In yet another match in Trinidad severely affected by rain, the World Cup and Champions Trophy holders battled to 119 for three off 29 overs before a torrential downpour just before midday seemed set to force the match into a reserve day.
However the conditions improved significantly in late afternoon, and with the Sri Lankans set a revised target of 178 off 26 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis system, Bhuvneshwar Kumar produced an outstanding spell of seaming bowling, taking four for eight off his allotted six overs and ensuring that Sri Lanka were routed for 96 in reply.
India's 81-run margin of victory was also sizeable enough to ensure that while they finished level on nine points with both Sri Lanka and the West Indies, their net run-rate was superior to the Caribbean side's, so knocking Dwayne Bravo's team out of the competition and giving the hosts an unwanted two extra days to prepare for the five-match One-Day International Series with Pakistan, beginning on Sunday in Guyana.
Kumar ex