What stood out on a day of several positives for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Indians was a blistering attack on an unsuspecting Sri Lanka XI by Yuvraj Singh. At his bruising stroke-making best after a quiet start playing himself in, the Indian vice-captain tore a reasonably formidable bowling unit apart on his way to a memorable hundred, dotted liberally with some of the longest, most towering sixes seen in a single knock.

Yuvraj's massive 172 (121b, 8x4, 13x6) was just the kind of confidence boost the Indians might have envisioned going into the first game of the five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka in Dambulla on Monday. The ball-striking was clean, there was no hint of either desperation or pre-meditation. If you were looking for the perfect fusion of timing and power, of grace and efficiency, the P Sara stadium was the place to be on Friday.

The Indians' substantial 342 for five was a total significantly better than par for the course on a two-paced track, with the odd ball stopping on pitching. That the Indians themselves believed anywhere in the region of 270 would be a very good score merely puts the Yuvraj blitzkrieg in perspective.

The home side needed a like blinder to make a match of it, but it's not without reason do they say that lightning doesn't strike the same place twice. With no single stand-out essay, Chamara Kapudegara's men settled for the respectability of 250 for six, always aware that 343 was a mountain too high for them to successfully scale.

No mountain, it appeared, was insurmountable for Yuvraj. Striding out in the 13th over with 73 on the board -- Gautam Gambhir had got the team off to a hectic start, while Virat Kohli alternated between the hesitant and the brilliant -- Yuvraj didn't immediately cut loose. He took his time getting the measure of the bowling and the conditions, but once he found his bearings, he effortlessly shifted gears.

Breathtaking

His first 50 took 70 deliveries, and contained one four and two sixes. The next consumed 25 more deliveries, with five more fours and two further sixes. From 100 to 150 was a breeze, in 16 balls with one four an aberration in a sea of seven more sixes. Thilan Thushara, Chanaka Welagedara and Jehan Mubarak had each other for consolatory company as the Punjab left-hander sped away with a flurry of maximums, the most breathtaking being four consecutive sixes off the hapless Mubarak's part-time off-spin.

Part one had gone swimmingly well, and more so with Dilhara Fernando struggling for rhythm and direction as he sent down ten wides and four no-balls. Part two wasn't as spectacular, though it was far from a disaster. Of the bowlers, the only serious disappointment was Rudra Pratap Singh. The UP left-arm pacer hasn't played a match since landing here a month back, some of which has been spent nursing a suspect ankle. It was no surprise he went the Fernando way, bowling too short and wide and being picked off by Upul Tharanga with consummate ease. By contrast, Munaf Patel was exceptionally impressive, both with new ball and old, while Irfan Pathan picked up pace and rhythm after an early wicket, followed up by a beauty that accounted for Malinda Warnapura courtesy a smart catch at wide slip by Gambhir.

Harbhajan Singh was tidy while Pragyan Ojha bowled well without too much luck, only suffering when Chamara Silva swept him repeatedly on length. All in all, a very, very fruitful day, even if there was no Ajantha Mendis or Sanath Jayasuriya. Sri Lanka proper will offer a far sterner challenge, particularly on the slow surface in Dambulla; India will have to be mindful of that.

Score Board

INDIANS: Gautam Gambhir c Fernando b Welagedara 31 (25b, 6x4), Virat Kohli c C Silva b Thushara 23 (40b, 4x4), Suresh Raina c Thushara b Bandara 45 (57b, 4x4, 1x6), Yuvraj Singh c Udawatte b Welagedara 172 (121b, 8x4, 13x6), Rohit Sharma (run out) 24 (42b, 1x4), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (not out) 20 (16b, 1x6), Irfan Pathan (not out) 3 (3b). Extras (B-1, LB-2, W-17, NB-4) 24. Total (for 5 wkts, 50 overs) 342.

Fall of wickets: 1-41 (Gambhir), 2-73 (Kohli), 3-150 (Raina), 4-235 (Rohit), 5-334 (Yuvraj).
Bowling: Dilhara Fernando 10-0-75-0 (w-10, nb-4), Chanaka Welagedara 9-0-64-2 (w-1), Thilan Thushara 10-0-66-1 (w-1), Jehan Mubarak 10-0-76-0 (w-4), Malinda Warnapura 1-0-10-0, Malinga Bandara 10-1-48-1 (w-1).
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 37/0; 10: 63/1; 15: 80/2; 20: 99/2; 25: 127/2; 30: 154/3; 35: 172/3; 40: 224/3; 45: 279/4; end of innings: 342/5 in 50 overs.

Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10 overs: 63/1; Power Play 2: 11-15 overs: 17/1; Power Play 3 (three men out): 16-20 overs: 19/0.

SRI LANKA XI: Upul Tharanga c Dhoni b RP Singh 50 (58b, 6x4, 1x6), Mahela Udawatte c RP Singh b Pathan 20 (32b, 3x4), Malinda Warnapura c Gambhir b Pathan 10 (8b, 2x4), Chamara Kapugedara c Rohit b Harbhajan 6 (20b, 1x4), Chamara Silva c Dhoni b Ojha 38 (46b, 4x4), Jehan Mubarak c Raina b Munaf 60 (74b, 4x4), Kaushal Silva (not out) 38 (55b, 3x4), Thilan Thushara (not out) 18 (7b, 2x4, 1x6). Extras (LB-5, W-5) 10. Total (for 6 wkts, 50 overs) 250.

Fall of wickets: 1-69 (Udawatte), 2-86 (Warnapura), 3-87 (Tharanga), 4-100 (Kapugedara), 5-153 (C Silva), 6-225 (Mubarak).

Bowling: Rudra Pratap Singh 7-0-39-1, Munaf Patel 10-1-36-1, Irfan Pathan 8-0-48-2 (w-5), Harbhajan Singh 10-1-38-1, Pragyan Ojha 10-0-59-1, Rohit Sharma 3-0-20-0, Suresh Raina 2-0-5-0.

Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 32/0; 10: 52/0; 15: 82/1; 20: 98/3; 25: 113/4; 30: 141/4; 35: 165/5; 40: 189/5; 45: 207/5; end of innings: 250/6 in 50 overs.

 Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10 overs: 52/0; Power Play 2: 11-15 overs: 30/1; Power Play 3: 16-20 overs: 16/2.