India beat Sri Lanka to win One Day series

(BBC) India beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the third one-day international to win the series with two games to spare.

Sri Lanka’s 243 all out was underpinned by Mahela Jayawardene’s 118 for Sri Lanka, while India seamer Umesh Yadav recorded career-best figures of 4-53.

Shikhar Dhawan led the India chase with 91 off 79 balls and Virat Kohli’s 53 sealed victory with 35 balls to spare.

It puts India 3-0 ahead in a series arranged at short notice after West Indies aborted their tour .

Jayawardene held the Sri Lanka innings together almost single-handedly, coming to the crease with his team on 7-2 after Kusal Perera and Kumar Sangakkara departed in successive deliveries.

He put on 105 with Tillakaratne Dilshan and 67 with Seekkuge Prasanna before reaching his 17th ODI century with a six.

But the total of 242 never looked enough as India’s openers Ajinkya Rahane and Dhawan put on 50 for the first wicket.

Dhawan was nine runs short of his century when he was given out caught behind even though the ball appeared to graze his helmet.

Kohli steered himself to 50 with his 6,000th ODI run – becoming the quickest to that landmark in ODI cricket – but holed out to long-on, leaving Suresh Raina and Wriddhiman Saha to complete India’s victory.