Cuttack, Dec 21 (Inditop.com) Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja picked up career-best four wickets for 32 as Sri Lanka failed to take advantage of a breezy start and were bowled out for 239 in 44.2 overs against India in the third One-Day International at the Barabati Satdium here Monday.
Openers Upul Tharanga (73) and Tillakaratne Dilshan, who hit an 18-ball 41, gave the visitors a run-away start with a 65-run stand after skipper Kumar Sangakkara elected to bat. The first 58 runs came off in just four overs after Tharanga and Dilshan hammered Ishant Sharma for a 19-run over.
Dilshan was on a rampage right from the start but couldn’t make the most of the life he got, when on 36 wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik messed up a simple run-out attempt. Karthik atoned for his horrendous mistake by safely taking the skier to remove Dilshan off Ashish Nehra. Dilshan hit 10 boundaries in his brief stay.
Sangakkara (46) and Tharanga, advantaging from the great start, took the visitors to a position of strength with their 100-run stand for the second wicket but a middle-order collapse saw the visitors slump from 165/1 to 239 all out.
India started to pull back things in their favour after stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag with his gentle off-spin got Sangakkara, stumped by Karthik. After that Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals on a run-friendly track.
Sri Lanka lost nine wickets for just 74 runs with Jadeja accounting for Tharanga (73), Chamara Kapugedera (15), Nuwan Kulasekara (10) and Ajantha Mendis (6). Tharanga cracked a six and six fours in his 81-ball knock.
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh bowled a good line for his 29 for one from nine overs. Ashish Nehra and Ishant Sharma also picked up two wickets each.
The five-match series is tied 1-1
