Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said an inspirational net session with the legendary Kumar Sangakkara played a key role.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first Indian wicketkeeper and the fourth overall to effect 300 dismissals in One Day Internationals when he caught Ross Taylor, off the bowling of Mohammed Shami, in the opening ODI against New Zealand in Napier on Sunday.
India can retain Champions Trophy, pace attack has real firepower, says Sangakkara.
Kumar Sangakkara thumped his second successive century to set up the Lankan victory.
The victory virtually assured England a place in the finals of the triseries in Australia.
Fresh from their series-levelling victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo, some Indian players including captain Virat Kohli were seen enjoying a game of badminton.
Retiring legend Kumar Sangakkara was unable to get a big knock in his swansong Test appearance but Sri Lanka overcame an early jolt to post 140 for 3, after dismissing India for 393 in the first innings, on Day 2 of the second Test in Colombo on Friday.
The Virat Kohli-led team must take inspiration from the last trip to Sri Lanka, in 2010, when India beat Sri Lanka by five wickets, thanks to hundreds from Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman.
Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews has blamed his batsmen for the heavy defeat in the second Test against India in Colombo, saying they lost the game with their first innings batting.
Michael Clarke's list of best batsmen that he played with or against is: Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, and Kumar Sangakkara.
The Sri Lankan selectors, on Sunday, dropped batsman Kusal Mendis from their 15-member squad while Angelo Mathews returned to lead the side in the upcoming tour of India.
The former Lanka captain to play final ODI at home against England.
The International Cricket Council confirmed that the Event Technical Committee of the men's World Cup 2019 has approved Rishabh Pant as a replacement player for Shikhar Dhawan in India's squad for the remainder of the tournament.
Sri Lanka held their nerve after a brilliant century by Jos Buttler to beat England by seven runs in the fourth one-day international at Lord's on Saturday and level the series at 2-2.
In all Test history, only one player has played fewer Tests than Karun Nair after scoring a triple ton.
Kaviya Maran is the co-owner of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team.
'We had real belief and trust in someone called Riyan Parag. We have been backing him for the last three-four years and he just showed it to the world today.'
Impressed with India's aggressive brand of cricket in the two Tests so far, former Sri Lanka pacer Chaminda Vaas on Tuesday said that the five-bowler theory is reaping rich results for the young visiting side.
Sri Lanka were expected to win, but South Africa had other plans.
The Sri Lankans have played 17 Tests in India in 35 years, but failed to win a single one.
Rediff.com recaptures these and other exciting sporting moments from the week gone by....
'I just want to say how impressed everyone, especially I am, with how Kuldeep Sen handled his first #IPL2022 game; how he bowled, how he thinks. He bowled the hardest over under pressure and did an excellent job for us.'
Images from the World Cup first quarter-final between Sri Lanka and South Africa in Sydney, on Wednesday.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the fourth wicketkeeper in the world to effect 350 dismissals in One-day Internationals, while widening the gap further with his India predecessors.
The MCC's World Cricket Committee which includes greats like Shane Warne, Kumar Sangakkara, Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting, recently discussed the controversial umpire's call aspect of the Decision Review System.
Wishing the Sri Lankan team ahead of their quarter-final clash against South Africa, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe warned the Angelo Mathews-led side to "keep an eye on Proteas skipper AB de Villiers" who has been in rampaging form in the tournament.
Sri Lanka off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal scythed through Pakistan's batting order to pick up his first five-wicket haul as the visitors were bundled out for 138 on the opening day of the second test on Thursday.
India, Australia and Bangladesh are out of the competition, so the runs of Sharma, Warner, and Shakib will remain the same, whereas Root and Williamson will play in the final of the World Cup.
India are currently placed at the second position in the tournament standings with 13 points from eight matches.
Sri Lanka retained their status as the world's top Twenty20 team by beating Pakistan by 24 runs in a thrilling finish in the second game in Dubai on Friday.
"I think that he deserved it," said Warner of the reception Clarke received on the first day of the fifth Test on Thursday.
Rajasthan Royals opening batter Jos Buttler, whose brilliant form has helped the team reach the final of IPL 2022, lavished praise on the late Shane Warne, calling him an "influential figure".
VVS Laxman believes that the current national cricket team is full of match-winners and if they play to their potential, they can beat Sri Lanka in their own backyard.
The two sixes from Kohli has already become part of cricketing forklore and Ponting, too, looked back fondly at those outrageous strokes
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed five second innings wickets as India beat Sri Lanka by 278 runs in the second Test for a series-levelling victory at the P Sara Oval, in Colombo, on Monday.
Images from the opening day of the first Test between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo, on Thursday.
Hailing India's series levelling win against Sri Lanka in the second Test as a start of a bright future, former captain Sunil Gavaskar said that the Virat Kohli-led side not only looks "determined" but has also found the right balance in all departments.
We have two top performers from Thursday's match. It is the bowling duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma.
