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Desperately needing to win the last match to secure a place in the final, the Indians completely dominated the encounter with pace sensation Ishant Sharma (4/41) and rookie pacer Praveen Kumar (4/31) bundling out the islanders for a paltry 179 in 47.1 overs to set up the victory.
The Indian batsmen then overhauled the target without much fuss with 17.4 overs to spare in what turned out to be a one-sided encounter at the Bellerive Oval.
Sachin Tendulkar, who has not been in the best of touch in the series, marked his return to form with a sizzling 54-ball 63 on a good batting track.
Gautam Gambhir, who remained not out on 64 from 90 balls, held the innings together after Robin Uthappa, promoted to open the innings, was out cheaply for 11 in the second over.
The Delhi batsman also hit the winning runs off Muttiah Muralitharan, who was hammered for 54 runs from his 8.2 overs, to trigger off wild celebrations in the Indian dressing room.
The emphatic victory also gave India a bonus point, taking their tally to 17 points from eight matches.
Australia, who have already qualified for the finals, have 26 points while Sri Lanka were languishing at the bottom of the table with 6 points. The last match between Australia and Sri Lanka on Friday has now been rendered inconsequential.
The first of the best of three finals will be played on March 2 at Sydney.
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