Sachin Tendulkar shone with both bat and ball to help India to an easy eight-wicket win over Bangladesh in the Asia Cup super league match here on Wednesday.
The batting record-holder in one-day cricket snapped up 3-35 and then hit an unbeaten 82 as India cruised past Bangladesh's modest 177 all out with more than 10 overs to spare at the Sinhalese sports club.
Captain Sourav Ganguly, who won the toss and elected to field, chipped in with 60 in a timely Indian win ahead of the next match against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday.
Sri Lanka are the fourth team in the super league, where each plays the other once with the top two advancing to the final on August 1.
Tendulkar struck 10 fours and a six in his 126-ball innings and was involved in a 154-run partnership for the second wicket with Ganguly, who hit three fours and three sixes in his 100-ball knock.
"I desperately wanted to be among the runs so I kept my head cool and stayed in the middle," said Tendulkar, who has scored more runs (13,245) and more centuries (37) than any batsman in one-day cricket.
Opener Virender Sehwag (16) missed out on the run feast despite starting with a flurry of boundaries. He was out in Tarez Aziz's opening over.
Sehwag, who was run out in both matches of the preliminary league, once again gave away his wicket as he played a rash shot and was caught by Alok Kapali at point.
Earlier, Tendulkar and Irfan Pathan claimed three wickets each to bowl out Bangladesh with five deliveries left in the innings.
Pathan dented the top-order with a fine display of seam bowling, while Tendulkar's clever spinners accounted for much of the lower order.
Bangladesh were pegged back by a twin strike in Pathan's second over, the third of the match.
The left-armer produced two superb in-swingers to bowl captain Habibul Bashar and trap Rajin Saleh leg-before-wicket. Pathan dismissed Abdur Razzaq later in the innings with a yorker.
Tendulkar showed his prowess with the ball as he had Khaled Mashud caught behind with a leg-spin delivery. Resorting to off-spin against the left-handers, he bowled Mohammad Rafique and Manjurul Islam Rana.
"I have been bowling quite a lot in the nets recently and have taken my leg-spin bowling seriously on (team-mate) Harbhajan Singh's advice," said Tendulkar.
Opener Mohammad Ashraful was the lone Bangladesh batsman to provide resistance with 35 off 69 deliveries before being run out by the agile Yuvraj Singh at square leg.
India brought in Venkatsai Laxman, Ashish Nehra and Harbhajan Singh for Parthiv Patel, Anil Kumble and Zaheer Khan.
Bangladesh played Rana, Tareq Aziz and Faisal Hossain for Javed Omar, Tapash Baisya and Mushfiqur Rahman.
Omar, who struck half-centuries in both the preliminary league matches, was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
SCOREBOARD
BANGLADESH
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Habibul Bashar b Pathan 2
Mohammad Ashraful run out 35
Rajin Saleh lbw b Pathan 0
Alok Kapali c Dravid b Nehra 10
Faisal Hosain lbw b Harbhajan 17
Khaled Mashud c Dravid b Tendulkar 12
Manjural Islam Rana b Tendulkar 21
Mohammad Rafique b Tendulkar 0
Khaled Mahmud c Laxman b Sehwag 22
Abdur Razzaq b Pathan 21
Tareq Aziz not out 0
Extras (b4, lb4, nb6, w23) 37
Total 177
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V. Sehwag c Kapali b Aziz 16
S. Tendulkar not out 82
S. Ganguly c Kapali b Rafique 60
V. Laxman not out 1
Extras (lb9, nb6, w4) 19
Total (for two wickets) 178
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