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Four
centurions grind India to dust
Colombo,
August 31: It
is hard to describe Friday’s play. There have been other
instances when teams have got huge totals and decimated the
opposition bowling, but the show on the third day of the third and
final Test between India and Sri Lanka is hard to describe in
light of the stark contrast between the batting of the two sides.
Surely this cannot be the pitch on which India had batted only on
Wednesday. How come they only got 234 while the Sri Lankans
amassed 610 for six, their second highest score ever?
At stumps India were fighting a grim battle against gigantic odds.
They were 28 for no loss chasing 376 just to avoid an innings
defeat. Let us stick our neck out right at the beginning by saying
that India can still save this match.
It is improbable, almost unthinkable, but all they have to
negotiate is Muttiah Muralitharan. The rest of the attack is no
better than what India had to offer, and you saw how it fared.
There is nothing in the pitch for the bowlers so far, and surely
there was nothing at all on the first day.
The Indian batsmen just gave away their wickets. That was not the
case with the Sri Lankans, who punished the bowling, further
dented by the sheer mediocrity of the stuff sent down. Right from
the morning the Indians were in defence mode.
There was talk last evening of trying to get rid of the rest of
the batsmen quickly and restrict the lead, but obviously that was
only talk. The Indians managed only one wicket in the whole day as
three of the opposition crossed the 100-mark.
Mahela Jayawardene, 95 not out overnight, reached his century in
the second of the morning, his second of the series after the 104
at Kandy. Then it was the turn of Hashan Tillekeratne, who has
made a comeback into the side, and finally, debutant Thilan
Samaraweera also notched up his first Test century.
Among these, Tillekeratne’s was the innings of the day. He has
been castigated by the local media for a rather unimpressive show
in the first two Tests and there was even talk that he may be
dropped here.
But the left-hander made amends in no uncertain manner. He
remained unbeaten on 136, his highest Test score, and never ever
looked in any kind of trouble against the Indian bowlers.
Samaraweera could not have asked for a better stage to make his
debut on. When he arrived on the scene, Sri Lanka were at 321,
having just lost Jayawardene for 139.
Samaraweera was allowed to get off the mark off the very first
delivery he received and never looked back. He was cautious at the
beginning, and reached his half-century off 113 deliveries with
just three boundaries, at the stroke of tea.
The massacre continued after the break as well, and Samaraweera
began to open up, with ample encouragement from Tillekeratne. The
latter, who was to open his account when play ended last night,
again displayed how the Indians continued to bowl short and wide.
He had seven boundaries by the time he reached his 50, and off
these, only one was a drive, the rest all being square of the
wicket.
Only towards the end of the innings did he actually begin driving,
four of his last five boundaries being hit over the top of the
bowler. Tillekeratne reached his century in 221 minutes, having
faced 165 balls and score 13 fours. Samaraweera took his time
about getting to the hundred, and had more trouble with cramps in
his arms and legs than the Indian bowlers.
Finally, it came, a glide to the third man fence off Venkatesh
Prasad. Samaraweera took 175 balls and 201 minutes to reach the
landmark, his tenth four bringing up the landmark. He became the
third batsman to score a century on debut for Sri Lanka after
Brendon Kuruppu (against New Zealand at Colombo in 1987) and
Romesh Kaluwitharana (vs Australia at this ground in 1992). This
Sri Lankan innings had the distinction of four batsmen scoring
centuries.
The total is way short of the world record 952 for six scored by
them against Indian at the Premadasa Stadium here in 1997. But
even that huge innings had seen only three batsmen reaching
centuries.
India, chasing their huge ask, were lucky to go back to the
dressing with all wickets intact. Shiv Sundar Das was dropped by
Tillekeratne at gully off Dilhara Fernando when on eight, with the
team score standing at 10 for no loss. It was a lucky break, and
they will all the luck, and guts, to hang in and fight for a draw,
over two full days. Sounds impossible, but in cricket, anything
can happen.
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