New Delhi: The ICC World Twenty20 final has inspired Google to feature the World T20 doodle on the day of the final. The doodle is comprised of a number of colours such as blue, yellow, red and green.
It shows a bowler coming in to bowl, an image of the crowd cheering, a batsman playing a pull shot, wickets being disturbed by a delivery, a bowler appealing and a hand holding a ball. It sums up all the ingredients of a final of a major tournament.
Clicking on the doodle takes the user to all news related to the World T20. Articles, reports, interviews regarding top players and teams as they lead up to the final. It builds up to what promises to be an exciting encounter.
The final of the ICC World Twenty20 will be played between India and Sri Lanka on Sunday in Dhaka. India, who won the inaugural edition in 2007 will look to become the first team to win the tournament more than once. Sri Lanka were runners-up in 2012 and hope to go one better and also end their dismal record in the finals of major competitions. (Kohli in good form ahead of final)
The tag of "chokers" is often used for South Africa at major cricket tournaments but it could start applying to Sri Lanka if the team loses to India in Sunday's World Twenty20 final. (India vs Sri Lanka: Top five key battles)
The Sri Lankans have lost in the final of four global ICC tournaments over the past seven years. Now they have a chance to emulate Arjuna Ranatunga's side of 1996, which won the World Cup on the Indian sub-continent.
It is the third World Twenty20 final for Sri Lanka, which lost to Pakistan in 2009 and to the West Indies in 2012. Sri Lanka has also lost in the final of the World Cup twice in recent years — to Australia in 2007 and to India in 2011. For its part, South Africa failed to win either title despite making the semifinals of the World Cup three times.
Sri Lanka's match against India also gives its players a chance to present former captains Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara with a parting gift. Both players have announced they will not take part in international T20 games in the future.
But Sri Lanka has to defeat a team that has been the most impressive so far. (Lanka will miss Sanga, Mahela: Dhoni)
India was the only unbeaten side in the league stage with its spinners dominant — off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and leg-spinner Amit Mishra had two player-of-the-match awards each as India won all its four league games convincingly to top Group 2.
India also beat South Africa in the semi-finals as Virat Kohli produced a match-winning 72 not out to overhaul a score of 172 against a side boasting premier pace bowler Dale Steyn and in-form leg-spinner Imran Tahir among others.
Sri Lanka was also an impressive winner in its semifinal match after qualifying with an easy victory in its last league game against New Zealand, in which left-arm spinner Rangana Herath finished with a haul of 5-3.
Sri Lanka got past a dangerous West Indies side as it was declared the semi-final winner by 27 runs after the Duckworth-Lewis method was put into operation due to rain and a hailstorm.
But Sri Lanka was very much in control of that game with Darren Sammy's defending champions needing a difficult 81 runs off 37 balls when play was called off.
Lasith Malinga confirmed that he'll lead Sri Lanka even if original captain Dinesh Chandimal plays after opting out of the semifinal due to indifferent form.
