CUTTAK: India put in a complete performance to beat Sri Lanka comfortably by 169 runs in first One-day International at the Barabati Stadium on Sunday.

Openers Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane both scored hundreds to help India reach 363 for five from their 50 overs and in reply Sri Lanka surrendered at 194 all out in 39.2 overs.

The pair put on a mammoth 231 for the first wicket with Dhawan making 113 and Rahane 111 after they were sent in to bat by Sri Lanka.

Both openers managed to score at better than a run-a-ball with the left-handed Dhawan hitting 14 fours and three sixes while Rahane struck 13 fours and two sixes, before the former got an inside edge onto his front leg and the ball rolled down to just clip his leg stump in the 35 over.

Three overs later and Rahane mistimed a full toss off the bowling of Suraj Randiv to give mid-off a simple catch.

Suresh Raina, playing in his 200th ODI, added a rapid 52 from just 34 balls before he was given out LBW.

Randiv was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 78 from his ten overs.

In pursuit of 364, Sri Lanka failed to get it going from the start and never got a partnership which was necessary to chase the total.

Sri Lanka’s opening pair of Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan put on 31 together but theirs ended up as the highest partnership the tourists could manage.

Pacers Sharma (4-34) and Umesh Yadav (2-24) along with spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (1-52) and Akshar Patel (2-24) bowled superbly, preventing Sri Lanka from building partnerships.

Mahela Jayawardene top-scored with 43 and even the loss of Varun Aaron with a thigh strain failed to put much of a dampener on India’s day as they charged into a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

The second match is in Ahm­ed­­abad on Thursday.

ScoreboardINDIA:

A.M. Rahane c Jayawardene b Randiv 111S. Dhawan b Priyanjan 113S.K. Raina lbw b Randiv 52V. Kohli c Perera b Randiv 22A.T. Rayudu c Perera b Gamage 27W.P. Saha not out 10A.R. Patel not out 14 EXTRAS (LB-5, W-7, NB-2) 14

TOTAL (for five wkts, 50 overs) 363

FALL OF WKTS: 1-231, 2-247, 3-299, 4-314, 5-344.

DID NOT BAT: R. Ashwin, U.T. Yadav, V.R. Aaron, I. Sharma.

BOWLING: Prasad 9-0-60-0 (1w); Gamage 9-1-59-1 (2nb, 1w); Mathews 4-0-33-0 (1w); Perera 7-0-51-0 (1w); Randiv 10-0-78-3 (1w); Prasanna 6-0-47-0; Dilshan 3-0-19-0; Priyanjan 2-0-11-1.

SRI LANKA:

W.U. Tharanga c Dhawan b Ashwin 28T.M. Dilshan c Saha b Yadav 18K.C. Sangakkara c Saha b Sharma 13D.P.M.D. Jayawardene c Kohli b Patel 43S. Prasanna c Rahane b Patel 5A.D. Mathews c Patel b Raina 23S.M.A. Priyanjan c Saha b Sharma 12N.L.T.C. Perera c Sharma b Yadav 29S. Randiv b Sharma 5K.T.G.D. Prasad c Saha b Sharma 0P.L.S. Gamage not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-13, NB-1) 18

TOTAL (all out, 39.2 overs) 194

FALL OF WKTS: 1-31, 2-61, 3-84, 4-109, 5-130, 6-144, 7-167, 8-175, 9-175.

BOWLING: Yadav 6.2-2-24-2 (2w); Aaron 4.1-0-26-0 (4w); Sharma 8-1-34-4 (1nb, 4w); Kohli 0.5-0-6-0; Ashwin 9-0-52-1; Patel

6-0-24-2; Raina 5-0-24-1 (1w).

RESULT: India won by 169 runs.

UMPIRES: V.A. Kulkarni (India) B.N.J. Oxenford (Australia).

TV UMPIRE: C. Shamsuddin (India).

MATCH REFEREE: D.C. Boon (Australia).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Ajinkya Rahane.

NEXT MATCH: Ahmedabad (D/N), Thursday.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2014