Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag cracked blistering centuries as a ruthless India clinched the five-match cricket series against Sri Lanka by spanking the hosts by 147 runs in the third ODI here tonight.

Electing to bat first, India rode on a 221-run stand for the third wicket between Sehwag (116) and Yuvraj (117) to amass 363 for five, their highest score in Sri Lanka.

Chasing the mammoth total, Sri Lanka folded for 216 in 41.4 overs, despite Kumar Sangakkara's defiant 83 off 82 balls. Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha did the maximum damage to Sri Lanka, claiming four for 38.

India thus took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series and both the teams will square off again here on Thursday for the fourth match.The capacity crowd at the R Premadasa Stadium found the only solace when off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan removed Yuvraj to equal Wasim Akram's world record tally of 502 ODI scalps.

This was India's highest total on Sri Lankan soil, eclipsing the previous best of 307 for 6 in 1998 at the same venue.Chasing such a huge total, Sri Lanka badly needed a big knock from Sanath Jayasuriya but the veteran opener let the side down today.

Jayasuriya dragged the first ball he faced, from Praveen Kumar, onto his stumps and that was clearly a bad omen for the hosts.Tillakaratne Dilshan (30 off 26 balls) sizzled for a while in Sangakkara's company before an inside edge off Zaheer Khan upset his timbers.