A blunt Indian bowling attack stood exposed as Sri Lanka Board President’s XI scored a mammoth 432 for five on the opening day of the three-day warm up game here on Tuesday.
Sri Lankan top order crushed the Indian attack disdainfully as opener Upul Tharanga (116), Thilina Kandambi (101) and Thilan Samaraweera (102) smashed quick-fire centuries to have the number one Test side on the mat.
Dinesh Chandimal (5) and Kuashjal Silva (6) were at the crease for Sri Lanka when stumps were drawn for the day at the Colts Cricket Club Ground.
The hosts scored at a furious pace, with a run-rate close to five, as more than half of the runs came through boundaries.
India badly missed the injured pace duo of Zaheer Khan and S. Sreesanth as none of the six bowlers used by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni could bowl economically let alone trouble the rival batsmen.
Spin spearhead Harbhajan Singh’s absence from the line-up due to viral fever just compounded the fitness problems for India as the other tweakers failed to make an impression.
Although Pragyan Ojha (3/133) and Amit Mishra (2/120) shared five wickets between them they conceded 253 runs in the 50 overs they bowled.
Pacers Ishant Sharma and Abhimnayu Mithun went wicket-less and it was not before the 35th over of the innings that India got its first success.
Ojha dismissed the left-handed Tharanga but by that time he had raised a solid opening partnership of 188 runs with Lahiru Thirimanne (66) as Sri Lanka made a bright start after winning the toss.
The Hyderabadi left-armer struck for the second time after four overs when he scalped Thirimanne but there was hardly a moment to rejoice after that for the Indians.
The next two batsmen Kandambi and Samaraweera frustrated the Indian bowlers by raising a huge 180-run stand for the third wicket.
India struck thrice towards the end with Mishra removing Kandambi and Ojha sending back Samaraweera but by that time Sri Lanka had completely overwhelmed the hapless Indians.
