Yuvraj cuts loose against the Sri Lankans in Rajkot

Yuvraj Singh hit an explosive unbeaten 79 as India thrashed Sri Lanka by seven wickets to take a 5-1 series lead.

Yuvraj blasted nine fours and three sixes in an unbroken century stand with Mohammed Kaif to guide India to their target of 197 with 15.1 overs to spare.

Gautam Gambhir gave them a fine start with six fours in his 28 from 27 balls.

Earlier, left-arm paceman Rudra Pratap Singh took four wickets as Sri Lanka were bowled out in the 43rd over, Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scoring on 59.

The Sri Lankans suffered a major setback when star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan had to be left out because of hamstring trouble.

Stand-in India skipper Virender Sehwag, deputising for another hamstring victim, Rahul Dravid, elected to put them in after winning the toss.

After an opening stand of 44, the tourists lost five wickets in 4.2 overs before Dilshan's third consecutive half-century.

He hit nine fours in a 63-ball innings before falling to a direct hit from Yuvraj at point after attempting a quick single.

Kartik and Dhoni celebrate the stumping of Jayawardene

Upul Chandana weighed in with five fours in his 30, before the innings ended with 43 deliveries unused, 19-year-old Singh extracting impressive bounce from the placid pitch in only his third international to earn the Man-of-the-Match award.

Gambhir took the Indian reply to 43 in the eighth over before he got an inside edge onto his stumps, and Dilhara Fernando soon added a second wicket with the prized scalp of Sachin Tendulkar for 19.

Tendulkar hit successive fours off Chaminda Vaas until he was deceived by a slower ball from Fernando and mis-timed a drive to mid-on.

Acting skipper Sehwag added 22 from 22 balls with four fours before Upul Chanda turned one away from the bat and caught the leading edge.

To get just 196 on this wicket was unacceptable Marvan Atapattu Match reaction

Yuvraj hoiked Chandana over long-on and next ball slammed a even more fierce shot in a similar area that went all the way over the ropes.

In the next over from Dilshan he smeared another six over mid-on to reach fifty and next ball swept to the boundary.

Fernando could not escape the punishment from Yuvraj, driven to within inches of a six, then two balls later dispatched several rows back at wide mid-off for the maximum.

Yuvraj won the match in the next over when a Sanath Jayasuriya full toss was driven to long-off for another boundary.

India: V Sehwag (Capt), S R Tendulkar, G Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh M Kaif, M S Dhoni (Wkt), I K Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, K K D Karthik R P Singh, S Santh. Sub: S K Raina.