Sport News

India beat Sri Lanka & win series

category: Cricket

27.08.2008 18:52

India captain Mahendra Dhoni continued his fine form, hitting 71 and putting on 143 from 141 balls with Suresh Raina (76) as India were all out for 258.

Left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara took a career-best 5-47 for Sri Lanka.

But despite a blistering 60 from the veteran Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka's batsmen were dismissed for 212.

The match, originally scheduled for Tuesday, had been postponed by a day because of rain.

And India, who had won the previous two games in the five-game series after losing the opener, put in a fine bowling performance to steal the series.

Harbhajan Singh found excessive turn under the floodlights in Colombo, and his figures of 3-40 were instrumental in providing India with the cutting edge they needed to press home their advantage.

As the innings unravelled, Sri Lanka lost regular wickets and never got on top of the required run rate, and four lbw decisions went India's way.

Thushara completed a fine personal peformance with a battling knock of 40 off 29 balls, including two sixes in one over from Yuvraj Singh.

But he was last man out to Zaheer Khan in the 47th over to kickstart India's celebrations.

The touring side's batsmen had encountered far less trouble against Sri Lanka's spinners, who had been so successful in the Test series.

Muttiah Muralitharan took 1-56 and Ajantha Mendis 1-43 as opener Virat Kohli's maiden half-century in one-day internationals (he made 54) set up a platform for the established players Dhoni and Raina to exploit.

Meanwhile, vetereran Sri Lanka seamer Chaminda Vaas, in his 322nd ODI, joined three other bowlers who to take 400 wickets - Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Muralitharan.

But that was scant consolation for the World Cup finalists, whose one-day form has clearly become a concern.

Original text is here

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