Double trouble for the Lankans

Kulkarni was walking back to his fielding position with his back to the wicket, applauding Rajesh Chauhan on a note of encouragement for the day’s assault.

Skipper Tendulkar, however, signalled Kulkarni to come and bowl. As Tendulkar explained his move to The Indian Express: “I would have still persisted with Rajesh … (left-handed Sanat) Jayasuriya been at the striking end. Rajesh had bowled his two overs well. But it was (Maravan) Atapattu who was taking strike and nobody was really expecting Nilesh to come on. I thought the surprise element may work. And it clicked.

It was a well-flighted ball, a shade outside the off stump. Atapattu, baited into the drive, was beaten in the air to edge a catch to ‘keeper Nayan Mongia. The 6’ 4” Kulkarni grew in stature in a flash as he threw up his hand in ecstasy, to be surrounding by his jubilant team-mates.

Atapattu was gone for 26. A promising innings was nipped in the bud. The Lankan classicist was elegance personified as he straight drove, flicked and off-drove Venkatesh Prasad for fours. He then administered the dosage on Anil Kumble, whom he swept and wristly late cut for two more boundaries. Indeed, he was looking in greater command than Jayasuriya, who was beaten twice outside the off stump once by Prasad and on another occasion by Chauhan. A feat in itself on a wicket devoid of any life.

There were only three fleeting moments when the bowler had some hope. On the first occasion, Chaminda Vaas bent his back to get a ball to climb hastily on Tendulkar. Later, left-arm spinner Jayanta Silva made one turn across the face of the bat to beat the batsman and on another occasion made the ball squat dangerously low outside the leg stump.

Runs came at a very fast clip in the morning, with Tendulkar and Azhar in complete control. The first hour realised 66 runs and the pre-lunch session. 106.

By lunch, Tendulkar had completed his second Test hundred as captain and the 12th overall.

Skipper Arjuna Ranatunga realised the perils of persisting with bowlers attacking the batsmen. He soon asked them to bowl away from striking range the negativity, as a defensive measure, bringing his desired objective to bring down the scoring tempo.

Azhar, who hammered Pushpakumara for seven boundaries, including four in an over which produced 18 runs, completed his half century with those seven fours. But while traversing to his innings of 126 — his fourth century against Lanka and 18 in Tests he could hit just four more boundaries. Such were the defensive measure adopted by Lanka.

Tendulkar, too, struggled to combat the defensive measures. For nearly 35 overs and between his progress from 86 to 126, he could find the boundary just once.

Tendulkar’s third and biggest hundred against Lanka ended when he failed in his attempt to clear the man on the long-on fence. The Tendulkar-Azhar stand was worth 221 an Indian high for the fourth wicket in Tests against Lanka.The two premier batsman of the country had, earlier in the season, added 222 against South Africa at Capetown. But that was against a more qualitative attack and on a track that was much different. It was accomplished in style the runs coming in just 175 minutes.

Ganguly followed Tendulkar at the same score, driving Jayasuriya into the hands of slip Roshan Mahanama.

Azhar came out with apparent instructions to get after the bowling. He slammed the first ball he received after tea and found Muttiah Muralitharan acting the bogey man again. Murli, who took a mind-boggling catch in the Asia Cup final to dismiss Azhar, this time plucked a return catch when the velocity of the ball looked like destroying anyone and anything on its path.The Indian tail wagged a bit through Kumble, Chauhan and Abey Kuruvilla before the declaration came.

The Indian skipper was realistic at the close of play. He said that the wicket has not changed in character at all and that it would be an toil for the bowlers.SCOREBOARD

INDIA (1st innings): N Mongia c Jayawardena b Pushpakumara 7 (59m, 38b), N Sidhu c Kaluwitharana b Vaas 111 (260m, 200b, 2×6, 13×4), R Dravid c&b Jayasuriya 69 (252m, 197b, 10×4, S Tendulkar c Jayawardena b Muralitharan 143 (294m, 247b, 20×4), M Azharuddin c&b Muraliatharan 126 (289m, 199b, 11×4), S Ganguly c Mahanama b Jayasuriya 0 (6m, 5b), A Kumble not out 27 (112m, 76b, 2×4), R Chauhan c Vaas b Jayasuriya 23 (48m, 49b, 1×6, 3×4), A Kuruvilla c Atapattu b Pushpakumara 9 (25m, 10b, 1×6). Extras (b10, nb12): 22. Total (for eight wickets declared in 167.3 overs and 675 minutes): 537.

Fall of wickets: 1-36(Mongia, 12.4), 2-183 (Sidhu, 66.2), 3-230 (Dravid, 77.3), 4-451 (Tendulkar, 138.4), 5-451 (Ganguly 139.5), 6-479 (Azharuddin (150.1), 7-516 (Chauhan 163.3), 8-537 (Kuruvilla, 167.3).

Bowling: Vaas 23-4-80-1, Pushpakumara 19.3-2-97-2, Jayawardena 2-0-6-0, Muralitharan 65-9-174-2, Silva 39-3-122-0, Jayasuriya 18-3-45-3, Atapattu 1-0-3-0.

Sri Lanka (1st innings): S Jayasuriya batting 12 (42m, 26m, 2×4), M Atapattu c Mongia b Kulkarni 26 (42, 31b, 5×4).

Fall of wickets: 1-39 (Atapattu, 9.1 overs).

Bowling: Prasad 3-0-16-0, Kuruvilla 2-1-10-0, Chauhan 2-1-1-0, Kumble 2-0-12-0, Kulkarni 0.1-0-0-1.