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.

Timely partnership

Earlier, the third-wicket stand of 221 between Sehwag and Yuvraj came in just 27.5 overs, and when India needed it most, having lost Sachin Tendulkar to another dubious decision and Gautam Gambhir to an unlucky brush of Fernando’s fingers. At 24/2, it was time to rebuild. But Sehwag and Yuvraj decided to punish the bowlers instead, hitting a flurry of boundaries with an even spread of vertical and horizontal-bat shots.

Sehwag’s prejudice against Kulasekera, whom he struck for six quick boundaries including three successive hits, was matched only by his fetish to go after Ajantha Mendis and Muralitharan.

Yuvraj picked out Fernando and Farveez Maharoof, carting the latter for four boundaries in an over as India took the batting powerplay immediately after Jayawardene got rid of his five-over compulsion in the 16th over.

The onslaught had a devastating effect on the scoreboard, and on the fielders — tired of fetching the ball from the fence, they dropped Sehwag twice, missed a few run-out chances, and even made some basic fielding errors.

After Yuvraj and Sehwag were dismissed, Yusuf Pathan got into the act, squeezing more juice out of pulp with four fours and three sixes. While Pathan reached his second ODI fifty in only 38 balls, Dhoni played the perfect supporting act in the last 10 overs, which cost the Lankans 83 runs.