Dhaka: Kumar Sangakkara hit a memorable half-century to help Sri Lanka to a six-wicket victory over India in the World Twenty20 final in Dhaka on Sunday.
The veteran left-hander knocked a 35-ball 52 not out in his last Twenty20 match to guide the Sri Lankan chase of a modest 131-run target in 17.5 overs at a packed Shere Bangla stadium.
Thisara Perera hit Ravichandran Ashwin for a winning boundary to seal the win, finishing with 21 not out.
But it was Sangakkara who anchored the chase with six boundaries and a six in his unbeaten knock.
The victory gave Sri Lanka their first world title in 18 years since winning the World Cup (50 overs) crown in 1996 and gave the World Twenty20 a fifth champion in as many editions.
India won the inaugural edition in 2007 followed by Pakistan (2009), England (2010) and the West Indies (2012).
It also broke Sri Lanka's jinx of losing the final of major world level events as they had lost two World Cup (50 overs) finals (2007 and 2011) besides being runners-up in as many World Twenty20 events in 2009 and 2012.
The victory also gave a memorable swansong to veteran Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara who announced they will quit Twenty20 cricket after this tournament.
In contrast India were denied a chance to become the first team ever to hold three major cricketing titles at one time, after clinching the 2011 World Cup title and the Champions Trophy last year.
Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals as Indian spinners applied pressure, but Sangakkara held one end intact.
Openers Kusal Perera went for five and Tillakaratne Dilshan for 18 before Sangakkara added 34 for the third wicket with Jayawardne (24) and another 54 for the unfinished fifth wicket with Thisara.
India were reduced to 130-4 by some tight Sri Lankan bowling despite a brilliant half-century by Virat Kohli.
Kohli scored a 58-ball 77 for his eighth Twenty20 half-century -- his fourth in this tournament -- after India were sent into bat in a match reduced by 40 minutes due to rain.
The rain spiced up the pitch for bowlers but Kohli was at his best when he came to the crease after India lost Ajinkya Rahane (three) in Angelo Mathews's second over of the innings.
Let off by Lasith Malinga at mid-wicket off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath's first delivery when 11, Kohli took full advantage of the laspe by hitting five boundaries and four sixes before he was run out off the final delivery.
Kohli added 60 for the second wicket with Rohit Sharma (29) and another 55 for the third with Yuvraj Singh who slowed down the tempo with a snail-paced 11 off 21 balls.
Sharma hit three boundaries during his 26-ball knock before he was caught off Herath who finished with 1-23 in his four overs.
So facile were India's last four overs that there was no boundary and a well-set Kohli got just seven balls to play, restricting their total badly.
With the win Sri Lanka also capped a long two-and-a-half month tour of Bangladesh during which they won all matches in a bilateral series against the home team and five-nation Asia Cup.
Going through a purple patch, Virat Kohli was today named Player of the Tournament for amassing 319 runs in the ICC World T20.
Kohli was the unanimous choice of the select group of experts following his exceptional form with the bat.
In the lead up to the final, the 25-year-old scored 242 runs in five matches at an average of 121, including innings of 36 not out against Pakistan, 54 against the West Indies, 57 not out against Bangladesh, 23 against Australia and a match-winning 72 not out against South Africa in the semi-final.
"David Boon of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees was the chairman of the independent jury that selected the Men's Player of the Tournament," the ICC said in a statement.
Other members of the panel included Marais Erasmus of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, ex-England captain Nasser Hussain, former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop and Utpal Shuvro, one of Bangladesh?s senior-most cricket correspondents.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni attributed the team's loss against Sri Lanka in the ICC World T20 final to his batsmen's failure to convert the starts and the islanders' "brilliant" bowling at the death.
"In the middle overs, our batsmen tried their best to get going, but we couldn't convert the good start. Virat (Kohli) was the only one who could score but it was a little difficult for him also initially," Dhoni said at the post-match
presentation ceremony.
"We could have always got those 10-15 runs, but cricket is always about those extra runs."
India could manage just 19 runs in the last four overs and that did not help their cause, but it prompted Dhoni to praise the opposition bowlers, especially Sri Lanka skipper Lasith Malinga.
"The last four overs they executed their plans brilliantly and for our side that doesn't play scoops well, that worked for them. (Lasith) Malinga with that slingy action, side-on it gets difficult for the batsmen, he kept bowling it wide. He bowled the yorkers well. It was a perfect game for them."
Kohli top-scored yet again with an aggressive 77 even as the others around him struggled to get going.
"Virat has been brilliant in the last few years. He is someone who makes most of the opportunity. The good thing is that he plays authentic shots and still scores runs. He is got a bright future ahead of them."
Dhoni said the Bangladesh Cricket Board arranged everything to perfection, adding that they love their cricket.
Meanwhile, Yuvraj Singh's father Yograj tonight came out in defence of his son, saying the left-handed batsman, who struggled for his 11 runs off 21 balls, should not be singled out for India's loss in the ICC World T20 final.
"Yuvraj should not be singled out," Yograj said when asked if his son consuming 21 deliveries was the main reason behind India loosing the title clash against Sri Lanka at Mirpur.
Even as Virat Kohli struck his fourth half century of the tournament with yet another superb effort but Lankan bowlers applied brakes on a struggling Yuvraj which certainly hampered the scoring rate to a large extent.
Yuvraj turned out to be a disaster as he looked completely out of sorts which even frustrated the in-form batsman at the other end. The last four overs produced only 19 runs due to Yuvraj's failure to get big hits.
But Yograj said when a team loses, there is widespread criticism from all quarters.
"When we loose their is criticism from all sides. Ups and downs are part of life and part of this game as well," he said.
Referring to the lean patch Yuvraj has gone through in recent times, Yograj said, "When a player some times goes through lean patch, the state of mind becomes such that he starts thinking if he dose not make runs he may be out
of the team or the team may lose."
"When West Indies lost the 1983 World Cup to India, Sir Viv Richarts went to Indian dressing room and congratulated the team saying they played better cricket and deserved to win," he said, adding that the sportsman's spirit in the game was more important.
He felt Yuvraj should play more domestic cricket and suggested that he should also spend some days with his father to receive coaching tips.
