Sangakkara ton leads SLanka over India in Asia Cup

FATULLAH, Bangladesh (AP) — Kumar Sangakkara cracked his 18th one-day international century to help Sri Lanka run down India by two wickets in the last over and be the only unbeaten Asia Cup team on Friday.

Sangakkara hit 103 off 84 balls and openers Kusal Perera scored 64 and Lahiru Thirimanne 38 in leading Sri Lanka to the verge of victory. When Sangakkara sliced a catch to short third man, Sri Lanka needed seven runs to win from nine balls, with two wickets in hand.

Ajantha Mendis edged a boundary just wide of the wicketkeeper, to reduce the winning target to one run off the last over.

Thisara Perera was then dropped by India's Shikhar Dhawan at mid-off off the first ball of the over delivered by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Perera hit a single from the next ball to win.

Sri Lanka scored 265-8 after restricting India to 264-9 at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium.

For India, Dhawan top-scored with 94 while captain Virat Kohli hit 48. But India will rue sloppy fielding.

Kusal Perera and Thirimanne gave Sri Lanka a solid start with 80 inside 18 overs, but most of the runs were gifted by India.

Perera was dropped on 5, when Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane collided at fine leg, and on 38, when Ravindra Jadeja dropped the chance at square leg.

Thirimanne was also dropped on 5 by Jadeja. He was finally bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin, who took 2-42.

Perera hit four boundaries and two sixes in his 81-ball knock before he also fell to Ashwin.

Sangakkara rolled on, though. Wickets kept falling at the other end but India couldn't stop him from his second ODI century in three games.

His first 50 came off 56 balls, his second off 27. He brought up the ton sending his 12th boundary to square leg, then immediately departed off a full toss from Mohammed Shami.

Shami, who could have had both openers but for the dropped catches, took 3-81.

Jadeja also took 3-30.

Dhawan had India set up for a bigger score at 196-3 in the 40th over, but he was bowled by Mendis for 94, his second score in the 90s in his last three one-dayers.

Dhawan's departure began Sri Lanka's fightback. Mendis also removed Dinesh Karthik, replacing the injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the wickets, for 4 in the same over.

Dhawan, who has five ODI centuries, also missed out on a ton two weeks ago against New Zealand, being out on 98.

India scored only 64 off the last 10 overs, coming under sustained pressure.

Lasith Malinga ended with 1-58, but bowled with nagging line and length at the death to check the Indian batsmen.

Mendis, who also bowled Virat Kohli for 48, proved his inclusion was a wise decision with 4-60 as he was accompanied by fellow spinner Sachithra Senanayake, 3-41, and left-arm spinner Chaturanga de Silva, who took 1-51.

Kohli, the century-maker in the win against Bangladesh, made 48 off 51 balls that included four boundaries and one six.

He and Dhawan added 97 for the third wicket and promised to bring up more, only to be denied by Mendis, who took both of them out.

While Dhawan was flattened by Mendis' quicker delivery, his carom ball did the trick to earn the prized scalp of Kohli.

Senanayake dismissed opener Rohit Sharma for 13 and later got Ajinkya Rahane with a flighted delivery on 22, and Stuart Binny leg before for a duck.

Shami, who hit Mendis for two sixes, was not out on 14.

Sri Lanka won its first match against Pakistan by 12 runs while India beat host Bangladesh by six wickets.

On Saturday, it's Bangladesh vs. Afghanistan.