India appear on track to haul in the 237-run total set by Sri Lanka at the 25-over mark of their run chase in the Commonwealth Bank Series clash at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.
India are 3-103 at the half-way stage, requiring a further 134 runs for victory at a run rate of 5.36 per over. Wickets in hand will be the key for the Indians, who lost their most accomplished player in Sachin Tendulkar and form batsman Virat Kohli cheaply, both for just 15 runs.
Gautam Gambhir, who on Sunday night in Adelaide with a grand 92 against Australia, is again leading the Indians' charge, unbeaten on 50, with Suresh Raina (four) the other not out batsman.
India's chase started shakily when Tendulkar fell on the last ball of the sixth over, trying to punch Nuwan Kulasekara off the back foot through the off-side only to thick-edge a catch through to Kumar Sangakkara behind the stumps.
Red-hot Kohli replaced Tendulkar out in the middle and when he got to 14, he reached 3000 career ODI runs, the fourth fastest to raise the milestone, after Sir Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge and Gary Kirsten.
One run later, Kohli was gone, trapped plumb in front by Thisara Perera while attempting to whip an inswinging delivery through leg.
Sri Lanka had their tails up when they had the Indians 3-94 after Rohit Sharma became the third man to depart for 15, run out by a superb direct hit from Mahela Jayawardene.
Gambhir pushed recalled left-arm orthodox spinner Rangana Herath to backward point and called for a quick single, but the veteran Sri Lankan skipper was up to the task and threw down the stumps at the striker's end, with Sharma ruled short of his ground by a whisker by third umpire Bruce Oxenford.
Innings mainstay Gambhir - who on 40 survived a confident lbw shout off a full Rangana Herath nut which struck the left-hander low on the pad - raised his half century off 61 balls when he turned Sachithra Senanayake behind square.
Spin twins Herath and Senanayake have yet to take a wicket but have helped stall India's run rate somewhat.
If Sri Lanka can break this partnership and claim MS Dhoni for a low score, they will be right back in the contest.
Earlier, India withstood a sparkling 81 from Dinesh Chandimal to restrict Sri Lanka to 9-236 from their 50 overs after Jayawardene won the toss and elected to bat in perfect, sunny conditions.
Chandimal combined with Jayawardene (43) for a spritely 94-run fourth-wicket stand, easily Sri Lanka's best period of their innings, before both departed eight balls apart to hand the impetus back to India.
The run out of Chandimal, after he was called through by Angelo Mathews for what proved a suicidal single, proved pivotal and ultimately proved the difference between Sri Lanka posting what they did (236) or the 270 they threatened when the exciting 22-year-old was firing.
The moment came when Mathews bunted Ravi Ashwin (2-30) in front of short cover and both batsmen set off. But Rohit Sharma's quick under-arm to Dhoni was on the money and Chandimal was adjudged to be fractionally shy of his crease by the third umpire.
India were on top early when Upul Tharanga, who has had a nightmare series with just nine runs in three digs, was sent packing for a duck off just the second ball of the match, caught behind by Dhoni off Vinay Kumar (3-46).
1-0 became 2-28 when Tillakaratne Dilshan, after becoming the seventh Sri Lankan to score 6000 runs, departed for 16 when he bottom-edged a catch to Dhoni, attempting a wild slog off the recalled Irfan Pathan.
Veteran Sangakkara (31) threw his hand away after he'd batted patiently in unison with Chandimal, but it was the junior partner who was the stand-out and when he went, so too did Sri Lanka's chances of posting a more imposing total.