- Scorecard: India vs Sri Lanka, 3rd Test
Captain Kumar Sangakkara led from the front with the bat with a battling century to keep Sri Lanka afloat on day four of the third and final Test against India at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai, on Saturday.
With the Sri Lankan middle order failing yet again, Sangakkara, after a cautious start, rose to the occasion with a brilliant counter-attacking innings of 133 from 258 deliveries, having hit 19 boundaries and a six.
His wonderful rearguard action saw Sri Lanka finish the fourth day on 274 for six in 93 overs and they just need another 59 runs to avoid the innings defeat.
Sangakkara got good support from Nuwan Kulasekara as the duo added 66 in 17.3 overs, with the latter contributing just nine from 45 deliveries, with two boundaries.
For India, Zaheer Khan caused the most damage when he took the wickets of Mahela Jayawardene (12) and Samaraweera (0) in the space of four overs. The left-arm pacer was easily the best bowler of the day as he bowled his heart out for impressive figures of two for 51 in 17 overs. S Sreesanth was unlucky not to have picked up more than one wicket as he took one for 36 in 13 overs. Pragyan Ojha continued his wicket ways as he took two for 84 in 23 overs while Harbhajan claimed one for 70 in 31 overs.
On day three, on Friday, Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed his way to his third Test century, after Virender Sehwag missed a world record third triple hundred, to boost India to a record total.
Dhoni slammed 100 off 154 deliveries, and Sehwag 293, as India posted a record 726 for 9 declared in 163.3 overs, their highest total in Test cricket. India surpassed the 705 for 7 declared they put up against Australia at Sydney in January 2004.
Sehwag missed a world record third triple century when he was dismissed after a swashbuckling innings of 293, caught and bowled by Muttiah Muralitharan. The opener, who resumed on his overnight score of 284 off 239 deliveries, hit as many as 40 boundaries and seven sixes, and added just nine runs on the third morning.
Morning session: (28 overs, 73 runs, 1 wicket)
India started with Zaheer from the media end, but surprisingly opted to use Harbhajan from the other side despite the new ball being used for only three overs the previous day.
Dilshan could not curb his natural attacking instincts and as he tried to pull a short delivery from Zaheer, edged it behind for a boundary through fine leg in the first over of the day. His second boundary of the day came through the same region when hit a full straight delivery from Harbhajan in the seventh over of the innings.
It was Harbhajan though who got the breakthrough when he trapped Dilshan leg before wicket for 16 from 27 deliveries. Once again the Sri Lanka opener was unlucky to be adjudged out. He offered no shot to a sharp, turning delivery and was struck on the pads on and around the off-stump, but was given out. Television replays showed the ball would have missed the leg stump, but umpire Daryl Harper thought otherwise. (29-1, 8.5)
Kumar Sangakkara got his first boundary when he cut a short delivery from Harbhajan through the point region in the 11th over.
S Sreesanth replaced Zaheer in the 14th over of the innings and also got good movement off the wicket as he started off with two maiden overs.
Paranavitana was quite confident against Harbhajan and hit one through the covers for this third boundary to take Sri Lanka to 48 for one after 17 overs.
Harbhajan bowled a good first spell of seven overs during which he took one wicket for 20 runs before he was replaced by Ojha. The young spinner though couldn't find his rhythm at the start as Paranavitana hit him for boundaries in consecutive overs to advance to 30.
The Sri Lanka opener seemed determined to attack Ojha as he charged down and hit the spinner over mid-on for a boundary, his sixth of the innings. Paranavitana showed great patience and waited for the right deliveries to score as he proved when he drove a full delivery from Zaheer straight down the ground for his seventh boundary to bring up the 50-run partnership for the second wicket with Sangakkara in the 28th over.
Harbhajan came back for his second spell a few overs before lunch and immediately extracted a lot of turn and bounce from the pavilion end, but Paranavitana somehow survived.
At lunch on day four, Sri Lanka were 84 for one in 31 overs, still trailing by 249 runs.
Paranavitana provided some solidity after the early dismissal of Dilshan, scoring 42 from 97 deliveries, inclusive of seven boundaries. Sangakkara, though, was a bit sedate and determined to stay at the wicket in scoring 22 from 62 deliveries, inclusive of two boundaries so far.
Harbhajan provided the best spell for India with the ball, claiming one for 28 in 12 overs, while Zaheer and Sreesanth impressed in the short spells that they bowled.
Post lunch session: (28.5 overs, 60 runs, 4 wickets)
With two left-handers at the crease, India decided to employ off-spinners from both ends in Harbhajan and Sehwag. Sangakkara got the first boundary of the session when he cut a short delivery from Sehwag through point in the 34th over of the innings. Sehwag had a huge appeal for leg before wicket turned when he hit Paranavitana on the pads in the line with the stumps, but the umpire ruled in the favour of the batsman in the 37th over.
Sri Lanka were playing the survival game now as the spinners started to make the ball turn and bounce at will. In contrast to the last two days when the Indian batsmen had a feast, the visitors were struggling as they crossed the 100-run mark in 39.5 overs.
Paranavitana completed his second half-century in the match off just 134 deliveries, inclusive of eight boundaries, with a boundary off Harbhajan in the 43rd over.
With Sri Lanka managing to negotiate the spinners, Sreesanth was introduced and the move paid off as he claimed the wicket of Paranavitana. The left-hander was beaten by the incoming delivery from Sreesanth and was struck plumb in the front of the stumps after a good innings of 54, having hit eight boundaries in his 144-ball knock. (119-2, 45.3)
The good thing for Dhoni was that if the spinners were unable to breakthrough, he had two good fast bowlers to fall back on who were lethal with the old ball. Zaheer proved the point as he troubled the batsmen with reverse swing before getting the wicket of Jayawardene. The right-hander pushed at an outgoing delivery and was caught behind by wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for 12. (135-3, 53.4)
Zaheer then crippled Sri Lanka further when he claimed the wicket of Samaraweera, caught brilliantly by VVS Laxman at second slip. Samaraweera failed to score off 13 deliveries before he was forced to edge an outswinger delivery from Zaheer bowling round the wickets and Laxman completed a good low catch to his left. (137-4, 58)
Sangakkara completed his half-century off 145 deliveries, inclusive of four boundaries, as he took a single off Ojha in the 59th over.
Mathews made 99 in the first innings, but it was turning out to be a different story in the second with the pitch getting more difficult to bat.
He nearly fell off the fourth delivery he faced when he edged the outgoing delivery from Ojha but luckily for him the edge went between the two slips for a boundary. But Ojha had his man three deliveries later and once again Mathews chased a wide one, but the turn and bounce saw him edging it to wicketkeeper Dhoni for 5. (144-5, 60.5)
At tea, Sri Lanka were reeling at 144 for five in 60.5 overs, still needing another 189 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
Sangakkara was waging a lone battle, having hung around for 151 deliveries for his cautious innings of 50, inclusive of four boundaries.
Sri Lanka had lost the plot in the last half an hour of the session when they lost three wickets in the space of eight overs and now face a real uphill battle to save the match.
The two Indian pacers, Sreesanth and Zaheer, deserve special mention for making things happen as the Sri Lankan batsmen started to get comfortable against the spinners. Zaheer bent his back and used the short ball to good effect before claiming wickets with the outswingers for figures of two for 24 in 13 overs.
Post tea session: (32.1 overs, 132 runs, 1 wicket)
Dhoni was using the pacers in short bursts as Zaheer bowled a wonderful spell of two wickets for three runs in five overs before being replaced by Sreesanth.
Sangakkara got going in the post tea session with a flicked boundary through square leg as Sreesanth bowled a full delivery on the pads in the 62nd over.
The Sri Lanka captain changed his approach after the tea break as he decided to attack Ojha. He charged down the wicket and hit him over mid-on for a six and followed it with a boundary through mid-off as Sri Lanka reached 165 for five in 65 overs.
Sangakkara was looking to punish Ojha at every opportunity as he pulled a short delivery through square leg for his sixth boundary of the innings.
Prasanna Jayawardene also showed attacking instincts as he hit Zaheer for two boundaries in the 67th over followed by another one against Ojha in the next over. He then slog swept part-timer Sehwag over the midwicket for his first six of the innings in the 72nd over.
Ojha changed ends and the move worked as he struck from the other end. Jayawardene was beaten by one that straightened and beat his defences to trap him leg before wicket for a brisk 32 from 42 deliveries, inclusive of three boundaries and a six. (208-5, 75.3)
But Sangakkara continued attacking Ojha as he hit him for two more boundaries to take Sri Lanka to 218 for six after 78 overs. He repeated the dose when he once again stepped down and lofted Ojha over midwicket for a boundary to move to 96.
India took the new ball after 83 overs with Sri Lanka on 229 for six, still trailing by 104 runs, hoping to get the extra zip and bounce with the new red ball.
The Sri Lanka captain brought up his century in some style, when he flicked a full delivery from Zaheer through midwicket for a boundary in the 84th over. It took Sangakkara 225 deliveries to reach the landmark, having hit 12 boundaries and a six, and this was his ninth century in the second innings of a Test.
As if to celebrate reaching the landmark, a few deliveries later he crashed a full delivery from Zaheer through the covers for a boundary. The left-hander repeated the dose in Zaheer's next over when he hit more boundaries through the off-side to take Sri Lanka to 250 for six in 86 overs.
It was turning out to be a Sangakkara show as he smashed another three boundaries in the next over from Sreesanth. The first boundary was hit down the ground back past the bowler with a straight flow of the bat, followed by two more boundaries through the off-side as Sri Lanka reduced the deficit to 70 runs.
Even Nuwan Kulasekara, who was a silent spectator till that point of time, then made his presence felt when he lofted Harbhajan over midwicket for a boundary in the 89th over.
It did not matter to Sangakkara that this was the last over of the day as he lofted Harbhajan over the covers for a boundary.
The Sri Lankan captain had come up with a brilliant innings under pressure to finish the day on 133 from 258 deliveries, having hit 19 boundaries and a six. Kulasekara also provided him good support from the other end, making nine from 45 deliveries, in an unbroken stand 66 runs for the seventh wicket.
At close on the penultimate day, Sri Lanka reached 274 for six in 93 overs, reducing the deficit to 59 runs with one day to go.
Zaheer deserves rich praise for his wonderful spell as he took two for 51 in 17 overs, while Sreesanth also bowled his heart out for one for 36 in 13 overs. Ojha took a couple of vital wickets to claim two for 84 in 23 overs, while Harbhajan bowled the majority of overs for one for 70 in 31 overs.
India, though are still on top and know that a few early wickets on the final day could help them wrap up things pretty quickly.
