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InDepth headlines national business sports cricket regional entertainment technology world travel autos health | in-depth coverage > India-Sri Lanka Test Series 2005 > India poised to clinch series with 2-0 margin 18.42 IST 21st Dec 2005 By Agencies 
India put themselves on the threshold of another resounding victory in Ahmedabad today, leaving Sri Lankan tailenders with a herculean task of batting out the entire fifth day to save the third and final Test.Set a near-impossible target of 509 runs for victory, the visitors put up a far better display with the bat but it was still not enough to prevent what appeared an imminent Indian victory, which would give them a 2-0 verdict in the three-match series. The Lankans were battling at 235/6 at stumps on the fourth day at the Motera ground, with left-hander Jehan Mubarak (18) and Farveez Maharoof (2) at the crease. It would need a miracle to save the Lankans as they have to bat out 90 overs to escape with a draw, but the series, which India lead 1-0, is as good as lost for the Lankans. Lanka, who started their run-chase before lunch after India declared their second innings at 316/9, recovered from another batting collapse triggered by 100-Test hero Anil Kumble to move from 96/4 to 201/5. Kumble's brilliant triple strike in the space of only 16 balls had left the tourists tottering midway through the post-lunch session when Mahela Jayawardene (57) and Tilekartne Dilshan (65) got together and were involved in a century stand for the fifth wicket. However, both these batsmen were dismissed by the Indian pace bowlers Ajit Agarkar and Irfan Pathan late in the day to once again tilt the scale in their team's favour. The pacemen had to be called back into the attack after the Lankan duo defied the spinners with a century partnership for the fifth wicket on a track that had eased out and was not offering the spin bowlers the same purchase as earlier on in the match. It was Agarkar, reverse-swinging the old ball in his second spell, who gave the important breakthrough by inducing a return catch from Jayawardene, who scored 57 in 106 balls with seven fours and looked in splendid form, to break the stubborn partnership that realised 105 runs in 189 balls. The help of the third umpire had to be called for to determine whether the ball had been hit into the ground by the batsman or not and the replays showed Jayawardene was clearly out. Dilshan, who had top-scored with an identical score in the Lankan first innings essay of 206, was then dismissed by Pathan while edging an attempted drive to 'keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to push Lanka further towards the brink. Dilshan struck five fours in his 162-minute stay at the crease and faced 123 balls. Earlier, first innings bowling hero Harbhajan Singh gave an early breakthrough when Sri Lanka began their second innings by getting rid off captain Marvan Atapattu for the second time in the match to a bat-pad catch in the leg trap taken by Mohammad Kaif. The Lanka skipper made 16. It was then the turn of Kumble to hold centrestage with a deadly spell of 16-4-35-3 to raise hopes of a massive Indian victory. The 35-year-old wily campaigner, who played second fiddle to his younger partner Harbhajan when the off spinner grabbed 7 for 62 in Lanka's first innings, picked up the wickets of left-handed opener Upul Tharanga (47), wicket keeper Kumar Sangakkara (17) and Thilan Samaraweera (5) in his 11th, 13th and 14th overs. The visitors slumped from 84/1 to 96/4 in a short time to make the sizeable crowd delirious. The tourists adjourned for tea at 160/4 with Jayawardene and Dilshan holding fort. Kumble broke the second wicket partnership between Tharanga and Sangakkara with some clever bowling. He started coming round the wicket to the left-handers, and with a string of close-in fielders hovering around the batsmen, he kept angling the ball off the rough. The ploy succeeded when Sangakkara played back and was trapped plumb in front. in-depth coverage > India-Sri Lanka Test Series 2005 > |
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