India fight hard to save series decider

Colombo, September 1: India, trailing by 376 runs on the first innings, were 169-2 in their second knock at tea on the fourth day of the third and final cricket Test against Sri Lanka here on Saturday.

The tourists added 57 runs to their lunch score of 107-1, losing the wicket of Sadagopan Ramesh in the afternoon session as they battled to keep their main threat, Muttiah Muralitharan, at bay.

India's two frontline batsmen, captain Sourav Ganguly and his deputy Rahul Dravid, were at the crease when tea was called.

Dravid was unbeaten on 28, while Ganguly batted for an hour to make 10.

The Indians, still 207 runs adrift, need to bat out the last four sessions of the match to prevent Sri Lanka from breaking the 1-1 deadlock in the series.

Ramesh, who got out in the 40s in three previous innings in the series, crossed the half-century mark, but fell soon after to a brilliant Muralitharan delivery for 55.

The left-hander went back to play a defensive shot, but the ball passed the outside edge of the bat and clipped the off-bail.

Ganguly, scoreless for 12 deliveries, opened his account by lofting Muralitharan over the sightscreen for six.

The Indian captain almost failed to add to that score when he edged the off-spinner streakily past the diving Mahela Jayawardena in the slips.

Indian openers Shiv Das and Ramesh, who started the day at 28-0, batted through most of the morning session to put on their first century stand of the series.

Das followed his 59 in the first innings with a fluent 68 before he was snapped up at silly point off Muralitharan just before lunch.

Das and Ramesh comfortably negotiated the seamers to take the score to 50 when Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya introduced his trump card, Muralitharan, in the day's ninth over.

Das greeted the off-spinner by driving him through the covers and straight for two boundaries in the first over.

The pint-sized opener was lucky to survive on 45 when Sri Lankan umpire Asoka De Silva declined to give him out caught at short mid-wicket by Jayasuriya off Muralitharan.

Television replays showed the ball balloon off the bat and pad, but De Silva was convinced only the pad had been used.

Das reached his seventh half-century in 11 Tests by cutting fast bowler Dilhara Fernando for his eighth boundary.

With Ramesh content to play second fiddle, Das attacked from the other end, brightening an overcast day with a superb cover drive off Muralitharan for four.