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Sangakkara keeps India at bay

S. Ram Mahesh

Sri Lanka finishes on 251 for six, a slender lead of two runs

— Photo: AP

MAKING MERRY: Kumar Sangakkara cracked a solid unbeaten century to help Sri Lanka gain a slender advantage on the second day of the third Test in Colombo on Saturday.

Colombo: India suffered a day of wretched fortune in the third Test here at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, losing three men to injury, receiving a questionable decision after referral, and enduring several near misses.

The touring side also had to contend with Kumar Sangakkara’s unbeaten century — an innings forged on will and concentration, and spanning five and a half hours. As the clouds gathered, marginally foreshortening day two, Sri Lanka finished on 251 for six, nursing a slender lead of two runs.

To its credit, India, despite losing V.V.S. Laxman (sprained left ankle) before the start, Sachin Tendulkar (hyper-extended left elbow) in the second session, and Ishant Sharma (bruised glut muscle) after tea, never stopped fighting on a day of hard Test cricket.

India started Saturday with the calm intensity that has come to mark this side — nothing overt, for Anil Kumble’s men choose not to impose their physical presence in the manner of the Australians. Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma — attacking, surprisingly, without a short leg — needed more than half an hour of persistent bowling to shift Michael Vandort. Having seen his lesser partner, night-watchman Chaminda Vaas, square drive Zaheer and hurry into two hook shots, Vandort decided to creep out of his shell.

The tall left-hander advanced towards Zaheer, borrowing from Gautam Gambhir the Hayden two-step, and struck the seamer through cover. Zaheer’s retort was a delivery that held its course instead of swinging away, as it had all morning. Vandort fell over, front leg splaying across and preventing bat from accessing ball.

Frustrating phase

Then began a frustrating phase — for India, that is. Vaas grew more assured, while Sangakkara decided to just bat. Sangakkara, who has been caught on the move by deliveries of unimpeachable length, ordered by Zaheer twice this series, nearly fell to his nemesis.

He fenced at one that shaped away; substitute Rohit Sharma covered good distance to his right in the air from point, but couldn’t bring it down.

The more time Sangakkara spent in the middle, the more organised his technique — grooved by hours of practice — grew. He rolled beautifully with a pull stroke off Zaheer, before leaning into a cover drive against Ishant.

On 34, Sangakkara edged a Kumble slider. It flew fast to Rahul Dravid’s left at slip. That it was off the backfoot gave Dravid less than half a second to react; he couldn’t hold on.

Vaas, meanwhile, took to Harbhajan, striking the off-spinner for three fours through the off-side, as Sri Lanka had a much better second hour, scoring at very nearly four an over.

India fought back through Kumble and Harbhajan, the pair bowling all but two overs of the middle session, winding tourniquets around Sangakkara and Vaas. Kumble, in particular, troubled both left-handers from around the wicket; he couldn’t quite spring the trap. Harbhajan spun off-breaks across the batsmen from over the wicket — not threatening by any means, but demanding initiative if runs were to be scored.

The game shifted: the bad balls went unpunished; Sangakkara felt the need to break the shackles, and charged Kumble. The pressure eventually worked.

Vaas, who successfully referred a bat-pad decision before being dropped by Tendulkar at leg slip (both off Kumble), fell to Harbhajan. After batting for more than two and three-quarter hours for 47, the night-watchman hit an off-break to Virender Sehwag in the covers.

Harbhajan struck again, this time gaining the crucial wicket of Mahela Jayawardene, as Sri Lanka went from 137 for two to 141 for four in the space of ten minutes. The captain, having moved across to off-stump, missed a sweep, and for once misjudged a referral. It could so easily have been 153 for five. Thilan Samaraweera propped forward to Kumble, bat behind pad, but rapidly arriving. Umpire Mark Benson wasn’t interested, and Kumble asked for a referral. The replays showed ball deforming pad before proceeding to hit the bat.

The batsman was struck in line, the delivery was angled in, and although Samaraweera had managed a stride, height didn’t seem a factor.

Bizarrely, Benson confirmed his initial decision after conferring with Billy Doctrove. Tendulkar, watching from the dressing room, raised his index finger after seeing the replays. Samaraweera survived to prosper, contributing 35 to a vital fifth-wicket stand of 60, before Zaheer removed him with a peach. The delivery lifted off a length — the angle squaring Samaraweera up — to earn the edge to Parthiv Patel.

Tillakaratne Dilshan thrashed about, running Sangakkara to his 17th Test hundred and aiding Sri Lanka approach India’s 249. Kumble was finally rewarded for a day’s toil with Dilshan’s wicket — a situation that was almost identical to the Samaraweera decision, but given ‘out’ by Benson and reiterated after referral. Prasanna Jayawardene then successfully reversed a decision of leg-before against Harbhajan to ensure India didn’t gain further ground in its comeback.

SCOREBOARD

India — 1st innings: 249

Sri Lanka — 1st innings: M. Vandort lbw b Zaheer 14, M. Warnapura b Ishant 8, C. Vaas c Sehwag b Harbhajan 47, K. Sangakkara (batting) 107, M. Jayawardene lbw b Harbhajan 2, T. Samaraweera c Parthiv b Zaheer 35, T. Dilshan lbw b Kumble 23, P. Jayawardene (batting) 1. Extras (b-2, lb-9, w-2, nb-1) 14. Total (for six wkts. in 92 overs) 251.

Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Warnapura), 2-42 (Vandort), 3-137 (Vaas), 4-141 (M. Jayawardene), 5-201 (Samaraweera), 6-244 (Dilshan).

India bowling: Zaheer 20-4-57-2, Ishant 15.3-3-33-1, Harbhajan 31.3-8-81-2, Kumble 24-2-68-1, Sehwag 1-0-1-0.

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