Sri Lanka vs India 2017: 5th ODI, 5 Talking Points

Sri Lanka capsized for the umpteenth time in the series as India romped home by six wickets to complete a series whitewash. India became the first team to whitewash Lanka 5-0 away in an ODI series.

Batting first, Lanka were led by a blistering knock from Upul Tharanga despite losing two up front to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Lahiru Thirimanne and Angelo Mathews led Lanka's fightback with a 122-run stand which Bhuvneshwar himself broke later on.

Sri Lanka lost their last seven wickets for 53 runs to finish on 238, once again way below what they could have achieved given the position they were in midway through the innings. India did not break a sweat in the chase courtesy a fine Virat Kohli hundred, his 30th in ODIs, and a sublime half-century from Kedar Jadhav.

Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 238 (Thirimanne 67, Mathews 55, Bhuvneshwar 5/42) lost to India 239/4 (Kohli 110*, Jadhav 63)

Take a look at the talking points from the 5th and final ODI at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

#5 Thirimanne-Mathews resurrect the innings

Lahiru Thirimanne justified his selection with his second half-century

Sri Lanka appeared to be heading towards another low score when Lahiru Thirimanne and Angelo Mathews joined hands with the hosts at 63/3. They needed the experienced duo to negate the spin threat and take Sri Lanka till the thirtieth or fortieth over without much fuss.

That they did with aplomb. The two put on Sri Lanka's first century stand in the series by taking no risks and keeping the scoreboard ticking with nudges and tickles. It took India nearly 30 overs to get the breakthrough as the Lankan duo laid a platform for the lower order to capitalise on.

#4 Dhoni completes 100 stumpings

Dhoni completed a record 100th stumping during the 5th ODI

He has magic hands, no doubt, but Dhoni has never been considered the best wicket-keeper in the world with the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Mark Boucher and others being bestowed with that recognition. But today, Dhoni is undoubtedly the best wicket-keeper against spinners as his 100 stumpings in ODIs go to show.

He went past Kumar Sangakkara's tally of 99 stumpings to become the record holder in this category. He had Akila Dananjaya stumped off Yuzvendra Chahal to complete the feat.

#3 Bhuvneshwar sizzles with five-wicket haul

Bhuvneshwar Kumar mixed his variations well on a slow pitch to finish with 5/42

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a relatively quiet series with Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav hogging the limelight. But on a slow, two-paced wicket, he made his presence felt with a fantastic show. As early as the third over, Bhuvneshwar struck gold when he dismissed Dickwella, who ended up chipping it back to the bowler.

Another slower one got rid of Dilshan Munaweera two overs later. Bhuvneshwar returned whilst Thirimanne and Mathews were in full flow and cramped the former for room to clean him up. He added two more to his tally to finish with five in the game. It was the first time two Indian seamers picked up five-wicket hauls in a bilateral series.

#2 Kedar Jadhav vs Manish Pandey battle hots up

Pandey wasted an opportunity to impress his skipperIf India have questions after this whitewash, it is regarding their no.4 spot. Lokesh Rahul did not make use of his ample opportunities, struggling against the old ball especially. With Manish Pandey available, Kohli decided to bring him in at 4 today and the ploy seemed to be working until Pandey played a reckless shot.

Kedar Jadhav, more recognised these days for his bowling, struggled with the bat in this series but overcame his patchy form with a run-a-ball half-century. When a full strength team is selected, India may have room for only one of Jadhav and Pandey.

#1 Virat Kohli takes India to series whitewash

Kohli smashed his 30th ODI hundred

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Many wondered why Virat Kohli opted to play this game with India having already swept the series 4-0. Lokesh Rahul was left out but it might have been ideal for Kohli to sit out instead. But the Indian skipper wanted to make a statement with a series whitewash and wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away.

He strode in confidently and led from the front, blasting a 30th ODI hundred and going level with Ricky Ponting. His team became the first to beat Sri Lanka 5-0 in Sri Lanka in an ODI series. The intent on his face was there for everyone to see as he gave Lanka no chance whatsoever.