Sri Lanka could hardly have made a worse start as Jayasuriya, immediately after carving Khan to the third man boundary, was plumb lbw to the same bowler. However an array of boundaries from Atapattu and Sangakkara ensured such a rapid scoring rate that after five overs Sri Lanka were 41 for one. Sangakkara might have been caught off Nehra in the fifth, had the diving Yohannan held on to a top edged pull at mid-on. Sri Lanka's first 50 came off 35 balls.

Yohannan won't have cause to remember his first spell of the tournament with any affection; his first over went for 14 runs as he was hit for six into the Jessop Stand and backward of point for four by Sangakkara, who proceeded to his fifty off 32 balls with another fierce boundary. After two overs for 24 runs, Yohannan made way for Ganguly, who was dispatched for successive fours through long-on and mid-wicket.

India took the field without Tendulkar, who had pulled a hamstring during his hundred, but the injury is not thought to threaten his participation in Saturday's final against England.

Harbhajan made a vital breakthrough in his first over as Sangakkara, down the wicket to hit over extra cover, was stumped by Dravid. He had put on 85 with Atapattu from 73 balls. Almost inevitably the tempo slowed a little, as Jayawardene played himself in. Nevertheless at the halfway stage of their innings, Sri Lanka were more than halfway to India's total.

The game may be irrelevant to the outcome of the tournament, but it won't be to anyone who was here to see as dazzling a display of individual batsmanship as you could wish for. To the constant accompaniment of drums, hooters, whistles and what you will, Tendulkar showed why he is surely in a class of his own in current world cricket. He seems to like batting in Bristol; in the 1999 World Cup he made 140 here against Kenya.

He went to his 50 off just 36 balls, with a pushed single off Jayawardene that was followed by two blistering drives to the cover boundary. He lost Mongia for 48 with the score on 172, bowled off his pads by Samaraweera. Dravid immediately looked in good touch but progressed mainly in singles, giving plenty of the strike to his agnificent partner. It came as a surprise when Dravid was lbw, hitting across the line at a ball that would have hit middle and leg, the first of Chandana's second spell.

The left-handed Yuvraj came down the wicket to his second ball from Chandana, smashing it first bounce into the long-off boundary. However he soon departed in similar fashion, playing across a straight ball from Samaraweera. But when the same bowler had the temerity to appeal for lbw against Tendulkar, his next ball was deposited amongst the flag-waving Indian crowd on the Hammond roof. He went to 99 with two to mid-wicket off Vaas, and the single with which he reached his hundred (off 93 balls) was greeted with ecstatic applause.

Vaas, who was struggling with a groin strain, was flashed backward of point for four more. Kaif picked up the mood with two boundaries in an over off Fernando, through long-on and backward point.

Tendulkar finally perished for 113 (102 balls, one six, 12 fours) having a massive swing at Vaas for Chandana to hold the catch at third man. Harbhajan was run out without facing a ball, a direct hit from Jayasuriya at cover as he backed up. Khan was bowled first ball by Fernando, and Kaif, who had done well to maintain the tempo in the aftermath of Tendulkar's departure, hit Zoysa rather tamely down Silva's throat at deep square leg. But despite the flurry of wickets, India still managed to pass 300 before Nehra was bowled by the last ball of the innings from Fernando.

After a watchful start, Sehwag opened out with off-side boundaries off consecutive balls from Vaas, taking 12 off the over in all. Ganguly, who needed to change his helmet after being hit on the head by a ball from Zoysa, extracted full retribution later in the over with four through mid-wicket.

Ganguly was run out looking for a second after Sehwag had clipped Vaas to fine leg. Sent back by his partner, Ganguly failed to make his ground ahead of a fine throw from Silva. It didn't affect the scoring rate; Mongia took four backward of point off his first ball, and Sehwag continued to make the most of the fielding restrictions. However he too was run out, backing up too far after a defensive push by Mongia. The bowler, Fernando, retrieved the ball to run Sehwag out with a direct hit.

Rapturously received as ever, Tendulkar did not disappoint his admirers. Boundaries were unfurled through mid-off, extra cover, backward point and mid-wicket, all off the hapless Zoysa. India's 100 came up off just 94 balls. The introduction of spin heralded a quieter spell, which was broken by a succession of sweetly-timed drives by Tendulkar off Chandana, one of them straight and first bounce into the advertising hoardings. Mongia played a similar stroke off Jayasuriya's next over, with the same result.

For India, Anil Kumble is out with a calf strain that Ganguly insists will not keep him out of the final on Saturday. Harbhajan Singh comes in, and Tinu Yohannan replaces Ajit Agarkar. Dinesh Mongia returns in place of VVS Laxman while Rahul Dravid resumes his duties behind the stumps and in the middle order with Ajay Ratra dropping out.

Dilhara Fernando returns to the Sri Lankan attack in place of Pramodya Wickramasinghe, otherwise they play the same side that won the last match they played at Old Trafford against England.

The weather is bright with high, fluffy clouds, but there is always the threat of showers later in the day.

India team: D Mongia, VVS Laxman, *SC Ganguly, SR Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, M Kaif, +R Dravid, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, T Yohannan, A Nehra.

Sri Lanka team: MS Atapattu, *ST Jayasuriya, +KC Sangakkara, DPMD Jayawardene, RP Arnold, LPC Silva, TT Samaraweera, UDU Chandana, WPUJC Vaas, DNT Zoysa, CRD Fernando.