Colombo: Sri Lanka ended a long drought of 27 years without beating India in a bilateral one-day international series when it surged to an emphatic 110-run win in the third and final match on Wednesday. Sri Lanka won the series 2-0. It pulled off a thrilling tie in the first ODI before winning the second by 32 runs on spin-dominated pitches in Colombo.
India hadn’t lost a bilateral ODI series to Sri Lanka since 1997, but was bowled out for 138 in just 26.1 overs as left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage rocked the top-order with 5-27. Opening batter Avishka Fernando had earlier missed out on a deserving century before getting dismissed for 96 as Sri Lanka posted its highest total of the series, 248-7, after captain Charith Asalanka won his third successive toss and chose to bat.
India routed Sri Lanka 3-0 in the preceding Twenty20 series, but the home team came back strongly in the 50-over format through some skillful bowling from its spinners in favorable home conditions. "I’m a happy captain right now,” Asalanka said. "We all knew they (India) are a very strong batting lineup and we just wanted to back our strength, which is spin bowling.
” Asalanka read the wicket well and clipped the Indian run-chase through his spinners once fast bowler Asitha Fernando had Shubman Gill (6) clean bowled in the fifth over. India captain Rohit Sharma briefly showed aggression with a punchy knock of 35 off 20 balls before Wellalage had him caught behind in his second over as Sharma aimed a.