The Sri Lankan bowlers divided the pie equally to make the heavy contribution of the batsmen a worthwhile effort.

Runs, at last

Openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya put together their best foot forward, and the latter was especially brutal against Ishant Sharma, spanking the bowler for five boundaries, until he fell to Irfan Pathan. Dilshan continued to play the anchor, while Sangakkara devised novel ways of countering the plethora of part-time spinners.

Looking to avoid an Indian clean sweep in the series, Sangakkara decided to sweep everything that was pitched up as he raced to 84 off just 70 balls, before top-edging one. The second-wicket partnership had fetched 143 off 136 deliveries, and Lanka were on their way. Dilshan kept punching the ball between cover and point, and looked set for a century when he was tragically run-out three short of a ton.

As Lanka kept delaying the power play, their innings seemed to unravel. Ishant picked up two wickets in the 42nd over as they lost four wickets for two runs. It was Farveez Maharoof who took the total past the 300-run mark, a cameo of 32 that ensured the hard work at the top wasn't wasted. In the end, the dramatic late-order collapse didn't matter much, as India’s batting came apart in the first 10 overs of the chase itself.