INDIA WIN ODI SERIES AGAINST SRILANKA

 It was a low-key series that was overshadowed by the Olympics, but it resulted in a dramatic change in the rankings as India climbed up to No. 2 after shutting out Sri Lanka 4-1. India seemed to have the final one-dayer in the bag after running up 294 and then reducing Sri Lanka to 102 for 5, but a spirited stand between the inexperienced Lahiru Thirimanne and Jeevan Mendis kept the visitors sweating till the end.

Irfan Pathan more or less guaranteed the result in the 43rd over as he removed Mendis and Thisara Perera on his way to his second ODI five-for, capping a match in which he had already made an important contribution with the bat. A late replacement for the injured Vinay Kumar, Irfan has sealed his place as a bowling allrounder with his eight wickets at 26.37 and two vital performances with the bat.

He troubled Sri Lanka in his first over itself, getting Tillakaratne Dilshan to hole out to third man. In the absence of the injured Kumar Sangakkara and the resting Mahela Jayawardene - the first time in two years that the pair were missing an ODI - Dilshan had a big role to play, but fell for a duck.

Sri Lanka maintained a scorching pace early on, but lost their way once Upul Tharanga chipped a catch to cover in the eighth over. Dinesh Chandimal's forgettable series continued as he fell lbw to Ashok Dinda for 8, Angelo Mathews' first innings as one-day captain was ended by a direct hit from Manoj Tiwary, and Chamara Kapugedera wasted his umpteenth international comeback, walking after an lbw appeal.

That looked like game, set and match India but Sri Lanka weren't done yet. Thirimanne played his second responsible knock at No. 3 in five days, and Jeevan Mendis continued to prompt questions over why he had been offered such scattered opportunities with the national team so far after another battling innings. The two patiently resurrected the innings, and through some sensible cricket brought Sri Lanka back into the game, and when the part-time spin of Manoj Tiwary was caned for 14 in the 34th over, Sri Lanka were 187 for 5. With the big-hitting Perera still to come, they had a great chance of pulling off a consolation comeback victory.

Thirimanne, though, was run-out after a mix-up, and though Mendis kept Sri Lanka afloat, Perera slugged a catch to deep point. When Mendis' outstanding innings ended on 72 with a nick to the keeper off Irfan, Sri Lanka's hopes evaporated.

India's top order gave a better account of themselves than Sri Lanka's. There were half-centuries for Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni but the most significant innings in the dead rubber could be Manoj Tiwary's 65. For the second match in a row, he turned in a solid performance, strengthening his credentials for a hotly contested spot in the India's middle-order, most likely at the expense of Rohit Sharma.

Rohit, given a remarkably long rope by the team management, flopped for the fifth game in a row; his tally of 13 runs in the series is the lowest by a specialist India batsman in a five-match series and the chorus for his axing is only going to get louder.

Tiwary's debut was famously delayed by a shoulder injury in 2007, and he has had seven ODIs in the five years since. A match-winning century in another dead rubber last December only led to a long spell on the bench, but a four-for with some part-time leg spin in the previous match and a steadying 110-run partnership with Gambhir should earn him a few matches in the upcoming New Zealand series at home.

For the second time in three games, Malinga began an over in the batting Powerplay with two wickets in two balls, as he removed Tiwary and then the in-form Suresh Raina as India slid to 197 for 5. But, as in the third ODI, Irfan showed off his improved batting, and gave the specialist batsman enough of the strike to take apart the Sri Lanka bowling. That day it had been Raina, today it was Dhoni, who has had little to do in this series as players above him in the order have repeatedly done the job for the side. Dhoni began by carving Malinga for consecutive boundaries through cover and a typically busy innings, interspersed with boundaries, helped India take 75 off the final 10 overs.

While Dhoni piloted India at the end, Gambhir did it at the start. Even as Ajinkya Rahane failed to grab his chance, Virat Kohli had a rare failure and Rohit's horror run extended, Gambhir was unperturbed. Once again, he managed to score at almost a run a ball without seeming to play any big hits as he made his way to his third fifty-plus score of the series. He was closing in on his seventh ODI hundred against Sri Lanka before he was done in by the extra bounce from Senanayake.

It didn't matter, though as Irfan and Dhoni powered India to a big score, one which proved too tall for an inexperienced Sri Lanka line-up.

INDIA VS SRILANKA FIFTH ODI:DEAD RUBBER ON THECARDS

Sri Lanka handed over the series to India in Colombo with two failed attempts at defending the target but can end the series - this is also, surprisingly, their last ODI this year - on a positive note in Pallekele. They beat India in the second ODI in Hambantota and came close in the third ODI in Colombo, and if they get help from the cooler and cloudier climes of Pallekele, where India have never played, their medium pacers could be a handful.

However, in conditions that haven't favoured the bowlers, the difference between the two teams has been the batting. India have four batsmen among top five run-getters in the series to Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, who is already out of the tournament with a finger injury. With Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene not firing, Sri Lanka's young batting - especially Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne - has lacked leadership to take full advantage of India's weakness in bowling. In the fourth ODI, India's part-time bowlers returned with the figures of 22-2-112-5 - a glaring example of where Sri Lanka lost their way.

Although India have already won the series, the problems that have plagued them in the past have surfaced again - Virender Sehwag remains erratic, Rohit Sharma's form has not yet returned and Manoj Tiwary is India's second most successful bowler in the series despite playing just one game. With a tough season looming, MS Dhoni would hope for some signs of improvement- and some clues to his best XI - along with a win in Pallekele.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLWLW (Completed games, most recent first)
India WWLWW

Watch out for...

Irfan Pathan came in as a replacement for Vinay Kumar in the series but has done well with both bat and ball. He scored a crucial 34 not out in a match-winning partnership in the third ODI, but more importantly, he has got the ball to swing. He has bowled with an economy of 5, which is the best among India's seamers, and has picked up three wickets.

Sri Lanka's fielding has consistently been the best among the Asian teams, but in the current series the fielders have dropped a number of catches at critical moments and they have also given a lot of extra runs in overthrows. In the previous game itself, the team conceded two boundaries when the fielders failed to backup shies at stumps.

Team news

MS Dhoni had success with his seven batsmen formula in the previous match, and could continue with the same, which would mean another chance for Rohit. Ashok Dinda has played two games without creating much impact and could be replaced by Umesh Yadav.

India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Manoj Tiwary, 7 Suresh Raina, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashok Dinda/Umesh Yadav

Angelo Mathews indicated in a press conference that fringe players might get a chance. It could mean a game for Chamara Kapugedara and offspinner Sachithra Senanayake, both of whom haven't played in the first four matches.

Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Lahiru Thirimanne/Chamara Kapugedara, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Pradeep, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Rangana Herath/Sachithra Senanayake

Stats and trivia

• India's bowlers have had only three five-wicket hauls in the last five years in ODIs, worst among all Test playing countries. Sri Lanka have most in this period - 19.
• MS Dhoni is 17 runs away from becoming only the sixth batsman to score 2000 runs in India-Sri Lanka ODIs.

Quotes

"The numbers [Ashwin's figures] have not been bad; the ball is coming out really well and whatever I've been working on has also come out very well."
R Ashwin is satisfied with his bowling in the series.

"We've dropped quite a few catches in this series and I think that cost us the series. Especially, against the Indian batting line up, you can't drop that many catches."
Angelo Mathews blames the fielding lapses for the series loss.

VIRAT KOLHI AND SURESH RAINA LEAD INDIA TO SERIES WIN

 India 255 for 4 (Kohli 128*, Raina 58*) beat Sri Lanka 251 for 8 (Tharanga 51, Thirimanne 47, Tiwary 4-61) by six wickets
Virat Kohli was once again the architect of a successful Indian chase, one that clinched the ODI series for India, who took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Kohli anchored India's response to 251, and was helped along by Suresh Raina, who struck his third half-century of the series, each of them in an Indian win. Both had their moments of fortune, just when Sri Lanka had fought their way back, but once set, they approached the target confidently, never allowing the require-rate to go above six and often being imperious in their shot-making. A game that promised to be close at one point eventually produced a dominant winner

Sri Lanka's seamers put India under pressure, picking up four wickets by the halfway mark in a chase of 252, but Virat Kohli was an assuring presence for the visitors in their bid to take an unassailable lead in the series.

India were dealt an early blow when Lasith Malinga bowled Gautam Gambhir with an inswinging yorker in the first over. Gambhir probably misjudged the length, going hard at the ball. Virender Sehwag, at the other end, was fluent and attacking when the ball was there to be hit, but not rash.

Thisara Perera was involved in each of Sehwag's dismissals this series prior to today's match but it was Sehwag who won the contest today. He drove Perera through the line, then slashed him past third man before punching him through the covers. Sehwag defended solidly and was circumspect when needed, displaying an intent to bat long. His two boundaries off Perera - his first five boundaries came off Perera's bowling - in the sixth over took minimum effort but had impeccable timing.

His innings, however, was cut short by Angelo Mathews. Sehwag tried to whip a short delivery through midwicket, got a leading edge and was caught by substitute fielder Sachitra Senanayake, who reacted quickly at extra cover, diving to his left. A nervous Rohit Sharma, possibly fighting for a place in the side, walked in with two ducks behind him, played and missed, and got off the mark in desperate fashion, trying to slap a wide delivery over mid-off. He got away, but not for long as debutant Nuwan Pradeep trapped him in front when he tried to drive across the line. The umpire's call to check for a no-ball only prolonged his anxiety, but he knew he'd fluffed another chance.

At 60 for 3, India were under pressure but Kohli batted determinedly. He began with an audacious pull off Malinga but played a supporting role to Sehwag. He survived a run-out chance after Rohit fell, but settled in to rebuild the innings. He ran well with Tiwary, pressing for twos when the field spread, flayed Pradeep through extra cover, was the beneficiary of an overthrow that cost four and took India past 100. Tiwary glanced Pradeep past fine leg, then flicked Perera over square leg but was lbw when trying to sweep a straighter one from Jeevan Mendis. A loud caught-behind appeal gave Suresh Raina some early jitters, and much was left to him and Kohli to see India through.

When it was known that Manoj Tiwary would replace Rahul Sharma, not Rohit Sharma, in India's XI, a depleted bowling attack on a batting-friendly track would have prompted many to question the move. As it turned out, Tiwary had an impact even before he got a chance to bat as he picked up four wickets and helped, along with the other India part-time bowlers, to slow down Sri Lanka's innings and restrict them to 251. Sri Lanka would consider that just about par, especially after a 91-run opening stand, and India were left with a good chance to take the series. Such was the effectiveness of India's non-regular bowlers - they bowled 22 overs for 112 runs and five wickets - that Zaheer Khan only bowled six overs.

Sri Lanka's depth in batting and India's death-overs woes with the ball were two factors the hosts would have aimed to capitalise on. But batsman after batsman struggled to get a move-on. The slowness of the pitch may have played a part in their difficulty in middling the ball consistently, but it certainly shouldn't have prevented them from rotating the strike, running the singles and twos once the field was spread out as the Powerplays were used up by the 20th over. The only batsmen, apart from the openers, who showed it could be done were Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne, during their half-century stand for the third wicket.

Chandimal and Thirimanne ran well between the wickets and their 50-run association included just two boundaries. Both batsmen cut the ball well and Chandimal was adept at using the paddle-sweep; the partnership produced seven twos, moved along at close to five an over and was aided by a relatively sloppy performance in the field as misfields were common and Virat Kohli put down a straightforward catch. The pair had played R Ashwin and Virender Sehwag largely comfortably, but Tiwary's introduction in the 32nd over triggered a slide.

Tiwary was unthreatening but steady, his bowling devoid of variations but he found some turn. And, occasionally, he was fortunate. A long hop that could have been dispatched anywhere was struck straight to deep-square leg by Chandimal. When Mahela Jayawardene miscued an attempted sweep to be caught by Dhoni off Sehwag three balls later, Sri Lanka were pushed back into rebuilding mode. That rebuilding was proved time-consuming when Angelo Mathews took too long to open up, playing out a maiden from Tiwary and crawling to 14 off 32 balls. When he decided to attack, he holed out to long-off.

Jeevan Mendis showed some urgency, sweeping and reverse-sweeping Ashwin for boundaries, but Tiwary, who had grown in confidence, not hesitating to toss the ball up in the late overs, was to strike again. Mendis was bowled while missing the reverse-sweep and Thisara Perera struck one straight down deep midwicket's throat in the same over. India would have hoped to wrap up the innings when Thirimanne was bowled for 47 to leave Sri Lanka at 219 for 8.

But the Sri Lanka tail bit back. Dhoni persisted with Tiwary, who was clobbered by Lasith Malinga over midwicket for a six and then went on to concede 18 in the final over of the innings. Malinga targeted cow-corner again and Rangana Herath smashed a four and a six past wide long-on, taking Sri Lanka past 250. This, when Zaheer had four overs left. Dhoni, and India, will believe they have the batting to ensure that last-over slip-up doesn't cost them.

INDIA VS SRI LANKA FOURTH ODI MATCH PREVIEW

 Match facts
Tuesday, July 31
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)

 Big Picture
India's win on Saturday has left Sri Lanka needing to win both remaining matches if they are to take the series. None of the players involved in the series had made their ODI debuts when India last lost a bilateral series in Sri Lanka - that was way back in 1997, when Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva were at the peak of their powers.

 India's successful chase of 287 was the sort of result which would have been extremely unlikely on the pre-World Cup Premadasa track where batting under lights was a challenge. On Saturday, on a pitch with little in it for the bowlers, both sides showed off some high-class one-day batting. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, as they have done countless times before, revived the Sri Lankan innings with unhurried ease, knocking the singles around. That set the stage for Angelo Mathews and Jeevan Mendis to explode at the end, as India leaked 97 in the final ten. For India, it was Gautam Gambhir who top scored with a controlled innings of 102, where he highlighted his nifty footwork against both pace and spin, before Suresh Raina extended a rewarding recent ODI run, with this third half-century in five innings.

The run-fest raised questions about the strength of both sides' bowling. The spearheads, Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga, did their job, but the support seamers rarely threatened and the spinners could, at best, contain the runs. Isuru Udana hasn't been an adequate replacement for the injured Nuwan Kulasekara, and India's gamble on Ashok Dinda didn't pay off either.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LWLWW (Completed games, most recent first)
India WLWWL

Watch out for...

Jeevan Mendis took 5 for 76 in the last two ODIs he played in 2011 before he dropped off Sri Lanka's one-day plans, perhaps because he failed with the bat. Given another chance in the final ODI against Pakistan last month, he stepped up with a tight spell, and also a steady 19 towards the end of a tight chase. He boosted his case for a longer run in the side, with a hard-hitting 45 on Saturday, which justified his promotion over the in-form Thisara Perera.

India's death bowling has long been a problem area. In the third ODI, Zaheer bowled eight of his overs in the first two Powerplays, leaving Irfan Pathan and Dinda to finish out the innings. With the strategy of using two fast bowlers to end the innings not working for India, perhaps it is time they used R Ashwin at the death.

Team news

There have already been plenty of headlines about Rohit Sharma's prolonged lean spell, and his golden duck on Saturday is likely to have opened the door for Manoj Tiwary. Legspinner Rahul Sharma did well enough to merit another chance, but Dinda didn't, which could mean that Umesh Yadav will return.

India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Manoj Tiwary, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Rahul Sharma

Sangakkara's finger injury means he will miss only his second ODI in more than two years. The only other one he sat out was a one-dayer against Scotland in 2011. He could be replaced by Lahiru Thirimanne, with Dinesh Chandimal stepping in as wicketkeeper. Udana could be left out after two underwhelming matches, with Nuwan Pradeep as his replacement.

Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Lahiru Thirimanne, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Pradeep, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Rangana Herath

Stats and trivia

• If Gautam Gambhir scores 11 or more on Tuesday, he will become the second quickest Indian to reach 5000 ODI runs.
• Lasith Malinga is four wickets short of 200 ODI scalps. He is on track to become the fifth fastest bowler to reach the milestone, and easily the fastest Sri Lankan.

Quotes

"We had a plan to score four to five hundreds as individual batsmen and we have done it twice. Virat [Kohli] and Gautam [Gambhir] scored hundreds, Viru (Virender Sehwag) fell short but, our goal is yet to be reached."

INDIA vs SRILANKA THIRD ODI MATCH PREVIEW

 After two contrasting matches in Hambantota, the teams gear up for another double-header at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, with the series neatly tied up at 1-1. Sri Lanka will be the more confident of the two sides after the nine-wicket hiding they dished out to India in the previous outing, but India have a superior record at the Premadasa, where the heat and humidity and shorter boundaries will feel more comfortable after blustery Hambantota.

India have won the last five matches at the Premadasa where they have used their preferred method - bat first, score big and let the pressure of the chase stifle the opposition. However, the pitch was relaid before the World Cup and run scoring at the Premadasa since then has not been easy; both seamers and slow bowlers were among wickets during the recent ODIs against Pakistan. After their struggle in the last ODI in Hambantota on a pitch that offered some help, the Premadasa pitch could offer another stiff challenge to India's batsmen.

Sri Lanka have only three wins out of nine - all batting first - against India in the last five years at the Premadasa, the last of those was when Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis were around to block India's escape routes in the middle overs. Sri Lanka would hope for similar pressure from their in-form bowler Thisara Perera. In the last two games, their batting was more consistent compared to the Indians, and their bowlers extracted movement from a pitch on which India's bowling appeared insipid.

But just as a big loss puts pressure on those who fail to perform, like Rohit Sharma in India's case, a big win hides deficiencies. Mahela Jayawardene would have welcomed the chase that ended within 20 overs in the previous game, but the batting form of Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews and Lahiru Thirimanne remains untested and the Sri Lanka captain would hope for some runs from the young middle-order batsmen.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WLWWW (Completed games, most recent first)
India LWWLW

Watch out for...

Upul Tharanga endured a tough series against Pakistan recently and was under pressure to hold his spot in the team. But an unbeaten half-century chasing India's modest total may have just boosted not only his confidence, but also Mahela Jayawardene's faith on the batting order.

While Virat Kohli has been hogging the limelight recently, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni's partnership down the order has gone unnoticed. The two have helped India convert good starts to tall totals and since CB series in Australia, they have scored 169 runs together from 17 overs. With Sri Lanka lacking express pace to bounce either of the two, the partnership will continue to a pose serious threat.

Team news

Pragyan Ojha's fitness is the only doubt surrounding the Indian team, with Gautam Gambhir saying fairlyemphatically that Rohit Sharma will not be dropped at this point.

India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Pragyan Ojha

Sri Lanka are likely to continue with the same squad that played in the second ODI.

Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Rangana Herath

Stats and trivia

• The average run-rate in 1st/2nd innings at the Premadasa from 2007 till before the World Cup was 5.22/4.58. Since the pitch was relaid, the average run-rate has changed to 4.37/4.81
• Angelo Mathews averages 33.56 with the bat after 78 matches. Against India, his average drops to 29.54. In Sri Lanka, it drops further to 26.35

Quotes

"When it comes to the [India] top order, they make a huge difference. If we can get a few wickets early on, we can put pressure the middle order batsmen."
Angelo Mathews 

"We need to remember that we are coming in after a two month break while Sri Lanka have been playing very good cricket and have beaten a very good side like Pakistan.

TEAM INDIA FINED FOR SLOW OVER RATE

MS Dhoni and India have been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during their win in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Hambantota. Dhoni has been fined 20% of his match fee, and the rest of his team 10%, after they were ruled to be an over short when time allowances were taken into consideration.

Dhoni has got into trouble for over-rate breaches in the past. In January this year, he was suspendedfrom the Adelaide Test against Australia due a slow over-rate in the previous Test in Perth. Dhoni had also been on notice after India were found short in Barbados in June-July last year. His woes, aside from the team's poor form in Australia, didn't end there. He was again suspended in February, this time for an ODI, after India fell short by two overs in a game against Australia in the CB series.

The fine was imposed after a full disciplinary hearing with the match-referee Chris Broad.

Following a groin injury to Nuwan Kulasekara - who was ruled out of the series after yesterday's game - during the Indian innings, it was unclear for a while if he'd come out to bat during Sri Lanka's chase. Sri Lanka lost their ninth wicket in the 49th over of the chase, and Kulasekara then walked in at No.11 - though part of the lower order, Kulasekara, when fit, batted much higher. Sri Lanka batted out the remainder of the innings with Lasith Malinga blasting 19 off 10 deliveries, 16 of them in the final over from Umesh Yadav.

INDIA BEAT SRILANKA IN FIRST ODI

India hardly looked a side playing their first match in four months. Their batsmen pounded Sri Lanka for a 300-plus total; their bowling, for once, did not fall apart and led by Irfan Pathan, ensured the total was a winning one. Virat Kohli, now easily one of the best ODI batsmen in the world, cracked his third consecutive century against Sri Lanka, his fourth in five innings, and his fifth successive fifty-plus score, equalling the Indian record. Virender Sehwag resembled a man playing his first international game in nearly five months only briefly, before scattering the field with a 97-ball 96. Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni made sure India recovered from a slight wobble, adding 79 in nine overs towards the finish.

Kumar Sangakkara responded with his third century in four international games, also only his second ODI hundred at home, but by the time he got credible support at the other end from No. 8 Thisara Perera, the match had slipped too far out of Sri Lanka's grasp. Perera did give India a scare, smacking 44 off 28 deliveries, but the departure of Sangakkara in the 48th over ended a stand of 78 off 53, and also Sri Lanka's hopes.

India had looked rusty initially, as Sehwag played-and-missed three successive times in Nuwan Kulasekara's opening over. In the second over, he sliced Lasith Malinga straight to point, where Tillakaratne Dilshan put the catch down. In the third over, Gautam Gambhir was almost run-out when he was caught in a big mix-up with Sehwag. It was Dilshan, again, who missed the direct hit from point. Gambhir departed next ball though, bowled round his legs off a straight ball from Kulasekara. Soon enough though, India settled in, Sehwag and Kohli putting the powerful line-up on its way to another big total.

Kohli's arrival immediately brought stability to the middle. He likes to get forward, and did so to defend solidly. One such push even earned him three runs past extra cover. He slashed his third ball for four past point, and Sehwag soon took over.

A Malinga length ball was driven on the up past extra cover, Kulasekara was slammed down the ground. Mahela Jayawardene took out fine leg and put in deep point inside the first Powerplay. Sehwag's response was to drill Angelo Mathews over cover for four more. In the eleventh over, Sehwag, on 24, tried to loft Perera over extra cover but mistimed the stroke. Kulasekara ran in from mid-off and dived forward to take the ball but Sehwag escaped as replays proved inconclusive, as they usually do in such cases. Kulasekara also injured his groin during the attempt, and bowled only five overs. Two balls later, it was Kohli's turn to escape as Perera failed to hold on to a tough return chance to his left. Kohli was on 16 then.

By the time Sri Lanka separated the pair in the 32nd over, they had added 173 at almost a run a ball. It was a furious Sehwag who departed, four short of what would have been his 16th ODI ton, run out by Perera after being sent back by Kohli while attempting a single.

India slipped from 180 for 1 to 228 for 4. Rohit Sharma was late on one that nipped back a bit and lost his off bail, before Kohli fell for 106, also a victim of Perera, caught sharply by substitute Sachithra Senanayake at extra cover in the 40th.

It looked as though Sri Lanka might keep things tidy in the final 10, with Raina and Dhoni picking off only one boundary in four overs. But then they launched, taking 64 off the final six overs - Raina got to a fifty off 44 balls, while Dhoni unleashed his signature helicopter shots - to make sure India got easily past the 300-run mark.

India's opening bowling pair of Zaheer Khan and Irfan generated enough movement in the first Powerplay to keep Sri Lanka to 41 for 1. R Ashwin took over and ensured Sri Lanka did not get away; he even bowled a wicket-maiden in the bowling Powerplay.

As the night grew darker in the forest surrounding the stadium, Sri Lanka's chances began to appear tougher. Sangakkara and Upul Tharanga did add 77 for the second wicket, but the stand ate up 105 balls and by the time the latter fell to Ashwin, the asking rate was approaching seven-and-a-half.

This was after Tillakaratne Dilshan had failed to capitalise, like Virender Sehwag had, on a dropped catch early in his innings. In Zaheer's opening over, Dilshan cracked his first ball for four, edged the second to slip only for Sehwag to clang it, and was out leg-before to his sixth, off Irfan, as he missed an attempted whip.

Sangakkara could have gone second ball, on 0, when he edged an away-going Irfan delivery just past second slip. He should have gone off Umesh Yadav's second ball, in the eleventh over, when he slashed between MS Dhoni and wide slip, but the wicketkeeper did not go for the catch.

Sangakkara struggled to accelerate during the middle of his innings, but he kept Sri Lanka going, even as his team-mates kept falling. No one from No. 1 to No. 7, barring Sangakkara, managed more than 28, falling to the pressure of the asking rate.

Sangakkara's century gave the crowd on the twin grass banks an opportunity to blow their horns louder, but even as he and Perera tried, the game had already blown away from Sri Lanka. To reach 293 from 191 for 6 in the 39th over was, in the end, quite an achievement.

SRILANKA vs INDIA MATCH PREVIEW

Match facts

Saturday, July 21
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)

Big Picture

Yet another India v Sri Lanka series is upon us. While the Indian team has racked up its frequent flyer miles with regular trips to Sri Lanka over the past few years, they start this series in an unfamiliar location. The stadium at Hambantota, a port town in southern Sri Lanka, was built for the World Cup and India haven't played a game there yet.

The ground recently hosted a couple of Twenty20s during Pakistan's tour and, if those matches are anything to go by, the bowlers should enjoy themselves. With Zaheer Khan back spearheading the attack, and Umesh Yadav providing the pace, India's bowling looks in better shape than it did in their previous ODI series, the Asia Cup in Dhaka.

One advantage India will have over the home side is that the team comes in with six weeks of rest, a rare luxury in recent years. On the other hand Sri Lanka, especially their IPL players, have been playing almost non-stop since their previous home season began last August. With the SLPL starting days after this series ends, and the World Twenty20 following soon after, Sri Lanka's players have a while to go yet before they can think of a rest. 

Form guide

Sri Lanka WWWLL (Completed games, most recent first)
India WLWWL

Watch out for...

In the 15 months since last year's World Cup, Virender Sehwag has played only nine ODIs due to a combination of injuries, the controversial rotation system and being rested. In those matches, he blasted the record-breaking 219 in Indore, but hasn't otherwise crossed 30.

Sri Lanka's batting order has undergone plenty of changes over the past few months. Will they again push Jayawardene to the top of the order or stick with Upul Tharanga, who had a poor series against Pakistan? And if Jayawardene takes a middle-order place, will it be his usual position at No. 4, or will he go one spot lower as he did against Pakistan?

Team news

One of the questions India will have to address is whether to play Irfan Pathan as an allrounder at No. 7, or go in with a specialist batsman at that position. If they do pick a specialist batsman for that position, it will likely be Manoj Tiwary, who has spent plenty of time on the bench over the past few months. Dhoni hinted that they will pick Irfan for the first game. "He gives us the liberty of playing with five specialist bowlers," he said. "We can play two spinners and three seamers because Irfan can also bat."

India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Pragyan Ojha

Sri Lanka have experimented with a whole lot of spinners over the past couple of years, but are still to zero in on a permanent slow bowler for their limited-overs side. The squad for this series includes Jeevan Mendis, who impressed with bat and ball in the one match he got against Pakistan, and Rangana Herath, who has cemented his place as lead spinner in the Test side but isn't yet as secure in the shorter forms.

Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Rangana Herath

Stats and trivia

• Upul Tharanga averages 37.12 against all teams in ODIs since the start of 2010, but only makes 11.76 an innings against India in that period.
• Lasith Malinga leads the ODI wicket-chart for 2012, with 36 scalps.
• Virat Kohli's ODI average of 50.56 puts him fifth in the all-time list

Quotes

"We have had the match practice and the guys are in pretty good form, we will try and continue that. For the Indians, it's a different story, they have to get back to a rhythm. On the other hand, they are fresher than us after us going through six months of continuous cricket."
Mahela Jayawardene think a break from cricket isn't necessarily a blessing
"[Managing Zaheer's workload] is important but I don't think we need to think about it from the very first game. We need to also get him match-fit."
MS Dhoni is aware India's injury-prone pace leader needs to be used wISELY