‘Appreciable turn for the spinners on a day one track'

Sri Lanka's assistant coach Stuart Law felt the pitch for the third Test here has made the contest between the batsmen and the bowlers an even one.

"We have seen the ball beating the edge quite a few times today. It is simple here. If you bat well, you will get runs. And if you bowl well, you will be among the wickets," he said.

Law was pleased with the return of fast bowler Lasith Malinga for the Test. "Actually, he does need the pitch. What matters for him is whether his variations are on target or not."

He acknowledged there was appreciable turn for the spinners on a first day track. "I think (Pragyan) Ojha bowled well but without much luck. (Amit) Mishra is playing his first Test of the series. You should never underestimate a leg-spinner. The leggies can even get wickets with bad balls."

Law added, "We have seen here that the first innings scores between 300 and 400 have often been par for the course. (Ajantha) Mendis should bowl well here. He is a different kind of a spinner, that's the beauty about him. Mendis has his own methods."

On the Indian pace attack, he said, "Ishant (Sharma) and (Abhimanyu) Mithun certainly did not disgrace themselves."

Ojha said, "A couple of my deliveries to Mahela Jayawardene really turned and bounced. And a few deliveries stopped. I know that if I stick to the basics, I will be among the wickets."

The left-arm spinner said, "The SG ball with its bigger seam does something throughout the day. The seam in the kookaburra ball does not sustain. Sometimes, it just goes in."