In the crucial match of Commonwealth Bank Series, SriLanka set 321 run chase for the Indians. And if India want to get to the finals they have to scrore this chase in just 40 overs to get the bonus points. And this is not the end for them, they have pray that Australia must beat SriLanka in the next game.
Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara took advantage of some wayward Indian bowling to leave MS Dhoni's side on the verge of exiting the Commonwealth Bank series.
Dilshan hammered 160 not out, equalling his highest one-day score, while Sangakkara stroked 105 as Sri Lanka posted 320 for four after they were asked to bat in Hobart.
That left India needing 321 runs from just 40 overs to stay in the tournament, because nothing less than a win with a bonus point would keep their slim hopes alive.
Knowing that it would be easier to chase a known target in a known allocation of overs than try and bowl Sri Lanka out for 80 per cent of India's total, Dhoni was forced to bowl first on a fine batting track.
While his seamers started well, conceding just 41 in the opening 10 overs, they fell apart in the second half of the innings as Sri Lanka made full use of the platform set by the top order.
Mahela Jayawardene was the only wicket to fall in the first 43 overs, caught at slip off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja for 22, as Dilshan and Sangakkara constructed a 200-run partnership that slowly but surely eroded India's fight.
The pair then cashed in on flagging bowlers and fielders as India increasingly looked a beaten side, taking 41 in the batting powerplay before opening up further.
Dilshan's century took 132 balls, but by the end of his innings he had taken his strike rate to almost a run a ball.
Sangakkara had been fluent throughout the tournament but failed to build on some promising starts, yet this time he was fluent throughout his 87-ball knock.
India: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (capt, wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav
Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath
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