11.40am - India 299 all out (Prasad 4*) lost to Sri Lanka by an innings and 77 runs
Sri Lanka were made to watch 100 minutes of spirited but inconsequential bravado from India until they secured the third Test by an innings and 77 runs, and with it the series. In doing so they buried the jinx of their last two home rubbers, in which South Africa and England had snuck up from behind to deny Sri Lanka a series win.

It was only a matter of time today. Chaminda Vaas drew first blood - Hemang Badani had added only three runs to his lethargic innings from last night when Vaas trapped him leg before for 11.

Then, cruelly but fittingly, another run-out cut short India's fightback. Just like Rahul Dravid yesterday, Sameer Dighe drove Muralitharan to Marvan Atapattu at mid-on. Harbhajan Singh sent Dighe back and Atapattu had only to lob the ball to the keeper's end. Dighe had made 4.

Zaheer Khan (45 off 40 balls) and Harbhajan Singh (17 off 20) then indulged in some nothing-to-lose daredevilry, putting on 48 runs in 25 minutes with a mixture of cracking cover drives, impish reverse sweeps and colossal legside swipes. Seventeen runs from a Muralitharan over (including eight byes) set the ball rolling, and Zaheer thumped Vaas for two offside fours the following over.

The next three overs cost 21 runs, but Harbhajan's fun was over when he pulled Vaas down Atapattu's throat at deep square-leg and was out for 17. What did Zaheer care? He smote Murali for an enormous straight six. And did it again the following over. Memories of Jodhpur and four successive sixes off Henry Olonga were beginning to come alive when another giant strike descended from the stratosphere into Atapattu's hands at long-on. That was the match and series to Sri Lanka.

At Galle, India were left bloodied by Dilhara Fernando and dazed by Sanath Jayasuriya. At Kandy, they bowled with rare discipline and batted with even rarer nerve to square the series. But throughout, the smiling Muralitharan befuddled India's batsmen with his teasing and relentless line or frustrated their bowlers with his sidesplitting - though effective - batting. It was only apt that he was declared both the man of the match and the series.

Rahul Bhattacharya is a staff writer with Wisden.com in India

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