Colombo: On Tuesday Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag scored centuries as a ruthless India won the five-match cricket series against Sri Lanka by beating the hosts by 147 runs in the third ODI in Colombo.

Electing to bat first, India rode on a 221-run stand for the third wicket involving Sehwag (116) and Yuvraj (117) to build up 363 for five, their highest score in Sri Lanka.

Chasing the huge total, Sri Lanka folded for 216 in 41.4 overs, in spite of Kumar Sangakkara’s rebellious 83 off 82 balls. Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha did the utmost damage to Sri Lanka, claiming 4 for 38.

India thus took an incontrovertible 3-0 lead in the series and both the teams will square off again here on Thursday for the fourth match.
The capacity crowd at the R Premadasa Stadium found the only solace when off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan impassive Yuvraj to equal Wasim Akram’s world record tally of 502 ODI wickets.

This was India’s highest total on Sri Lankan soil, leave back the previous best of 307 for 6 in 1998 at the same venue.

Chasing such a huge total, Sri Lanka badly needed a big knock from Sanath Jayasuriya but the veteran opener let the side down today.
He came dancing down the track to hit Praveen out of the park only to find Sehwag at mid-off.

Sehwag then bowled out Thilina Kandamby (10) and, in the next over, Pragyan Ojha cleaned up Chamara Kapugedera (2) to tighten the noose around the hosts.

Sangakkara did try his best but by then, it was too late and the Lankan tail merely didn’t had it in them to achieve such a staggering task.

Earlier, Sehwag and Yuvraj set the stadium on fire with some sparkling stroke-play as the duo stitched a record 221 runs for the third wicket.

Yusuf Pathan (59 not out) and Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (35 not out) were the other prominent contributors for the visitors.
The twin centuries also broke a curse as no Indian batsman had hit a ODI century on Sri Lankan soil in the last 10 years.

Yuvraj’s 95-ball 117 contained as many as 17 boundaries and a six while Sehwag was equally ruthless in his 90-ball 116 which was studded with 17 boundaries.

The Punjab southpaw was adjudged man of the match.
Yusuf Pathan and Dhoni then provided the late sparks to the innings by using the long handle to overwhelming effect in the slog overs.
Sehwag and Yuvraj maintained a brisk scoring rate of over seven runs per over right through their partnership.

The Sri Lankan bowlers looked completely clueless against the rampaging duo. While the pacemen strayed down the leg side and bled runs, the two spinners — Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis — also failed to contain the run flow.

To make it worse for them, Jayasuriya missed Sehwag when the batsman was 73 and the slip proved expensive.

Yuvraj’s belligerence finally came to an end when he was caught by Jayawardene off Muralitharan. Sehwag soon joined him in the pavilion being run out off a direct hit from Jayasuriya.

But with Pathan and Dhoni milking runs at will, there was no break for the hosts.