Virender Sehwag shone with bat and ball as India beat Sri Lanka by four runs in their Asia Cup clash on Tuesday to book their place in the final against the same opponents. Sehwag top-scored for India with 81 and then took three for 37 with his occasional off spin as Sri Lanka, chasing 272 to win, finished on 267 for nine.
Left-handed opener Sanath Jayasuriya, with an explosive knock of 130, had put Sri Lanka on track for victory but, following his departure in the 48th over, the home side lost their last three wickets for just 13 runs.
Sehwag and captain Saurav Ganguly, with 79, set up India's challenging total of 271 for six with a second-wicket stand of 134 after Sachin Tendulkar (18) was trapped lbw in the seventh over.
Skipper Ganguly survived a controversial catch to pile up 79, while Sehwag thrived on two dropped chances to score 81 in the day-night match India had to win to pip Pakistan for a place in the final.
Sri Lanka are already in the final with 12 points from two matches, followed by India (7/2) and Pakistan (5/2).
Yuvraj Singh then scored a brisk 46-ball 50 as India gathered 68 runs in the closing 10 overs to set a stiff target for the hosts.
Ganguly and Sehwag had set the stage as they made the most of an under-strength Sri Lankan attack to put on 134 for the second wicket after the dismissal of star batsman Sachin Tendulkar (18) in early overs.
Sehwag returned to form after failing to score a half-century in his last eight one-dayers, but not before being let off by Mahela Jayawardene in the slips and then by Avishka Gunawardene in the covers.
The hard-hitting opener, however, failed to curb his strokes as he struck two sixes and six fours in his 92-ball knock.
Ganguly, who handed rival captain Marvan Atapattu a team-list of only 10 players by mistake before the toss, survived a confident leg-before appeal on 18 and then got the benefit of the doubt from TV umpire after a diving Jayawardene had claimed a catch in the deep.
The Indian captain struck nine fours in his 120-ball innings before being caught by Upul Chandana in the deep off paceman Lasith Malinga.
Sri Lanka were without star off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and left-arm fast bowler Chaminda Vaas. They also suffered a setback on the field when paceman Nuwan Zoysa returned to the pavilion due to hamstring injury after bowling eight overs.
SCOREBOARD
INDIA
==========================================
S. Tendulkar lbw b Zoysa 18
V. Sehwag c Sangakkara b Jayasuriya 81
S. Ganguly c Chandana b Malinga 79
R. Dravid c Sangakkara b Maharoof 1
Y. Singh c Gunawardene b Malinga 50
M. Kaif run out 1
P. Patel not out 13
I. Pathan not out 8
Extras (lb2, nb4, w14) 20
Total (for six wickets) 271
==========================================
==========================================
A. Gunawardene c Pathan b Zaheer 7
S. Jayasuriya c & b Sehwag 130
S. Jayantha c Patel b Pathan 5
M. Atapattu c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 8
K. Sangakkara c Tendulkar b Sehwag 15
M. Jayawardene b Tendulkar 18
T. Dilshan b Sehwag 39
U. Chandana c Yuvraj b Pathan 11
F. Maharoof b Zaheer 4
N. Zoysa not out 3
L. Malinga not out 1
Extras (b4, lb14, w8) 26
Total (for nine wickets) 267
==========================================