India spoil Murali's party

The win was India's fourth in a row and gives MS Dhoni's side the chance of completing a 5-0 whitewash when the two sides meet on Sunday.

After making a decent start, Sri Lanka faltered in their response to the 332 set by India and were all out for 265 with Kumar Sangakkara top-scorer with 56.

Earlier Muralitharan picked up the 503rd ODI wicket of his career to break Wasim Akram's record, but it was the man he dismissed to break the record, Gautam Gambhir, who stole the show for India by making 150.

Sri Lanka set about their reply to India's hefty total in hasty fashion with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya putting on a quickfire 55 before the latter was caught at slip by Rohit Sharma off the bowling of Irfan Pathan in the eighth over.

Dilshan fell 12 short of his 50 five overs later when he top-edged a Praveen Kumar short ball to Yuvraj Singh to leave the hosts on 79 for two.

Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene guided the hosts to 105 before the match took a bizarre turn when play was temporarily suspended after Dhoni ordered his players off the pitch when a member of the crowd appeared to throw an object at one of his fielders in the deep.

The spin of Pragyan Ojha and Virender Sehwag slowed Sri Lanka down after the two sides returned and Jayawardene's frustration got the better of him in the 26th over when he edged a late cut off to Dhoni. Thilina Kandamby added 10 more before being trapped lbw by Pathan to leave the hosts struggling on 163 for four.

Sangakkara's innings came to an end when was caught by Gambhir off Sehwag for 56 before Yuvraj accounted for Angelo Mathews (six) and Ojha dismissed Chamara Kapugedera (16) to leave Sri Lanka reeling.

Pathan dismissed Farveez Maharoof and Muralitharan with successive balls in the 43rd over before Kumar claimed the wicket of Fernando to complete the win.