Brisbane, February 5:

The second match in the triangular one-day cricket series was abandoned here on Tuesday when heavy rain meant Sri Lanka were unable to take the field in pursuit of India’s total of 267-4.

The rain started as players left the field after India’s innings and did not stop, ensuring Tuesday’s match suffered the same fate as Sunday’s tri series opener between Australia and India.

Earlier, a magnificent century from Gautam Gambhir and an 88 not out from captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni led an Indian recovery. India finished on 267 after at one stage slumping to 83-4. Gambhir made an unbeaten 102 from 101 balls and Dhoni 88 from 95 deliveries. Gambhir brought up his century in the last over of the innings when Dhoni stole a quick single to get him on strike.

Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were untroubled in the begining as they took the score to 68. Tendulkar brought up a remarkable milestone when he snatched a quick single off Chaminda Vaas to move to 28 and bring up his 16,000th run in ODIs. But on 35 Lasith Malinga got the vital breakthrough when Tendulkar chopped the ball onto his stumps.

Sehwag (33) was out shortly after when he gloved a ball down to wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara off Ishara Amerasinghe. Sri Lanka replaced an out-of-sorts Chaminda Vaas with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and enjoyed immediate dividends when he struck twice, dismissing Yuvraj (2) and two balls later Rohit Sharma for a duck.

Sharma risked attracting the wrath of the referee when he stood his ground, visibly upset with the decision by umpire Rudi Koertzen. Dhoni and Gambhir exploded in the last 10 overs.