INDIA THUMP SRI LANKA TO TAKE ODI SERIES
Apower packed 12th ODI century by Shikhar Dhawan guided India to an easy series clinching win over Sri Lanka in the third one-day international yesterday. Dhawan hit 13 fours and two sixes in his unbeaten knock of 100 which came in 85 balls. Despite losing the wicket of record breaking Rohit Sharma, the free scoring lefthander was associated in a 135 run stand for the second wicket with Sheyas Iyer, who came good once again with a fluent 65. Earlier Sri Lanka were bundled out for 215 runs inside 45 overs despite a cracking half-century from opener Upul Tharanga.
Put into bat, Sri Lanka were given a flying start by the lefthander who smashed 95 runs in 82 balls in a knock that included twelve fours and three towering sixes.
The former skipper missed out on registering his 16th ODI century as he was stumped off the bowling of Kuldeep Yadav before which he was involved in a 121-run partnership with Sadeera Samarawickrama after the fellow opener Danushka Gunathilaka had been dismissed for 13 runs by Jasprit Bumrah.
Samarawickrama who had replaced Lahiru Thirimanna at number three scored 42 runs off 57 balls hitting five fours, but threw his wicket away when the right-hander was caught at deep point off the bowling of leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal trying to play an extravagant cover drive.
At 160 for three at the end of 27 overs Sri Lanka looked certain to reach 300, but a dramatic collapse saw the visitors losing their last eight wickets for just 55 runs with the two wrist spinners sharing six wickets between them.
Yadav finished off with three wickets for 42 runs while Chahal picked up three wickets for 46 runs; both of them completing their ten overs.