India win series by 3-2, loose final ODI

New Delhi: A spineless batting display proved anticlimax to a historic series win as India suffered a humiliating 112-run loss against Sri Lanka under Duckworth-Lewis system in the rain-affected fifth and final one-dayer in Colombo on Friday.
Though India won the five-match Idea Cup series 3-2 but Friday's loss, their second heaviest in Sri Lanka, proved a damper to the series win.
Chasing a revised target of 216 from 44 overs after rain interrupted the match for 90 minutes when India were wobbling at 70 for 3 in the 15th over, the visitors were skittle out for just 103 from 26.3 overs, their lowest score in Sri Lanka after the hosts had put up 227 for 6 from 50 overs.
None of the visiting batsmen offered any resistance to Lankan bowlers Nuwan Kulasekara and Ajantha Mendis who shared eight wickets between themselves, with Virat Kohli top-scoring with 31 while seven batsmen were out for just 33 runs in 12.1 overs.
Kulasekara ran through the Indian top order claiming four for 40 from nine overs with the scalps of openers Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma while Mendis claiming another four for 10 from 4.3 overs. Dilahara Fernando chipped two wickets for 24 runs.
The Indians began on a cautious note with openers Gambhir and Kohli scoring just three runs after three overs with the first and third overs bowled by Kulasekara being maiden overs.
But two fours by Gambhir off Thilan Thushara and a huge six by Kohli off Kulasekara eased off the pressure and India were 20 after the fifth over and the run rate of four was maintained till Gambhir was out in the last ball of ninth over after scoring a mere 11 from 16 balls which included two fours.

Dhoni conferred with ‘Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award’

New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni became only the second cricketer, a decade after Sachin Tendulkar, to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award as he was conferred the country's highest sporting honour at a glittering function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan yesterday. The Indian ODI captain, however, could not attend the function as he was leading the team in the fifth and final match of the one-day series against Sri Lanka, which India has already won. His father Paan Singh received the award on his behalf.
The President, Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil presented five lakh rupees a scroll of honour and a medal in recognition to his spectacular and most outstanding performance in sports.
Apart from the 27-year-old Dhoni, it was also a red letter day for 11 other sportspersons, who were bestowed Arjuna Awards at a packed Ashok Hall which reverberated with thunderous applause.
Olympian shooter Avneet Kaur Sidhu, veteran hockey forward Prabhjot Singh, and Beijing Olympic quarter-finalist rower Bajranglal Takhar were among those who were honoured with the Arjuna awards at the magnificent ceremony.
World junior champion in women's chess D Harika, ace golfer Arjun Atwal and powerlifter Ferman Basha could not make it to the award function.
Harika's sister Anusha, Atwal's father Harminder and Basha's wife Andorita received the awards on the behalf of the respective sportspersons.
Once again none of the men cricketers featured in list of Arjuna awardees' since Harbhajan Singh won it in 2003