Indian Oil Cup, 2005

At Dambulla, August 3, 2005 (day/night). Sri Lanka won by four wickets. Sri Lanka 5 pts, India 1 pt. Toss: India. One-day international debut: P. S. Jayaprakashdaran.

Sri Lanka seemed down and out at 95 for six in the 26th over, but Jayawardene and Chandana turned the match around, securing victory with two overs to spare. Jayawardene batted without blemish after Harbhajan missed a glaring chance to run him out for ten, with a wayward throw from five yards. India again paid the price of choosing only four specialist bowlers: the part-timers Ganguly and Sehwag conceded 55 from nine wicketless overs. And their batsmen could not make the most of the absence of Muralitharan (rested) and Vaas (injured). Ganguly top-scored on his return following his four-match suspension, becoming the third player to pass 10,000 runs in oneday internationals, but his 51 occupied 110 deliveries. Dravid's first-ball dismissal to a borderline lbw decision was a distinct setback, and only Pathan's unbeaten 36 off 28 balls lifted the total past 200. The early flurry of Sri Lankan wickets included that of Atapattu, run out for the third time in a row.

Man of the Match: D. P. M. D. Jayawardene.