Sachin scores 44th ODI ton, Lanka faces tall order

Sachin Tendulkar gave ample display of his class with a scintillating 133-ball 138 as India piled up an imposing 319 for five in the cricket tri-series final against Sri Lanka here today.

The 36-year-old Tendulkar seemed to be in imperious form as he notched up his 44th ODI century with a stunning display of strokeplay to provide the foundation for the Indian total at the Premadasa stadium. While the champion batsman anchored the innings brilliantly, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (56), Yuvraj Singh (56 not out) and Rahul Dravid (39) were the other notable scorers for the Indians.

The Lankans have now been left with a stiff asking rate of 6.40 runs per over to win the Compaq Cup while the Indians are determined to make amends for their embarassing defeat in the last match which saw them slip from the number one spot in the ODI rankings.

With Dinesh Karthik failing in both the matches, India opted for a new opening pair of Tendulkar and Dravid for the summit showdown and the experienced duo gave the team a flying start.

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