India come alive on Day Two

After facing the flak from all quarters for preparing a dead pitch at the SSC,the national curator had promised a 22-yard strip,which held something for the medium-pacers as well as the spinners at the P Sara Oval. Unlike at the SSC,the batsmen couldn’t put away good balls to the boundary without taking risks here.

Samaraweera with a dogged century ensured that the hosts went past the 400-run mark but it was hard work for the batsmen as the Indians bowled an accurate line. Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha picked up two more wickets on Day Two to take his tally to four.

The pitch held enough juice in it to aid Ishant Sharma and Abhimanyu Mithun. Sharma kept the batsmen guessing as to which way the ball would move,while Mithun got the ball to slide in sharply.

Batsmen got full value for their shots but on this wicket they couldn’t just put their foot down and hit through the line,something Malinga,who added 115 for the eighth wicket with Rangana Herath at Galle,realised after misreading a googly from Amit Mishra after facing only four balls.

The nature of the wicket means little to Malinga and he started off with yorkers which Murali Vijay and Virender Sehwag kept out. Vijay though departed early after trying to drive on the up. Mathews got one to angle into Rahul Dravid,who by then had stroked some handsome fours,and trapped India’s No.3 in front. India were 92 for two.

Counter-attack

The counter-attack from Sehwag allowed India to score at over five runs an over and brought alive the last session after the Indian bowlers had enjoyed their best day.

Sehwag batted beautifully to finish on the cusp of another century at stumps. Samaraweera’s knock was a study in patience,while Sehwag’s was full of flair and style. They were defining knocks even as they were contrasting in nature. Samaraweera’s 137 was an example of how to hold an innings together when under pressure. Sehwag’s 87-ball unbeaten 97 provided India a blazing start,and negated the loss of the two wickets to a great extent. After a rain-interrupted first Test,one which was overshadowed by the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan and a dull draw in the second,the third Test is nicely poised to provide for another three days of engrossing cricket.

Sri Lankan spinners Suraj Randiv and Ajantha Mendis generated sharp turn towards the end of the day,which raised fears of the wicket becoming increasingly difficult for batting. The game promises to not only remain exciting but also provide a result.