The fifth and final ODI between India and Sri Lanka played at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi was abandoned due to poor pitch conditions with the visitors struggling at 83 for five after 23.3 overs. India hence took the five-ODI series 3-1.
The nasty, uneven bounce and cracks on the track made life difficult for the Lankan batsmen. The ball often took off after hitting the cracks and clots of grass on the wicket, giving body blows to the batsmen. Tillakaratne Dilshan suffered a painful blow on his elbow, Jayasuriya got hit on the glove a couple of times and Thilina Kandamby was bewildered with the bounce that varied from ankle-length to two feet above his head in a single over by Sudeep Tyagi.
Apart from the Kotla blemish, the series was an absolute cracker and ultimate entertainer. Batsmen from both sides stole the show and such was the dominance of the willow that the series produced an unprecedented 2,542 runs in the four completed matches with a staggering 49.84 runs per-wicket.
Despite ending on the losing side, Tillakaratne Dilshan was the top-scorer of the series with a mammoth 353 runs at an astounding average of 70.60. Sachin Tendulkar top scored for India with 216 runs, closely followed by the Delhi duo of Sehwag and Gambhir. In a series where there was not much for the bowlers to cheer about, Zaheer Khan finished as the highest wicket-taker with seven.
