India won the toss and elected to field in windy conditions, and with rain forecast to interrupt the Australian innings.

The rain came after 11 overs, with Australia struggling at 35–2, with Vinay Kumar dismissing both Warner (6) and Ponting (2) for single figures, and keeping the run rate tight.

Virat Kohli (31) and Rohit Sharma (21) added 51 for the third wicket, before Clint McKay (4/20) dismissed both in the 12th over, reducing India to 4/65.

After reaching a comfortable position at 2/100 in the 24th over, the Indian bowlers were able to stifle the Sri Lankan run rate through the middle portion of the innings with tight bowling and regular wickets.

However, the number seven and eight batsmen, Ravindra Jadeja (24*) and Ravichandran Ashwin (30*), put on an unbeaten 53 run partnership to guide India to victory in the 47th over.

Sri Lanka won the toss and sent Australia in, and dismissed the Australian top order cheaply, reducing them to 3/50 in the 9th over.

A 32-run partnership for the ninth wicket between Clint McKay (25) and Mitchell Starc (14) helped Australia to reach the 50th over, and they were ultimately bowled out for 231 with five balls remaining.

After careful batting by MS Dhoni (44*) and Suresh Raina (38), India brought itself back to a winning position, requiring 40 runs from the last five overs, with six wickets in hand.

[7] After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Australia's top and middle orders were decimated by Sri Lanka's bowling.

Sri Lanka had no difficulty chasing down Australia's total, winning in the 25th over, at a run rate of 6.28, to claim the bonus point.

Four of the top five batsmen – Matthew Wade (45), David Warner (43), Peter Forrest (52) and Michael Hussey (59) – passed forty runs to set a strong platform, and middle order batsmen Daniel Christian (30* from 18 balls) and David Hussey (26* from 20 balls) accelerated through the death overs.

It was Dhoni's second suspension for a slow over rate during the summer, after missing the fourth Test against Australia in January.

[9] As Australia had done in the seventh ODI, almost Sri Lanka's entire batting line-up played well in the first innings – Mahela Jayawardene (45), Tillekaratne Dilshan (51), Dinesh Chandimal (38) and Lahiru Thirimanne (62) set a strong platform, and Angelo Mathews (49* from 37 balls) and Thisara Perera (10 from 7 balls) accelerated at the death.

Sri Lanka regained its winning position when Kulasekara (3/40) dismissed Ravindra Jadeja (17), India's last recognised batsman, in the 38th over with the score 6/191.

He was mankaded by Ravichandran Ashwin in the 40th over, after having previously been warned by the bowler for leaving his crease early, but Indian stand-in captain Virender Sehwag on the advice of Sachin Tendulkar decided to withdraw the appeal.

In reply, Mahela Jayawardene opened the batting aggressively, bring his personal total to fifty in only the 12th over.

Ryan Harris and Ben Hilfenhaus each took a wicket to reduce Sri Lanka to 6/250 after 46 overs; but aggressive hitting from Thisara Perera (21 from 11 balls), including twelve runs off Daniel Christian in the 49th over saw Sri Lanka home with four balls to spare.

David Hussey (54) and Matthew Wade (56) added 94 runs for the fifth wicket, taking Australia to 4/201, before both men were dismissed by Umesh Yadav (2/39) in the space of four overs.

Tendulkar's dismissal brought Virat Kohli to the crease, who batted in two century partnerships to complete the run chase in only 36.4 overs, earning the bonus point.

Malinga conceded 96 runs from his 7.4 overs, setting a new record for the worst innings economy rate in ODI history (12.52).

Thirimanne and Rangana Herath (14) added 29 for the ninth wicket to help to take the Sri Lankan total to 238.

When Shane Watson was dismissed by Malinga (4/49) in the 31st over, Australia fell to 5/140, putting Sri Lanka in a winning position.

The run rate slowed and wickets fell regularly, and when Farveez Maharoof was dismissed in the first ball of the 31st over, Sri Lanka were reduced to 6/144; Kumar Sangakkara (42) was the only batsman to have passed twenty runs, and Brett Lee (3/59) and part-time spinner David Hussey (4/43) had each taken three wickets.

It took Sri Lanka only six overs to reach 0/50 in reply – helped by a poor display of opening bowling by Australia, which conceded twelve extras and a catch behind annulled through wides, no balls and byes.

Kumar Sangakkara (51*) also contributed a half century, and Sri Lanka cruised to a comfortable victory in the 45th over, to level the finals series 1–1.

In its reply, Sri Lanka fell to 4/53 inside ten overs as Lee and McKay took two early wickets each.

Upul Tharanga (71) helped to resurrect the Sri Lankan innings, compiling a fifth wicket partnership of 60 runs with Lahiru Thirimanne (30) to bring the score to 4/113, but after Tharanga's dismissal, wickets fell regularly until Sri Lanka was reduced to 8/204 in the 46th over.

Australia eventually dismissed Sri Lanka in the 49th over for 215, largely through the bowling of Clint McKay, who took 5/28 for the innings.