COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — India beat Sri Lanka by five wickets Saturday in the third ODI to take a 2-1 series lead after the highest successful run chase at R. Premadasa Stadium. With two balls to spare India scored 288-5 in reply to Sri Lanka's 286-5. Suresh Raina and Irfan Pathan finished the chase, sharing an unbroken 92-run stand off only 67 deliveries. The previous highest successful run chase came 10 years ago when India was set 271 by England. Raina scored 65 off 45 balls including six fours and a six, while Pathan got 34. Opener Gautam Gambhir earlier hit 102 off 101 balls before being run out. Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews and Mahela Jayawardene all scored half centuries. Sangakkara did not field and will miss the rest of the five-match series after fracturing his finger early in his innings of 73. India appeared to be cruising at one stage, requiring 107 runs off 90 deliveries with eight wickets in hand. The batting power play was taken and it backfired as Lasith Malinga removed M.S. Dhoni (31) and Rohit Sharma (0) in successive deliveries. Malinga bowled the Dhni with a yorker in his first delivery of a new spell and then trapped Sharma leg before wicket with a full swinging delivery. In the next over, Gambhir reached his 11th ODI century off just 96 balls, but two overs later was run out when he attempted a single after pushing to mid-on. Earlier Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat, quickly losing three wickets for 20 runs. The hosts recovered with a 121 run stand between Jayawardene and Sangakkara — a fourth wicket record for Sri Lanka against India, improving on the 116 run stand by the same pair in 2004 in Dambulla. Angelo Mathews and Jeevan Mendis shared an unbroken 104-run stand for the sixth wicket in 73 balls. — AP
