1st Test: Sri Lanka v India at Galle, 14-18 Aug 2001 CricInfo Live Report

1st Test: Sri Lanka v India at Galle, 14-18 Aug 2001
Rex Clementine

India 1st innings: Day two: End of innings,
Sri Lanka 1st innings: Day two: Lunch, Day two: Afternoon drinks, Tea - Day 2, Rain halts play, Stumps - Day 2,
Live Reports from previous days

SRI LANKA TAKE FIRM GRIP AT END OF DAY TWO

Sri Lanka took a firm grip in the first Test Match against India at the Galle International Stadium when they finished the second day's play on 264 for three. The home team who reduced India this morning for 187 in their first innings now have a lead of 77 with seven wickets in hand. At the crease are Kumar Sangakkara on 54 and Russel Arnold on 19.

Play resumed after a break of 41 minutes due to rain. Immediately Sri Lanka recorded their 200th run, which came in 226 minutes and off 52.4 overs.

Mahela Jaywardene who was meddling the ball well before the interruption found things difficult after the pause. The right-hander departed playing a rash shot off the bowling of Javagal Srinath with Sri Lanka on 211.

The batsman who made 28 in 30 balls and 42 minutes with four boundaries tried to play few ambitious shots and played the penalty when he tried to force Srinath's pace on the offside.

With the fast bowlers erring, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly had to continue with the spin of Harbhajan Singh from the City End. The off-spinner who started his first over before lunch bowled a marathon spell of 26 overs before Venkatesh Prasad took over the proceedings from him for a short while, but Harbhajan came back from the same end before close of play.

Zaheer Khan came back from the Old Dutch Fort End replacing Javagal Srinath (6-1-29-1)

Sri Lanka's 250 came in 290 minutes and off 67 overs.

Kumar Sangakkara who initially struggled played sensibly as he spent more time in the middle. He reached his fifth Test fifty just before close of play. The left handed wicket-keeper batsman reached the fifty in 126 balls and 163 minutes with six boundaries.

RAIN HOLDS UP PLAY AFTER INDIA SEES THE BACK OF JAYASURIYA

Sri Lanka were 199 for two, when the showers came down and play was held up just before the evening drinks break. At the crease for Sri Lanka are Kumar Sangakkara on 20 and Mahela Jayawardene looking solid on 21.

Soon after the tea break, Zaheer Khan dismissed Sanath Jayasuriya who was looking dangerous. The left-hander was surprised by a rising delivery, which took the edge of the bat and carried to Rahul Dravid at the first slip who judged a good overhead catch.

Jayasuriya's 111 came in 193 minutes and 138 balls with 16 boundaries and a six over deep point. His dismissal also ended the 70 run partnership for the second wicket with Kumar Sangakkara. The century was Jayasuriya's eighth in the career and third against India.

Zaheer bowled impressively right throughout and beat Kumar Sangakkara on more than one occasion. Sangakkara batting at the crucial number three position is clearly short of confidence. He not only failed to come to terms with the Indian pace attack but also struggled against the spin of Harbhajan Singh. Sri Lanka went past India's score of 187 in the 50th over of the match.

JAYASURIYA TAKES SRI LANKA TO A STRONG POSITION WITH AN UNBEATEN HUNDRED

Sanath Jayasuriya put Sri Lanka in to a strong position with an unbeaten hundred after his bowlers dismissed India for 187 in the morning. The Sri Lankan captain who was on 29 at lunch went pass the 50 and the 100 mark in the afternoon session. Sri Lanka scored 117 runs in the second session losing just one wicket. They were at 161 for one at tea with the captain on 105 and Kumar Sangakkara on 11.

The only success came the visiting team's way soon after the afternoon break when Harbahjan Singh dismissed Marvan Atapattu, but not before the opening pair had added 101 runs for the first wicket.

Atapattu was dismissed for 33, which came in 120 minutes and 95 balls; Harbhajan Singh's delivery hit his pad and took the glove and was caught by Hemang Badani at silly mid-off.

The fall of Atapattu however didn't deter the Sri Lankan captain Jayasuriya, he batted in the manner which he is used to and helped his side to score 17 runs in Javagal Srinath's 11th over.

The first ball of the over was hit for a superb six over deep point. He went on to strike two more blows past the ropes on the off side fence.

Jayasuriya brought up his eighth hundred in style flicking Venkatesh Prasad for two. The century came in 105 balls and 161 minutes with 15 boundaries and one six. More than 70 percent of his runs were scored on the off side. This was his third Test hundred against India.

With Jayasuriya's 100 came Sri Lanka's 150 and the 50 run partnership for the second wicket between him and Sangakkara. The wicketkeeper batsman's contribution in the partnership was a mere eight.

India could have seen the back of Sangakkara if Rahul Dravid had taken the chance which was offered off Harbhajan Singh's bowling with the left-hander on eight. Rahul Dravid fielding at the first slip got a hand to the ball but couldn't hang on to it and Sangakkara survived. Singh bowled unchanged in the afternoon session.

JAYASURIYA AND ATAPATTU TAKE CONTROL

With the Sri Lankan bowlers having done well to reduce India’s first innings for 187, it was up to the Sri Lankan captain and the vice captain to consolidate their position in the first Test Match at the Galle International Stadium. They did just that and by the afternoon drinks break they had compiled an undefeated century stand for the first wicket.

The home team resuming at 44 for none went pass the 50 run mark in the 15th over and the 100 mark in the 27th over. Jayasuriya is now on 61 and Atapattu has made 33.

Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh continued bowling after the interval. Khan bowled erratically and was severly punished by the Sri Lankan openers. He conceded 29 runs in his six over burst.

Khan was eventually replaced by Javagal Srinath from the Fort End, whilst Singh bowled unchanged from the City End.

Sanath Jayasuriya continued to play attackingly and the left-hander scored most of his runs square of the wicket. He survived one vehement appeal for a catch behind when he tried to sweep Singh, but television replays showed that the ball had only clipped his hip.

He reached his seventeenth test fifty off just 51 balls when he cut Zaheer Khan for four. He had batted for 85 minutes and hit nine fours.

SRI LANKAN OPENERS SEE OFF NEW BALL

Sri Lankan openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu survived through to lunch without losing any wickets in the 52 minutes they batted this morning having bowled out India for 187. Sri Lanka are now well placed on 44 without loss.

Jayasuriya is looking particularly dangerous, having hit 29 off just 27 deliveries, including five fours. Atapattu looked solid and is on 12 off 47 deliveries.

Javagal Srinath, who retired hurt when batting after being hit by a Dilhara Fernando delivery, took the new ball with old time partner Venkatesh Prasad.

The Indian new ball bowlers failed to produce the pace and extract the steepling bounce that Fernando did this morning and, like Sri Lanka yesterday morning, were guilty of not making the batsmen play frequently enough.

Sanath Jayasuriya wasted no time before he was playing his shots. He cut Prasad to the point boundary in his first over. In the sixth over of the innings he blasted Prasad for another three fours.

Zaheer Khan replaced Srinath from the Fort End, who had returned tidy figures of 5-2-11-0. Harbhalan Singh bowled one over before lunch and his first ball was cut to the boundary by Jayasuriya

FERNANDO BLASTS OUT INDIAN TAIL

Three wickets this morning and five overall from Dilhara Fernando helped Sri Lanka to bowl out India for just 187 in their first innings of the first Test Match at the Galle International Cricket Stadium.

India who resumed with the overnight score of 163 for five with skipper Sourav Ganguly and wicketkeeper batsman Sameer Dighe as the overnight pair could make only a further 24 runs in 55 minutes and 13 overs this morning.

India had lost six wickets for 32 runs after Sanath Jayasuriya took the new ball late last night.

Sri Lanka struck the crucial blow in the third over of the morning when they had Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly caught behind by wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara off the bowling of Dilhara Fernando.

The Indian captain, who has a reputation for being susceptible to short bowling, received a brute of a delivery that flew past his face and just brushed his glove as he tried to take the bat out of the way. Kumar Sangakkara jumped high above his head to complete the catch.

Ganguly was visibly unhappy with the decision, but television replays remained inconclusive as to whether ball had brushed glove or shoulder.

Ganguly made 15 in 86 minutes and 60 balls and his dismissal triggered a collapse.

Javagal Srinath walked in at the fall of Ganguly and he was immediately hit on the hand by another rising delivery of Fernando. He only faced one more delivery before retiring hurt with a damaged left hand.

Harbhajan Singh looked uncomfortable against the pace of Fernando, but hit one four through the covers, before he was bowled off his pads by a full-pitched delivery that cannoned off his pads on to the stumps.

Fernando’s fifth victim of the innings was overnight batsman Sameer Dighe. The wicketkeeper batsman ducked under a rising delivery, but left his bat in the air like a periscope. The ball caught the toe of the bat and Sangakkara took another catch.

This was Fernando second five-wicket haul. The first came in his second match at Durban last December when he took five wickets for 98 against South Africa.

Muttiah Muralitharan came in for Chaminda Vaas from the City End and finished off the Indian innings by clean bowling Venkatesh Prasad for a duck with the straighter delivery.