TNI Bureau: India defeated Sri Lanka by 20 runs in a thrilling battle in the fifth and final ODI to win the series 4-1. After winning the Micromax Cup, India moved to the second spot in the ICC ODI rankings.
India won the toss and elected to bat first. They posted 294/7 in 50 overs. Gambhir was the top scorer with 88. Manoj Tiwary and MS Dhoni made 65 and 58 respectively. Virat Kohli (23) and Irfan Pathan (29*) were the other contributors. Malinga took three wickets, while Nuwan Pradeep took two wickets.
Despite a good partnership of 102 between Thirimanne (77) and Jeevan Mendis (72) for the sixth wicket, Sri Lanka bowled out for 274 in 45.4 overs and lost the match by 20 runs. Tharanga made 31. For India, Irfan Pathan took five wickets, while Ashok Dinda took two wickets.
Irfan Pathan was declared ‘Man of the Match’ for his all-round performance. Virat Kohli was declared ‘Man of the Series’.
