India crush S Lanka to win series

One-day international, Visakhapatnam: India 263-3 (41 overs) bt Sri Lanka 259-7 (47 overs) by seven wickets
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Yuvraj Singh hammered an unbeaten 95 and Sourav Ganguly (58no) kept up his fine form as India beat Sri Lanka to clinch a 2-1 one-day series triumph.

Chamara Silva's (107no) maiden ODI ton was the main reason Sri Lanka achieved 259-7 in a game cut to 47 overs by dew.

But on a good batting pitch it never looked adequate once Robin Uthappa (57) and Virender Sehwag (46) attacked.

Ganguly left with cramp in over one but returned to add 145 with Yuvraj and seal a seven-wicket win in 41 overs.

The end came in such a hurry, with Yuvraj crashing four fours and a six, that there was no need for the runner Ganguly had called for to come out.

His return to the pavilion earlier heralded a spell of dreadful bowling and blistering strokeplay from Uthappa.

The 21-year-old thrashed four fours off one Dilhara Fernando over and was brutal on anything slightly short or straying in direction either side of the wicket as he reached his third ODI fifty in 33 deliveries.

Three wickets then fell in quick time, including a bizarre run-out when Sehwag lazily failed to complete a single, and the run rate slowed.

But the target was always within comfortable reach with man of the series Ganguly continuing in the good nick which had brought him 289 runs in his previous five one-dayers.

He showed superb footwork to launch two of his three maximums off spinners Malinga Bandara and Sanath Jayasuriya.

Yuvraj also demonstrated his ease on a docile track by also picking up three sixes, none more impressive than the one which saw Bandara dispatched over mid-wicket.

Sri Lanka's innings was far more laborious and they were in real trouble at 56-4 in the 13th over.

Man of the match Silva - playing in only his 14th ODI and recently recalled after a four-year gap - batted with composure to rebuild the innings.

He showed good footwork against off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to hit a six and two fours in one over, and 76 runs came in the last seven.

It ultimately proved futile and the hosts will travel happier to the Caribbean after a comfortable victory achieved without the rested Sachin Tendulkar (back).