Lanka fast and unsteady

On a pitch that has a bit of pace and noticeable bounce for the spinners,picking 20 wickets doesnt look like an unreasonable goal. Conversely,the fast outfield presents the platform to chase down big totals. So,while the honours might have been shared on Wednesday,its unlikely that this stalemate will continue for too long.

Up close

The long day under the harsh sun may have drained the bowlers,but there were a few batsmen from the fielding side who would needed back rubs by the time stumps were drawn. For most of the 89 overs bowled,Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were bending low in the slips,and Murali Vijay had a longish stint squatting next to the pitch. With the ball consistently getting bite from the track,and the edges carrying for once,skipper MS Dhoni and his close-in fielders had their eyes glued to the ball right through. Dravid held on in the 20th and 88th overs the first and last dismissals of the day as off-spinner Harbhajan Singh foxed opener Taranga Paranavitana and tail-ender Rangana Herath with the extra bounce.

In between,Tillakaratne Dilshan slammed his second century of the series,scoring 109 off 160 deliveries with 10 fours and two sixes,and Angelo Mathews ensured the visitors never really lost their way,remaining unbeaten on a breezy 86 even as wickets fell at regular intervals around him. All the Lankan batsmen except Thilan Samaraweera got off to starts,but danger men Kumar Sangakkara (18) and Mahela Jayawardane (29) did not manage to hang on for long enough.

Cat & mouse game

Coaches say that inducing edges is less about placing close-in fielders and more about tempting the batsmen to play big shots. How Dhoni handled his fielders today once again proved that theory. He kept the point and cover areas vacant when the spinners were bowling,tempting the batsmen drive through it in search for easy runs. At times,there was the return of the long-forgotten backward short-leg fielder,hoping that a sweep will be mistimed. It was a cat and mouse game with both sides benefitting in between the fall of wickets,Dilshan,Mathews and Prasantha Jayawardene flourished,exploiting the gaps in the field.

For the pacemen,backward short-leg went to the fence as the lone fielder square of the pitch on the leg side. With S Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan consistently using short balls on a responsive track,there was always the chance of an edge flying in that direction. The ploy worked when Mahela Jayawardene top-edged a pull straight into the hands of Virender Sehwag.

When the Indian batsmen take field,the Sri Lankan skipper Kumara Sangakkara,too,will be laying similar booby traps for them. When the dust is settled,it will be these small battles that will decide who wins the final Test.