Mahela thrives on Indian generosity

At the end of third day of this second Asian Test Championship match, the Indians would be kicking themselves for their insipid show today. It could prove costly. The match, thanks to the fightback by the Lankans, could end in a draw and, possibly, fetch just five points for India.

It would mean that India will end up awaiting the outcome of the Sri Lanka-Pakistan match at Lahore next month to learn of their fate in the championship.

There was no excuse. As often seen in the past, India have lost their way either through bad batting or bowling or poor fielding. Today, it was their fielding which brought upon the misery.

The dangerous Jayawardena, who held the innings together, was the wicket the Indians wanted desperately. VVS Laxman, normally a safe fielder, continued to have a nightmare in the field. In Anil Kumble’s fourth over of the day, he let the ball pop out of his hands at short-leg. Then, the ball seemed to chase him. He was late at second slip to the thick outside edge after Venkatesh Prasad beat Jayawardena with late movement.

India’s agony was not to end there. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh beat Jayawardena’s half-hearted prod to fly into the lone slip cordon. Ganguly did everything right. He dived to his left, cupped the ball before flooring it.

Jayawardena, a strong backfoot player, made most of these opportunities. Anything short was dealt with strongly. Nor was he afraid to step out to the spinners. At 99, he danced down the track, hoisted off-spinner Harbhajan Singh over long-on to get to his century.

Even though Lanka lost veteran Chandika Hathurasinghe, who missed the line to be trapped in front by Prasad, and Aravinda de Silva, bowled around the legs attempting a sweep shot, skipper Arjuna Ranatunga played without much fuss to deny India their second bowling point.

Ranatunga (66 batting) seemed to be going strong before a muscle pull hampered his movements. In fact, immediately after the tea break, he was in sharp pain while going for a single. Play was stopped for a brief while before Russel Arnold came as a runner.

Two bouncers by debutant left-arm medium pacer Ashish Nehra to Ranatunga had umpires offering the light to the batsmen, who gleefully accepted it. Sharp showers thereafter ruled out further play.

The Jayawardena-Ranatunga association has so far realised 115 runs for the fourth wicket.

SCOREBOARD

INDIA (1st innings): 518 for 7 wkts decl.

SRI LANKA (1st innings Overnight 121 for 2): Marvan Atapattu lbw Nehra 6 (13b, 24m, 1×4), Russel Arnold (run out, Dravid) 34 (93b, 120m, 4×4), Mahela Jayawardena (batting) 128 (265b, 403m, 18×4, 2×6), C Hathurasinghe lbw Prasad 14 (39b, 61m, 2×4), Aravinda De Silva b Harbhajan 23 (69m, 54b, 4×4), Arjuna Ranatunga (batting) 66

(113b, 175m, 8×4)

Extras (b 1, lb 9, w 4, nb 8): 22.

Total (for 4 wkts, 95.2 overs, 429m): 293.

Fall Of Wickets: 1-18 (Atapattu, 5.2), 2-93 (Arnold, 29.3), 3-129 (Hathurasinghe, 44.1), 4-178 (De Silva, 59.2).

Bowling: Prasad 21-6-67-1, Nehra 19.2-2-64-1, Kumble 31-7-69-0, Harbhajan 22-6-77-1, Tendulkar 2-0-6-0.

POINTS: India 5, Sri Lanka 2. (India have 10 points from 2 matches).

A challenging knock: Jayawardena

Express News Service

Colombo, Feb 26: The Sri Lankans did not miss master-blaster Sanath Jayasuriya, after all. Twenty-one-year old Mahela Jayawardena, with his aggressive 128 not out, gave no cause for the Lankans to miss the left-handed opener.

“It was a challenging knock,” said Jayawardena, who ranked the 167 against New Zealand last year, when his team needed to win to level series, as a much better knock. Not surprisingly, since he was let off thrice by the butter-fingered Indian fielders.

“The wicket was initially doing nothing but later, the ball turned a lot. Kumble and Harbhajan bowled very well,” said Jayawardena, who has now settled into the Lankan team. This knock, after that century against England in the World Series in Australia, would put him in a better frame of mind for the more crucial litmus tests ahead, especially the World Cup in May.