Virender Sehwag scored his runs from exactly 100 balls with the help of 11 fours and two sixes as India raced to the target of 171 in 34.3 overs to earn the much-needed one bonus point.
Earlier, the Indian bowlers put in a disciplined bowling performance to restrict the Lankans to 170.
Paceman Praveen Kumar (2-20) rocked Sri Lanka’s top order when he bowled Upul Tharanga with the first ball of the match and then trapped former captain Mahela Jayawardene leg-before in his fourth over.
Left-arm spinners Pragyan Ojha (3-36) and Ravindra Jadeja (2-34) also kept pressure as India never allowed the hosts to build a big partnership in the day-night match in Dambulla.
Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scored with a fighting 45 in Sri Lanka’s disappointing batting performance after the hosts elected to bat.
Dilshan was the fifth man to be dismissed, sweeping Ojha to Rohit Sharma at mid-wicket after hitting five fours in his 62-ball knock.
Sri Lanka, struggling at 103-7 in the 32nd over, managed to cross the 150-mark, thanks to gutsy knocks from Suraj Randiv (43) and Nuwan Kulasekara (22). Randiv hit four boundaries in his 61-ball knock.
Fast bowler Ishant Sharma took 2-32.
SCORES IN BRIEF
SRI LANKA: 170 all out (Dilshan 45, Mathews 15, Kapugedera 10, Randiv 43, Kulasekara 22; Praveen 2-20, Ishant 2-32, Ojha 3-36, Jadeja 2-34)
INDIA: 171 for 4 (Karthik 10, Sehwag 99 not out, Raina 21, Dhoni 23 not out; Mathews 2-32, Fernando 2-33)
Result: India won by six wickets.
Man-of-the-match: Virender Sehwag.
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