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Cuttack: Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane had cracked hundreds to power India to 363/5 after being asked to bat by Angelo Mathews. Sri Lanka were bowled out for a mere 194 in 39.2 overs. SCORECARD.
20:46 IST: WICKET! That's the end! Umesh Yada picks up the last wicket as India defeat Sri Lanka by 169 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
20:30 IST: WICKET! Ishant Sharma has four in the bag now - he removed Dhammika Prasad for a duck as Sri Lanka were reduced to 175/9.
20:26 IST: WICKET! Ishant Sharma gets his third victim as he removes Suraj Randiv for five. Sri Lanka are in tatters at 175/8 chasing 364 vs India.
20:00 IST: WICKET! Suresh Raina snaps up the dangerous Angelo Mathews and Sri Lanka are tottering 144/6 chasing 364 vs India.
19:55 IST: According to reports, Varun Aaron will not bowl any further in this match.
19:46 IST: WICKET! Big, big setback for Sri Lanka even if they wanted to make a fight of it. Mahela Jayawardene has become Patel's second victim and he walks back for 43 with Sri Lanka tottering at 126/5 in 25.1 overs.
19:43 IST: Sri Lanka are struggling in this steep chase. They are 120/4 off 24 overs but have two of their most dangerous batsmen in the middle - Jayawardene and Mathews.
19:35 IST: WICKET! Prasanna falls to Patel as Sri Lanka slip into further trouble chasing 364 vs India. The visitors are 109/4 in 21.1 overs.
19.15 IST: WICKET! Sri Lanka are quickly stumbling in their chase here. Upal Tharanga (28) is gone now. He chips a delivery from Ashwin and Dhawan takes a fairly-simple catch at on long on. Sri Lanka 84/3 (16.2 overs)
18:57 IST: WICKET! That is a key one as Ishant Sharma strikes to remove Kumar Sangakkara for 13. Sri Lanka's chase is in dire straits now with two of their best batsmen back in the hut. The visitors are 61/2 in 13.2 overs.
18:51 IST: Varun Aaron was in some kind of discomfort and he pulls out of his over and walks out of the field. Virat Kohli will complete the over as Murali Vijay comes on as substitute fielder. Sri Lanka are 55/1 off 12.1 overs.
18:32 IST: WICKET! Umesh Yadav removes Dilshan as India get their first breakthrough. Sri Lanka are 31/1 in 8.5 overs chasing a mammoth 364.
18:22 IST: Sri Lanka needed a quick start to their chase but they have only managed 28 runs off 6.4 overs. Both Dilshan and Tharanga are looking to settle down for long hauls but there could be pressure on the batsmen coming down the order.
18:04 IST: FOUR! Good shot by Dilshan as he hits an errant Yadav delivery to the fence. Sri Lanka need him to stay in the middle if they want to chase down the massive target set by India.
18:02 IST: India have unleashed two of their quickest, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron with the new ball. Sri Lanka are 3/0 after two overs. Ishant Sharma is the third seamer with R Ashwin and A Patel bringing up the spin department.
17:22 IST: India have finished with a massive 363/5 from their 50 overs, thanks to hundreds from Dhawan and Rahane and a quickfire half-century from Raina. Sri Lanka will be hard pressed to get those runs but there is enough firepower in their batting ranks to pose India a serious challenge. Dilshan, Jayawardene, Sangakkara, Mathews and Perera - don't write these guys off.
17:18 IST: Akshar Patel slams two successive sixes off Dhammika Prasad as India stormed away to 360/5 with four balls remaining in the innings.
17:14 IST: WICKET! Another wicket goes down as Gamage picks up his maiden international scalp. Rayudu falls for 27 and India are 344/5 in 48.5 overs.
17:00 IST: WICKET! Kohli falls for 22 as Randiv gets his third - he finishes with figures of 3/78 off 10 overs, coming back into the Sri Lankan ODI after three ODIs.
16:54 IST: India bring up 300 in the 44th over with Kohli and Rayudu in the middle. Sri Lanka are starting at huge chase.
16:50 IST: Suresh Raina smashed his 32nd half-century before falling to Randiv for 52. India are 299/3 off 43.3 overs in Cuttack.
16:46 IST: Suresh Raina gets to 5000 ODI runs playing in his 200th match and he is now six short of his 32nd half-century. This match has been a delight for stats fans.
16:38 IST: Raina is piling the heat on the Lankans as India race away to 275/2 off 41 overs. Kohli is happy to watch his colleagues take Mathews' bowlers to the cleaners from the other end.
16:35 IST: India will be looking at a massive score with 10 overs left and Kohli and Raina in the middle. They are 255/2 and the Sri Lankan attack has not shown any signs of pulling things back with Raina now taking over from the openers.
16:33 IST: This is the sixth time that both Indian openers have scored hundreds in the same match; twice against Sri Lanka.
16:25 IST: WICKET! That's the end of Rahane's innings as he falls to Randiv for 111 but India are still in command on 247/2 off 37.5 overs. Virat Kohli walks in to join an aggressive Raina who has scored his 14 at over a run-a-ball.
16:14 IST: Suresh Raina has walked out ahead of captain Kohli. Maybe they expect him to set the ground on fire right from the word go and help India get as many as possible.
16:11 IST: WICKET! Dhawan and Rahane were closing in on an Indian record for the highest opening stand before Dhawan perished to Ashan Priyanjan for 113. India are 231/1 off 35 overs.
16:03 IST: This is brilliant.Rahane brings up his second ODI hundred off a mere 99 balls while Dhawan clobbers his sixth ton off 96 balls. India are 211 in the 33rd over and are looking at a record score in Cuttack.
Check out Misbah's pics from his record-equalling ton in Abu Dhabi.
15:48 IST: Rahane is in his 90s while Dhawan is on 89 as India approach 200 in Cuttack. This has been a splendid show by both openers so far and Angelo Mathews does not know where his first wicket will come from.
15:30 IST: India are in a powerful position in Cuttack; they are 145/0 off 25 overs with Dhawan and Rahane looking good for hundreds.
Abu Dhabi Test: Misbah blasted a hundred off 56 balls to equal Viv Richards' record of the fastest Test ton. Pakistan are in command vs Australia. Click here for updates.
15:06 IST: Rahane taps Randiv for a single and that is his second consecutive fifty and eighth in ODIs. Dhawan slams a SIX two balls later to bring up his own half-century. India 107/0 off 21 overs.
14:53 IST: FOUR! Lucky reprieve for Rahane as he edges Thisara Perera and the ball flies past a diving Sangakkara, who does manage to get a bit of glove on it. But Rahane is in the 40's and India are 80/0 in 17.2 overs.
14:49 IST: A bowling change as Suraj Randiv replaces Mathews in the attack with India 71/0 off 16 overs. Can he make a difference now? Or are the openers way too well settled for a spinner coming back into the team to make an impact?
14:41 IST: Drinks break - India are 69/0 off 15 overs with Dhawan unbeaten on 28 and Rahane not out on 35. Sri Lanka are desperately looking for their first breakthrough.
14:37 IST: SIX! Mathews drops short and Rahane pulls that away with disdain. Terrific shot and India are 67/0 in 14.2 overs. His batting partner Dhawan appreciates that blow.
14:33 IST: India are off to a great start in Cuttack with India reaching 57/0 off 13 overs. Angelo Mathews would need his bowlers to make a quick breakthrough here.
14:18 IST: Splendid shot from Dhawan; straight down the ground again as Gamage pitches up. This is now turning out to be a great start for India - 43/0 in 9.4 overs
14:09 IST: India are 28/0 off 8 overs. Dhawan and Rahane are going to try and set a strong platform for the hosts to allow the likes of Kohli, Raina, Rayudu and Saha to come and set up a big score.
14:02 IST: FOUR! Easy pickings for Dhawan as Prasad delivers a poor ball. Both batsmen have taken their time in the middle but Dhawan has not been shy to punish the loose deliveries. India are 24/0 off 6.3 overs.
13:59 IST: India are 20/0 after six overs after being asked to bat by Sri Lanka. The visitors have done well with the new ball upfront but Dhawan and Rahane have also played smart, trying to get their eyes in.
Meanwhile in Abu Dhabi: Misbah-ul-Haq broke Jacques Kallis' record to smash the fastest Test fifty off only 21 balls. Click here to see what Pakistan are doing to Australia
13:48 IST: FOUR! Another cracking shot from Dhawan as he pierces that ball from Gamage square of the wicket on the off-side. It's looking good for India early on.
13:44 IST: FOUR! Dhawan gets off the mark in style - he plays it down the ground as Dhammika Prasad overpitches slightly. Terrific looking shot.
13:40 IST: Indian openers Rahane and Dhawan watchful in the first two overs; 3/0. Dew will be a factor later on in Cuttack and India will look to score a few extra runs.
13:08 (IST): TOSS! Sri Lanka win the toss and elect to bowl first. India have rested Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra and Murali Vijay. R Ashwin has made a comeback into the Virat Kohli-led team. Dew likely to play a key role.
With berths at stake for India's tour Down Under, the ODI series versus Sri Lanka is the last chance for hopefuls to impress the national selectors. India, minus Mahendra Singh Dhoni, will test angry-young Virat Kohli's ability as a captain with the additional responsibility of scoring runs at the top of the order. Kohli has not been successful in a dual role if IPL 2014 is anything to go by. (Read: Kohli Slams Critics For Questioning His Technique)
This will be a great opportunity for a couple of batsmen to cement their positions. The man in focus will be Ambati Rayudu, who has performed the floater's role with some degree of success. But with Rohit Sharmalurking, Rayudu will hope to make the No. 4 slot his own.
India's medium pace bowling will once again come under the scanner. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the only consistent performer. India will miss Mohammed Shami and it remains to be seen who delivers in the death overs.
Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin will surely bowl 20 overs between them. Kohli is unlikely to experiment too much with his attack although he has the option of using Suresh Raina's spin and wicket-taking ability. Jadeja has a good record against the Lankans at Barabati. He is the only Indian bowler to return a four-wicket haul against the Islanders in December 2009.
Sri Lanka have sounded reluctant customers. Their players were not keen to play this hurriedly arranged series after West India pulled out of the India series over payment disputes. Lankan captain Angelo Mathewsdidn't sound too eager to play this series. But to expect the Lankans to give India a walkover would be simply foolish. The Lankans are great competitors and will probably play better than the West Indians. The team has the right balance of experience and talent and will push India for sure.
This will perhaps be the last time Indian fans will see the great Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene playing international cricket for Sri Lanka together. The 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be Sangakkara and Mahela's last ODI series and this is their last India tour as professional cricketers. Expect the fireworks from this deadly duo.
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