Virender Sehwag had managed to throw away a couple of good starts in the series before Tuesday and his eagerness to celebrate a half-century was quite evident. So much so that he raised his fists and then his bat to the pavilion one run before he got to his half-century! There was an explanation to the player’s confusion though. Batting on 45, he had heaved Ajantha Mendis towards the mid-wicket fence where he was dropped by Fernando. The batsman assumed the ball had gone over the ropes — as happens more often than not when he connects — and started celebrating, until umpire Brian Jerling signalled a four. Sehwag didn’t need have to wait too long though, as a paddle-swept four off Muralitharan sparked a repeat performance.

Leg-before, again

Five, six, seven... Sachin Tendulkar will be hoping the rest of the series doesn’t follow regular mathematical progression. On Tuesday, Tendulkar was dismissed leg-before early in his innings for the third time in succession, and once again, it was a decision that could well have gone in the batsman’s favour. In the first one-dayer in Dambulla, the ball had pitched a few inches outside leg-stump, while in the second, replays showed it would’ve gone on to miss leg. In the third, he looked plumb at first as he fell over trying to flick an overpitched Dilhara Fernando delivery, but Hawk Eye suggested the ball would have gone down the leg-side. Three different umpires — Kumara Dharmasena, Brian Jerling and Gamini Silva — have given the decisions and Tendulkar, apart from trying to skip the digit ‘8’ the next time he bats, will be hoping no new names are standing in the middle.

... contd.