Port of Spain, March 23 (IANS) Indian batsmen failed to overtake 255-run target set by Sri Lanka and crashed out of the cricket World Cup with a crushing 69-run defeat in a crucial Group B match here Friday.

Sri Lanka finished their group league engagements with six points while India managed just two from three matches and fell by the wayside.

For the die-hard Indian fan, there is still a faint hope, but it is as good as non-existent. Only if minnows Bermuda (no point) upset Bangladesh (2 points) Sunday and also finish below India on the net run rate can Rahul Dravid's side hope to progress. At the moment, it looks highly improbable.

After Friday's match, India have a net run rate of +1.44 and Bangladesh -2.00. Bermuda have -5.00.

For the record, Sri Lanka, riding on half-centuries from opener Upul Tharanga (64, 90 balls, 6x4s) and Chamara Silva (59, 68 balls, 5x4s), made a competitive 254 for six wickets in 50 overs, and India folded up for 185 in 43.3 overs without a semblance of fight.

Only Dravid (60, 82 balls, 6x4s) and Virender Sehwag (48, 46 balls, 5x4s, 1x6) withstood the Sri Lankan spirited onslaught to an extent.

Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan bowled an inspired spell to emerge as the best bowler with three wickets and his enthusiastic fielding combined with two catches earned him the Man of the Match award.

It was the supposedly famed seven-star batting line-up that failed India once again.

Bowlers, on the other hand, seemed to justify Dravid's decision to bowl first at Queen's Park Oval after winning the toss when they rather early got rid of three danger men -- Sanath Jayasuriya (6), captain Mahela Jayawardene (7) and Kumar Sangakkara (15).

The Sri Lankan total read 92 for three, and it was time for India to put the opposition on the mat. Some poor fielding and toothless bowling allowed the Sri Lankans to escape to a deserving victory.

India were unsuccessful to either contain or dismiss Tharanga, Silva and also Tillakaratne Dilshan, who chipped in with an invaluable 38 off 41 balls. Among the later order batsmen, Russel Arnold and Chaminda Vaas scored an identical but priceless 19 to add to India's woes.

Silva and Dilshan were involved in the biggest partnership of the innings - 83, for the fifth wicket - and this stand eventually proved India's undoing in the event.

There were some other small but good partnerships. Sangakkara and Tharanga raised 39 for the third wicket and Tharanga and old war horse Jayasuriya added 33 for the opening wicket.

India opened with Robin Uthappa and Sourav Ganguly, but lost the former with the total at 25. Ganguly played an over ambitious stroke without getting his eyes in, and Muralitharan took a brilliant running catch off Vaas.

From 43 for two India slid to 44 for three as lanky fast bowler Dilhara Fernando bowled maestro Sachin Tendulkar neck and crop, finding the fine 'gate' between his bat and pad.

There was still hope for India as Sehwag, who came at No. 3 again after his century against Bermuda, was batting sensibly and cautiously with Dravid joining him.

Shewag and Dravid gradually started doing the repair work and were successful too. They added 54 for the fourth wicket to lend some respectability to the innings.

Muralitharan, who later disclosed that he was trying to prove a point to coach Tom Moody, induced an edge from Shewag's bat and Jayawardene took a good low catch at the lone slip to end a flourishing knock.

Dravid, who batted with a runner after cramps in his leg, duly completed his 78th half-century. He brought it up in a productive over from fast bowler Lasith Malinga as he smashed four boundaries as he extracted 17 runs from that over.

But in the next over he departed, caught in the deep, trying to play another big stroke with his foot movement restricted due to cramps.

If India's fighting spirit did not evaporate fully with Sehwag's dismissal, it surely did with Yuvraj Singh's comical run out. The left-hander ran virtually blindly for a non-existent single, but Dravid rightfully refused it.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni had no clue to a Muralitharan special and with his first-ball dismissal India's World Cup dream was effectively over, though Harbhajan Singh remained unbeaten on 17.

India will now watch the Bangladesh-Bermuda match Sunday with bated breath and a prayer on the lip.

SCOREBOARD

Match No. 20, India vs. Sri Lanka, Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad

Sri Lanka:
Upul Tharanga lbw b Tendulkar 64
Sanath Jayasuriya c Agarkar b Khan 6
Mahela Jayawardene c Dhoni b Agarkar 7
Kumar Sangakkara c Patel b Ganguly 15
Chamara Silva c Dhoni b Khan 59
Tillakaratne Dilshan c Dhoni b Patel 38
Russel Arnold not out 19
Chaminda Vaas not out 19
Extras: (leg byes 11, wides 14, no balls 2) 27
Total: (for six wickets in 50 overs) 254

Fall of wickets: 1-33 (Jayasuriya, 6.6 overs), 2-53 (Jayawardene, 12.4), 3-92 (Sangakkara, 23.3), 4-133 (Tharanga, 32.2), 5-216 (Dilshan, 45.4), 6-216 (Silva, 46.1)

Bowling:
Zaheer Khan 10 0 49 2 (1nb, 5w)
Ajit Agarkar 8 1 33 1 (3w)
Munaf Patel 10 1 46 1
Harbhajan Singh 10 0 53 0 5.30 (3w)
Sourav Ganguly 4 0 22 1 (1w)
Sachin Tendulkar 8 0 40 1 (1nb, 2w)

India:
Robin Uthappa c & b Vaas 18
Sourav Ganguly c Muralitharan b Vaas 7
Virender Sehwag c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 48
Sachin Tendulkar b Fernando 0
Rahul Dravid c Muralitharan b Jayasuriya 60
Yuvraj Singh run out (Arnold/Jayasuriya) 6
Mahendra Singh Dhoni lbw b Muralitharan 0
Ajit Agarkar c Arnold b Malinga 10
Harbhajan Singh not out 17
Zaheer Khan c Malinga b Muralitharan 1
Munaf Patel c Vaas b Dilshan 10
Extras: (lb 1, w 7) 8
Total: (all out in 43.3 overs) 185

Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Uthappa, 6.5 overs), 2-43 (Ganguly, 10.5), 3-44 (Tendulkar, 11.3), 4-98 (Sehwag, 22.5), 5-112 (Yuvraj Singh, 27.4), 6-112 (Dhoni, 28.1), 7-136 (Agarkar, 34.4), 8-159 (Dravid, 37.3), 9-161 (Khan, 38.6)

Bowling:
Chaminda Vaas 8 1 39 2
Lasith Malinga 8 0 39 1 (1w)
Dilhara Fernando 6.2 0 32 1 (2w)
Muttiah Muralitharan 10 0 41 3 (4w)
Sanath Jayasuriya 9 0 31 1
Tillakaratne Dilshan 2.1 1 2 1

Result: Sri Lanka won by 69 runs
Man of the Match: Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
Umpires: Aleem Dar and Daryl Harper (Australia)
TV umpire: Steve Davis (Australia)
Reserve umpire: Ian Howell (South Africa)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)