Opener Shikhar Dhawan hit a fluent 91 as Virat Kohli chalked up a successful 3-0 series win as stand-in captain with two games to spare following India’s six wicket win over Sri Lanka in the third ODI.
Batting first in Hyderabad, Sri Lanka were almost completely reliant on Mahela Jayawardene (118), but the team total suffered as pacer Umesh Yadav got career-best ODI figures of four for 53 and spinner Akshar Patel (three for 40) dismantled the middle order.
Chasing 243, Dhawan led the way with 91 off 79 balls and the result was in little doubt thanks to Kohli’s 53 as India won with 5.5 overs left to seal a series arranged at short notice after the West Indies aborted their tour.
Jayawardene’s first rescue act came after Sri Lanka were seven for two, as opener Kusal Perera (four) and number three Kumar Sangakkara departed in successive Yadav deliveries.
Tillakaratne Dilshan joined Jayawardene for a 105-run stand that was slow but steady – Sri Lanka reached 100 in the 23rd over – before Dilshan got greedy and was dismissed for 53 by part-time bowler Ambati Rayudu thanks to a good catch by Ajinkya Rahane.
Patel made merry in the batting powerplay, accounting for Angelo Mathews, Ashan Priyanjan and Chaturanga de Silva to leave Sri Lanka on 154 for six.
Seekkuge Prasanna and Jayawardene put 67 together – after Thisara Perera’s dismissal – which also included Jayawardene reaching his 17th ODI century in the 40th over with Sri Lanka’s first six.
Yadav bowled Prasanna for 29, with last man Nuwan Kulasekara becoming Dhawal Kulkarni’s first ODI wicket.
Jayawardene made it to the exclusive 12,000-run club in his innings, but India openers Rahane and Dhawan wasted little time making their impact felt.
The collective 50 came in nine overs before Perera had Rahane (31) caught at slip.
Dhawan and Rayudu survived a spell of short bowling from Sri Lanka to steer the total to 101 as the former reached fifty with a six off de Silva.
Rayudu looked in good nick but a huge mix-up saw him run out for 35. It only brought Kohli in however, who smashed his way to a 70 partnership with Dhawan.
Dhawan was strangely given out caught-behind off Kulasekara in the 34th over though the ball appeared to graze the helmet.
Kohli steered himself to 50 with his 6,000th ODI run – becoming the quickest to that landmark in one-day cricket – but holed out to long-on off Dilshan, leaving Suresh Raina and Wriddhiman Saha to finish the job.
