Sri Lanka denies India 5-0 rout
Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara both narrowly missed opportunities to score centuries on Sunday as Sri Lanka denied India a series sweep with a 68-run victory in the fifth and final one-day international.
The defeat halted India's run of nine straight wins in limited-overs internationals that began with a 5-0 rout of England at home and has lifted Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team to No. 2 behind South Africa in one-day rankings.
Dilshan made 97 off 117 balls while Sangakkara (84) scored his third successive half century of the series in Sri Lanka's formidable total of 320-8 in 50 overs - the home team's best batting effort in the series.
India lost wickets at regular intervals and never looked to threaten a strong Sri Lankan total before it was bowled out for 252 in 48.5 overs.
Yuvraj Singh gave a glimmer of hope with a robust 73 off 62 balls that contained 11 boundaries and a six while 20-year-old debutante Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten on 60 off 77 balls. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (53) shared the highest partnership of the innings - 55 off 66 balls - with Jadeja, who hit five boundaries.
Muttiah Muralidaran, who broke Wasim Akram's world record of 502 scalps in ODIs last Thursday, dried the runs down after Yuvraj's onslaught at Sri Lankan seamer Farveez Maharoof before he took a skier to dismiss the left-hander in the 22nd over. The off-spinner finished with 2-41 while unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis (2-44) also took two late wickets.
Nuwan Kulasekara struck twice while Thilan Thushara got the prized wicket of danger man Virender Sehwag (6) cheaply as India was reduced to 52-3 in the ninth over.
Sangakkara took two sharp reflex catches behind the wickets off Kulasekara's medium pace which dismissed Suresh Raina without scoring and last match's century-maker Gautam Gambhir for 13. Kulasekara also took three catches in the deep and finished with two for 42.
Sangakkara and Dilshan earlier combined in a 143-run stand off 136 deliveries after Jayawardena won his first toss of the series and elected to bat.
However, India fought back hard by taking four wickets in the space of six deliveries, including the run out of Dilshan in the 42nd over.
Rohit Sharma's direct throw from point saw Dilshan short of his crease at the non-striker's end, finishing a resolute innings off 117 balls which featured nine fours.
Sri Lanka was cruising at 255-2 before it lost three wickets in paceman Ishant Sharma's (3-60) return spell while Jayawardena was brilliantly snapped by diving Raina at covers in the next over off Yuvraj, slumping to 256-6 in the 43rd over.
Maharoof (32) hit three boundaries and a six in his 23-ball knock as Sri Lanka took its batting powerplay in the last five overs of the innings, setting a high target for India.
Sanath Jayasuriya (37) and Dilshan provided Sri Lanka a solid start as they put on 66 runs off 61 deliveries for the opening wicket.
Jayasuriya was dropped on 19 when debutante Ravindra Jadeja failed to hold onto a hard cut at point off Irfan Pathan before the dashing left-hander pulled three boundaries in Ishant Sharma's next over.
Jayasuriya was finally caught by Rohit Sharma at mid-off when he top edged a short Pathan delivery, ushering in Sangakkara and Dilshan's match-winning second wicket.
Indian captain Dhoni used nine bowlers to break the stand but had to wait until the 33rd over when Yuvraj broke the partnership.
Sangakkara, who lofted the left-arm spinner for a six over midwicket and hit at least five boundaries out of eight with his well timed sweep shots, attempted to repeat the stroke but holed out at deep mid on by a diving Rohit Sharma.
Paceman Lakshmipathy Balaji, playing his first one-day international in three and a half years, was unimpressive in his five overs and went wicketless for 32 runs. Balaji and Jadeja were the two changes India made to its side, dropping Pragyan Ojha and fast bowler Praveen Kumar.
Sri Lanka brought in Mendis and Thushara for Angelo Mathews and Dilhara Fernando.