The visiting Sri Lankans started their tour of India on a losing note, beaten by three wickets, with one ball to spare, by the Mumbai Cricket Association President's XI at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.

The Lankans, who rested key bowlers Chaminda Vaas [Images] and Muthiah Muralitharan and used 12 batsmen, mustered up a good total of 267 for 9 in 50 overs after being inserted in by MCA XI captain Nilesh Kulkarni.

MCA, who were also without many of their players in the warm-up limited-overs' match, achieved the target in a nail-biting finish.

Needing nine runs off the last over, bowled by well-built Lankan paceman Dilhara Fernando, they reduced the deficit to two off the last ball. They then took a single off what turned out to be a no-ball from Fernando and won with three wickets to spare, scoring 268 for 7.

Earlier, veteran Lankan opener Sanath Jayasiriya looked in fine touch while scoring a quickfire 34 off only 26 balls, with seven hits to the fence, till he felt some pain in his injured shoulder and retired to the pavilion in order not to aggravate the freak injury sustained back home in Lanka.

The Lankans, 57 for one when Jayasuriya left the crease, stuttered thereafter against the Mumbai attack, in which medium pacers Usman Malvi and Abhishek Nair were impressive, to reach 82 for four.

Experienced batsman Russel Arnold (35) and Tilekaratne Dilshan (50) repaired the damage with a stand of 53 runs to put the innings back on track.

Later, Upul Chandana made a useful 37, but what finally helped the visitors post a challenging total to the home team was the big-hitting prowess of Parvez Maharoof, who slammed four fours and as many sixes in his 45-ball 64.

The Mumbai outfit lost an early wicket, that of Praful Waghela who fell to Lanka's most impressive pace bowler of the day - the big-made left armer Nuwan Zoysa.

However, Vinayak Mane (75 off 110 balls with 7 fours) and left-hander Nishit Shetty, who stroked well to score 57, inclusive of eight fours in 70 balls, put the home team on the right track with a stand of 112 runs off 134 balls.

Shetty departed when he mishit Zoysa, in his second spell, straight to mid-on, and then leg spinner Chandana switched ends to dismiss Mane, after he added 86 runs in an enterprising third wicket stand with Amol Muzumdar (55), and youngster Parag Madkaikar in quick succession.

The Mumbai team lost Nair and Muzumdar during the mad dash to the finish line and needed 16 runs in 15 balls when the latter was dismissed.

Super sub Wilkin Mota scored a breezy 23 off 21 balls to bring down the required rate in the company of Muzumdar and at his dismissal MCA XI needed 11 off the last eight balls.

Malvi, who replaced Mota, hit the first ball of the final over from Fernando for a four to take Mumbai closer to the target, which was achieved when a single was taken by the duo off the last ball, a no-ball, bowled by the Lankan paceman.

The visitors now travel to Nagpur to take on India in the first of seven ODIs, on October 25.

Scorecard

Sri Lankans:
M S Atapattu c Samant b Malvi 7
S T Jayasuriya retired not out 34
K C Sangakkara c & b Malvi 6
L H D Dilhara lbw Salvi 0
D P M Jayawardene c Waghela b Nair 13
R P Arnold c Samant b Nair 35
T M Dilshan run out (Samant) 50
T T Samaraweera c Mane b Nair 0
U D Chandana c Muzumdar b Kulkarni 37
M F Maharoof not out 64
D N Zoysa c Kulkarni b Shetty 1
C R Fernando not out 3.
Extras: (w3, nb14) 17
Total: (for 9 wickets, 50 overs) 267

Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-57, 3-57, 4-82, 5-135, 6-137, 7-175, 8-222, 9-237.

Bowling: Salvi 10-0-69-1 (6nb, 2w), Malvi 10-2-56-2 (8nb), Nair 10-0-39-3, Kulkarni 10-0-53-1, Shetty 10-0-49-1 (1w).

MCA President's XI:
V R Mane b Chandana 75
P Waghela c Dilshan b Zoysa 4
N S Shetty c Dilhara b Zoysa 58
A A Muzumdar c Samaraweera b Fernando 56
P M Madkaikar c Dilshan b Chandana 12
A Nair run out (Sangakkara) 2
W A Mota c Maharoof b Dilshan 24
V R Samant not out 5
U Malvi not out 7.
Extras: (lb5, w4, nb16) 25
Total: (7 wickets, 49.5 overs) 268

Did not bat: A M Salvi, N Kulkarni.

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-127, 3-183, 4-205, 5-222, 6-252, 7-257.

Bowling: Zoysa 10-0-45-2 (5nb, 2w), Maharoof 8-0-37-0 (3nb), Fernando 7.5-0-56-1 (5nb, 1w), Dilhara 3-0-23-0 (2nb), Chandana 10-1-55-2, Arnold 10-0-44-0 (1w), Dilshan 1-0-5-1.

Full substitutes: L H D Dilhara (Sri Lankans), W A Mota (MCA).

Sanath Jayasuriya [Images] (Sri Lankans) over 10.0; R Sharma (MCA) over 43.4.