August 03, 2008	Sunday	Rajab 30, 1429

GALLE (Sri Lanka), Aug 2: Sri Lanka grabbed three big wickets in the closing session to throw the second Test against India wide open on the third day at the Galle International Stadium here on Saturday.

India were strongly placed at 144-1 before slipping to 200-4 in their second innings at stumps, with Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Chaminda Vaas sharing wickets.

The tourists are now only 237 ahead with six wickets in hand. Saurav Ganguly and Vangipurappu Laxman had yet to open their accounts when bad light stopped play.

India appeared to have seized the initiative after attacking knocks from Gautam Gambhir (74), Virender Sehwag (50), Rahul Dravid (44) and Sachin Tendulkar (31) before losing their way.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 292 in their first innings on the stroke of lunch in reply to India’s 329, with skipper Mahela Jayawardene top-scoring with a stylish 86.

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh played a big role in India gaining the lead as he grabbed 6-102 for his 22nd haul of five or more wickets in a Test innings.

He was brilliantly supported by leg-spinner Anil Kumble (3-81).

Left-handed Gambhir and Sehwag then gave India a flying start for a second successive time in the match, adding 90 for the opening wicket. They had put on 167 in the first innings.

Sehwag again showed the way as he followed his first-innings 201 not out with a blazing fifty, blunting the Sri Lankan spin attack with his aggressive approach.

He reached his fifty off 49 balls before he fell playing an uppish drive off paceman Vaas, with Tillekeratne Dilshan timing his jump to perfection to take a superb catch in the covers.

Gambhir, who made 56 in the first innings, also used his feet remarkably well against spinners Mendis and Muralitharan to complete a second successive half-century.

He had been batting fluently before being bowled by Mendis, attempting to pad away a delivery that turned in sharply to hit the off-stump.

Sri Lanka bounced back into the match when they dismissed Tendulkar and Dravid in the space of eight deliveries.

Tendulkar was caught in the slips driving an away-going delivery from Vaas, while Dravid was adjudged leg-before off Muralitharan.

Dravid was initially given not out by umpire Billy Doctrove

of the West Indies, but the

Sri Lankan captain requested the official to review the decision under a new experimental rule which is on trial in the series.

Doctrove changed his decision after consulting TV umpire Gamini Silva of Sri Lanka.

The Indian spinners earlier shattered Sri Lanka’s hopes of gaining the lead by sharing five wickets, with Kumble taking three and Harbhajan two. The hosts could add only 77 to their overnight total of 215-5.

Jayawardene, averaging 99.21 before this match at this venue, was the lone batsman to thwart the Indian spinners. He looked set to complete his 24th Test hundred before being caught behind off Kumble.

The teams observed a two-minute silence before the match in memory of former India batsman Ashok Mankad, who died in Mumbai on Friday.

Sri Lanka lead 1-0 in the three-match series following their win by an innings and 239 runs in the opening Test in Colombo.

Scoreboard

INDIA (1st Innings) 329 (V. Sehwag 201 not out, G. Gambhir 56; B.A.W. Mendis 6-117).

SRI LANKA (1st Innings, overnight 215-5):

M.G. Vandort c Dravid b Zaheer 4

M. Warnapura c Gambhir b Harbhajan 66

K.C. Sangakkara c and b Harbhajan 68

M. Jayawardene c Karthik b Kumble 86

T.T. Samaraweera lbw b Harbhajan 14

T.M. Dilshan c Gambhir b Harbhajan 0

P. Jayawardene c Laxman b Harbhajan 24

W.P.U.J.C. Vaas c Harbhajan b Kumble 1

K.M.D.N. Kulasekara not out 5

B.A.W. Mendis lbw b Kumble 0

M. Muralitharan c Ganguly b Harbhajan 0

EXTRAS (B-10, LB-12, NB-2) 24

TOTAL (all out, 93.3 overs) 292

FALL OF WKTS: 1-4, 2-137, 3-144, 4-192, 5-192, 6-250, 7-255, 8-291, 9-291.

BOWLING: Zaheer Khan 9-1-51-1 (2nb); Sharma 8-1-36-0; Kumble 36-7-81-3, Harbhajan Singh 40.3-8-102-6.

INDIA (2nd Innings):

G. Gambhir b Mendis 74

V. Sehwag c Dilshan b Vaas 50

R. Dravid lbw b Murali 44

S.R. Tendulkar c M. J’wardene b Vaas 31

S.C. Ganguly not out 0

V.V.S. Laxman not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-1) 1

TOTAL (for four wkts, 56.4 overs) 200

FALL OF WKTS: 1-90, 2-144, 3-200, 4-200.

BOWLING (to-date): Vaas 13-4-32-2; Kulasekara 5-0-31-0; Muralitharan 21-1-70-1; Mendis 17.4-3-66-1.—AFP