Harbhajan's four keeps match poised
Saturday, 2 August 2008
GALLE, Aug 1 (Cricinfo): Sri Lanka couldn't get Virender Sehwag out, but Ajantha Mendis found a way around him, dismissing most of the others cheaply before Harbhajan Singh enacted a similar turnaround to restore the balance at the end of day two in Galle.
It was an eventful three sessions: Sehwag was imperious as he scored his fifth double-century while losing partners at the other end; Malinda Warnapura and Kumar Sangakkara threatened to run away with the match, but Harbhajan pulled Sri Lanka back with a four-wicket burst in the final session.
Sri Lanka dismissed the last six Indian batsmen for 51 runs; India replied by taking four of their batsmen for 55. When Sangakkara and Warnapura were going hell for leather, it seemed they might take Sri Lanka's second innings out of the equation, but then Harbhajan came up with one of his best spells in recent times.
Warnapura, especially, showed he had learned a lesson or two from Sehwag. He saw his opening partner, Michael Vandort, get out in the first over, and then played at and missed a few times against Zaheer. But all along he kept punishing even the smallest errors of length. Zaheer's fourth over was the most expensive of the series: Warnapura took four successive boundaries to reach 24 off 18 balls.
With Sangakkara looking determined to set right a minor dip in his form, the Indian bowlers looked helpless. Sri Lanka raced to 50 in 8.5 overs, and by the time spin was introduced Sri Lanka had scored 60 for 1 in 11 overs. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan brought in some control, but their fortunes were not changing just as yet: just before tea, Dinesh Karthik made a mess of a regulation stumping chance off Harbhajan when he couldn't even collect the ball with Sangakkara way down the wicket.
Sri Lanka 215 for 5 (Sangakkara 68, Warnapura 56, Harbhajan 4-71) trail India 329 (Sehwag 201*, Gambhir 56, Mendis 6-117) by 114 runs
It was an eventful three sessions: Sehwag was imperious as he scored his fifth double-century while losing partners at the other end; Malinda Warnapura and Kumar Sangakkara threatened to run away with the match, but Harbhajan pulled Sri Lanka back with a four-wicket burst in the final session.
Sri Lanka dismissed the last six Indian batsmen for 51 runs; India replied by taking four of their batsmen for 55. When Sangakkara and Warnapura were going hell for leather, it seemed they might take Sri Lanka's second innings out of the equation, but then Harbhajan came up with one of his best spells in recent times.
Warnapura, especially, showed he had learned a lesson or two from Sehwag. He saw his opening partner, Michael Vandort, get out in the first over, and then played at and missed a few times against Zaheer. But all along he kept punishing even the smallest errors of length. Zaheer's fourth over was the most expensive of the series: Warnapura took four successive boundaries to reach 24 off 18 balls.
With Sangakkara looking determined to set right a minor dip in his form, the Indian bowlers looked helpless. Sri Lanka raced to 50 in 8.5 overs, and by the time spin was introduced Sri Lanka had scored 60 for 1 in 11 overs. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan brought in some control, but their fortunes were not changing just as yet: just before tea, Dinesh Karthik made a mess of a regulation stumping chance off Harbhajan when he couldn't even collect the ball with Sangakkara way down the wicket.
Sri Lanka 215 for 5 (Sangakkara 68, Warnapura 56, Harbhajan 4-71) trail India 329 (Sehwag 201*, Gambhir 56, Mendis 6-117) by 114 runs