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| Sri Lanka vs India, 1st Test, Galle, Day 3 |
| Sri Lanka press advantage |
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| Date: 20 July, 2010(Tuesday) |
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Cricdb staff writer
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Print Version  |
With wet weather having wiped out the second day's play, Sri Lanka took charge on the third day by piling up 520 for 8 in quick time to press for a win. India's response was led with ball by Abhimanyu Mithun, who took a four-fer on debut, and with bat by Virender Sehwag. But Sri Lanka, propelled by two barnstorming half-centuries from tailenders Rangana Herath and Lasith Malinga, nonetheless took the spoils of the third day.
India began the day on a bright note; Ishant Sharma, who had suffering a battering two days ago, bounced back with a bit more accuracy, pace and venom, specializing in the leg-cutter. He had centurion Tharanga Paranavitana caught behind off his second ball, before welcoming Thilina Samaraweera with a vicious clang on the helmet. Samaraweera's was a nervy seven-ball stay; dropped next over at slip off Mithun and hurried into a pull, he was then trapped leg-before (260 for 4).
But Mahela Jayawardene (48, six fours) and Angelo Mathews (41, six fours) pulled back the momentum with attractive cameos. Though India's much-maligned seamers bowled with intent and aggression, the spinners again disappointed. Mahela, who smartly uppercut Mithun over the slips and drove Sharma straight, while Mathews punched his first ball to the long-on boundary and also pulled with confidence. The pair added 62, while Prasanna Jayawardene smashed 17 off a Harbhajan Singh over, but it was the late-order blasts from Herath and Malinga that really hurt India.
Herath (80 not out, 10 fours and a six) and Malinga (64 off 75, nine fours and two sixes) flung themselves into the Indian bowling with disdain. Herath drove Mithun over long-on for six, while Malinga played himself in before laying into a succession of meaty pulls. The Lankan fast bowler, whose fifty was his first in first-class cricket, was particularly brutal against Pragyan Ojha, who was barraged for three fours in four balls and then swung for successive sixes over long-on.
Herath, also with a first-class best, was less agricultural but equally effective, his fifty coming off just 53 balls. Malinga then swung out Gautam Gambhir on the second ball of the Indian innings, but Virender Sehwag wrested back some momentum. He carved 14 fours and a six, finishing with 85 off just 98 balls and outliving both Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. Muttiah Muralitharan, welcomed into this his historic last Test, was smashed for six over the sightscreen, while Sehwag drove and cut with vicious intent. Murali struck back, though, removing his foe Tendulkar, whose missed a sweep and was trapped in front.
© Cricdb
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| Pos |
Team |
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| 1 |
India |
| 2 |
South Africa |
| 3 |
Australia |
| 4 |
Sri Lanka |
| 5 |
England |
| 6 |
Pakistan |
| 7 |
New Zealand |
| 8 |
West Indies |
| 9 |
Bangladesh |
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| Pos |
Team |
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| 1 |
Australia |
| 2 |
India |
| 3 |
South Africa |
| 4 |
New Zealand |
| 5 |
England |
| 6 |
Pakistan |
| 7 |
Sri Lanka |
| 8 |
West Indies |
| 9 |
Bangladesh |
| 10 |
Zimbabwe |
| 11 |
Ireland |
| 12 |
Kenya |
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