, and will play against England in Birmingham.

Only captain Angelo Mathews rose above the mediocrity for Sri Lanka with a defiant 51, having come to the middle with his team on 41-3
after 18 overs and having seen opener Tillekaratne Dilshan hobble off with an apparent calf injury.

India's pacemen excelled in damp, overcast conditions ideal for seam bowling. Ishant Sharma removed three batsmen, including dangerman Kumar Sangakkara (17), while Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 1-18 off his nine overs.

Left-arm slow bowler Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 3-48.

England awaits the winner after beating South Africa in the first semifinal on Wednesday. (Source: Hindustan Times)