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All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja registered career-best figures of four for 32, as India bundled out Sri Lanka for a modest 239 in the third One-Day International at the Barabati stadium in Cuttack on Monday.
Jadeja's four for 32 are his best figures from 12 ODIs. He was ably supported by Ashish Nehra and Ishant Sharma, who took two wickets apiece as Sri Lanka's innings folded in 44.2 overs.
Electing to bat, Sri Lanka made a stirring start. Upul Tharanga (73) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (41) put Sri Lanka in top gear, slamming the bowlers all over the park.
The opening pair was on fire as they scored at a run-rate in an excess of ten.
Opening bowlers Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan were belted around the park and struggled with their lines.
Zaheer, in particular, was wayward, spraying the ball all over. He conceded 26 runs, including four wides, from his first two overs.
With no success from Zaheer and Ishant, Sehwag brought in Nehra as first change in the fifth over and what a decision that was!
Nehra struck in his next over when he dismissed Dishan, who top-edged a short delivery into the hands of Dinesh Karthik.
Make-shift India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik was untidy with his glove work. The Tamil Nadu player, a replacement for regular 'keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, first messed up an opportunity to run-out Dishan in the fifth over. He had plenty of time to run-out Dilshan when he collected the ball neatly, but missed the stumps from a close-in throw.
He then failed to clearly stump Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara in the first attempt, but managed to take off the bails on second attempt and gave Sehwag his first breakthrough.
Sehwag broke a 100-run stand between Sangakkara and Tharanga.
The Lankans failed to stitch up a decent partnership thereafter and were bundled out for 239 in 44.2 overs.
India batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar carried his bat with a splendid 96 to lead India to a seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka.
His fluent knock consisted of 13 boundaries and was involved in crucial partnerships first with Virender Sehwag and then with Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik.
India now lead the five-match series 2-1.