It was a contest between belligerence and elegance, between Virender Sehwag unabashedly swatting his bat and Yuvraj Singh hitting perfectly through the line. On the new Premadasa Stadium wicket that catered to both genres of batting, their end results was astonishingly similar as India cantered to a 147-run win and clinched the five-match series 3-0 with two games still to be played.

There was little to choose between Sehwag’s 116 and Yuvraj’s 117 on Tuesday. It was the opener’s 10th ODI century and the middle-order batsman’s 11th. They both spanked 17 fours each, and Yuvraj even added a six for good measure.

When Yuvraj finally gave Muttiah Muralitharan his wicket, Sehwag extended his hand to congratulate the off-spinner on equaling the world-record tally of 502 wickets, but Murali was clearly overshadowed as the impending 363/5, the highest total by any team at the venue, was symbolic of how mercilessly the hosts had been mauled in the third one-day international.

The response was always considered a mere formality, and Sanath Jayasuriya’s departure, off the first ball he faced, sealed it to a great extent. Though Kumara Sangakkara’s 82-ball 83, coming with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene’s cameos, ensured excitement early on, it remained completely artificial in the context of the game. Sri Lanka were buried under the required run-rate, and a couple of false shots and Pragyan Ohja’s left-arm spin hastened the end.

When Dilhara Fernando slipped and was run out to end the contest, it provided the perfect backdrop to the anti-climax the series has provided in the quality of cricket and the overall contest.

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