Agarkar's cameo innings of 26 from a mere 12 balls blasted the Lankans off their pedestal as India won with three wickets and five balls to spare.

The launch pad for an Indian victory had been laid through the unlikely bat of Nayan Mongia and consolidated by skipper Mohammed Azharuddin before Agarkar stamped his authority with that blistering 26 (2 sixes).

Azharuddin also batted himself into the history books as his priceless knock of 94 took him past the all-time record run-aggregate of West Indian great Desmond Haynes. Azharuddin, in his 302nd one-day international completed 8649 runs, one more than Haynes' aggregate from 238 matches.

Nayan Mongia pulled a rabbit out of thehat. The wicket-keeper batsman, at number three clobbered a 60-ball 50 to star in a stabilising 104-run third wicket stand in just 138 deliveries. Azharuddin and Jadeja (26) had added 79 runs for the fifth wicket. Soon after, Jadeja ran himself out but Agarkar's touch dumbfounded the Lankans.

Earlier, sent in to bat, Sri Lanka made at least 30 runs less than they expected after Sanath Jayasuriya and Avishka Gunawardane gave them a rollicking 72-run first wicket stand.

However, attempting to take on the experienced Anil Kumble, Gunawardane paid the price. By then he (52 in 55 balls) had not only done his job but also achieved the impossible task of making Jayasuriya look like a modern-day Geoff Boycott. For Jayasuriya was a mere spectator in that 72-run stand.

SCOREBOARD

Sri Lanka: Jayasuriya b Chopra 27 (41 b, 2x4); Gunawardane b Kumble 52 (55b, 8x4); Atapattu lbw Srinath 64 (93b, 1x4); Aravinda c Ganguly b Kumble 0 (4b); Ranatunga c&b Agarkar 43 (66b, 1x6, 1x4); Kaluwitharana c KumbleAgarkar 22 (19b, 2x4); Mahanama n.o. 12 (11 b); Vaas b Srinath 6 (7 b); Dharmasena n.o. 3 (6 b). Extras (lb 7, w 7, nb 2): 16.

Total (for 7 in 50 overs): 245

Fall Of Wickets: 1-72 (Gunawardane); 2-85 (Jayasuriya); 3-86 (Aravinda); 4-175 (Ranatunga); 5-219 (Kaluwitharana); 6-228 (Atapattu); 7-238 (Vaas)

Bowling: Srinath 10-0-59-2 (2 nb); Agarkar 10-0-56-2 (3 w); Kumble 10-2-39-2 (1 w); Nikhil Chopra 10-2-34-1; Sunil Joshi 6-0-33-0 (1 w); Tendulkar 4-0-17-0 (2 w).

India: Ganguly c Kaluwitharana b Zoysa 5 (15b, 1x4); Tendulkar c Kaluwitharna b Vaas 3 (5b); Mongia c Mahanama b Samaraweera 51 (63b, 5x4, 1x6); Azharuddin b Vaas 94 (131b, 4x6, 3x4); Srinath runout 1 (2b); Jadeja run out 26 (35b, 2x4); Robin Singh not out) 12 (26b); Nikhil Chopra (runout) 4 (7b); Agarkar not out 26 (12b, 2x6). Extras (9 lb, 6 nb 11 w) 26.

Total (for 7 wickets, 49.1 overs): 248

Fall Of Wickets: 1-12 (Tendulkar); 2-13 (Ganguly); 3-117 (Mongia); 4-119 (Srinath); 5-198 (Azharuddin);6-207 (Jadeja); 7-215 (Chopra)

Bowling: Vaas 8-0-19-2 (1nb 2w); Zoysa 8-0-45-1 (4nb 2w); Dharmasena 10-0-69-0 (1nb 1w); Jayasuriya 8.1-0-39-0 (5w); Samaraweera 10-0-41-1; Aravinda 5-0-26-0 (1w)

Man Of The Match: Mohammed Azharuddin