Mendis 6-117 troubles India once again
Chris DHAMBARAGE reporting from Galle
Harbhajan Singh produced a sustained spell of bowling as India
restricted the powerful Sri Lankan batting line up to 215 for 5 in their
first innings on day two of the second test match continued at the Galle
International Stadium yesterday.
Sri Lanka are now trailing India by 114 runs with five wickets in
hand. After losing opener Michael van Dort in the very first over of the
innings Kumar Sangakkara and Malinda Warnapura set the pace for another
good total with a superb century stand in almost even time.
However Harbhajan Singh struck twice in successive overs to remove
both Sangakkara and Warnapura and followed up with the wickets of Thilan
Samaraweera and Tillekeratne Dilshan in one over. Left hander Sangakkara
hammered a splendid 68 with nine boundaries while Warnapura stroked a
fluent 66 inclusive of one six and ten boundaries.
Earlier Ajantha Mendis captured his maiden five wicket haul in test
cricket but not before Virender Sehwag had completed an epic unbeaten
double hundred that lifted India to a formidable 329 in their first
innings.
If Sehwag took the honours with the bat it was Sri Lanka’s mystery
spinner Ajantha Mendis who made a lasting impression by running through
the Indian late order batting almost single handedly.
This was a tremendous effort considering the fact that he was playing
in his second test match after having claimed a matchbag of eight
wickets on his debut at the SSC grounds in Maitland Place last week. But
this time the Indian batting looked more solid especially with Sehwag
carrying his bat until the end.
In fact Sehwag stood between Sri Lanka and another famous Indian
batting collapse by scoring his fifth double century in test cricket and
his first against Sri Lanka from 227 deliveries inclusive of four sixes
and 22 boundaries.
He also became the second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to have carried
his bat throughout the innings and the first since 2001 where Javed Omar
performed a similar role for Bangladesh against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo.
Even then the Indian opener certainly enjoyed his share of luck for
the second successive day but still it was a fantastic effort
considering the fact that he was forced to bat with the tailenders
during the most crucial stage of the innings.
Sehwag on 182 survived a confident leg before wicket decision from
the bowling of Muttah Muralitharan after the decision was referred by
the third umpire. Then again on 188 he was given not out for a caught
behind from the bowling of Ajantha Mendis with the television re playes
clearly suggesting that the batsman had edged the delivery.
However by that stage skipper Mahela Jayawardena had already utilised
his three referrals allowed for an innings and had no option but to
continue with the task. Sehwag’s hopes of making a double hundred looked
bleak at one stage when Zaheer Khan was ninth out with the score on 323.
Sehwag certainly proved that he is a great team player when on 199 he
refused to take a single twice and preferred to shield last man Ishant
Sharma rather than achieving his landmark. Sehwag in the process also
became the tenth Indian batsman to have completed five thousand runs in
test cricket.
INDIA 1ST INNINGS
(overnight 214-4):
G. Gambhir lbw b Mendis 56
V. Sehwag not out 201
R. Dravid c Warnapura b Mendis 2
S. Tendulkar lbw b Vaas 5
S. Ganguly c P. Jayawardene b Vaas 0
V. Laxman c Samaraweera b Mendis 39
D. Karthik lbw b Mendis 7
A. Kumble st P. Jayawardene b Muralitharan 4
H. Singh lbw b Mendis 1
Z. Khan c P. Jayawardene b Muralitharan 2
I. Sharma lbw b Mendis 0
Extras (b1, lb4, w7) 12
Total (for all out) 329
Fall of wickets: 1-167 (Gambhir), 2-173 (Dravid), 3-178 (Tendulkar), 4-178 (Ganguly), 5-278 (Laxman),
6-290 (Karthik), 7-317 (Kumble), 8-318 (Harbhajan), 9-323 (Zaheer), 10-329 (Sharma).
Bowling: Vaas 19-2-74-2 (w1), Kulasekara 8-1-40-0 (w6), Mendis 28-1-117-6, Muralitharan 27-1-93-2.
SRI LANKA
1ST INNINGS:
M. Vandort c Dravid b Zaheer 4
M. Warnapura c Gambhir b Harbhajan 66
K. Sangakkara c and b Harbhajan 68
M. Jayawardene not out 46
T. Samaraweera lbw b Harbhajan 14
T. Dilshan c Gambhir b Harbhajan 0
P. Jayawardene not out 5
Extras (b6, lb6) 12
Total (for five wickets) 215
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Vandort), 2-137 (Warnapura), 3-144 (Sangakkara), 4-192 (Samaraweera), 5-192 (Dilshan).
Bowling: Zaheer 6-1-39-1, Sharma 8-1-36-0, Kumble 22-4-57-0, Harbhajan 25-4-71-4. |
