Jayawardene’s double ton floors India
Sri Lanka lead India by 165 runs in First Test:
Former captain Mahela Jayawardene scored his sixth double-century as
Sri Lanka seized control of the first Test against India here on
Wednesday. Jayawardene was unbeaten on 204 as the tourists closed the
third day at 591-5 in their first innings, a lead of 165 runs over
India’s 426 with five wickets in hand at the Motera stadium.
Sri Lanka, who have never won a Test on Indian soil, have two days to
force victory with a bowling attack led by world record holder Muttiah
Muralitharan and take the lead in the three-match series.
The batting-friendly pitch helped Sri Lanka record their highest
total in India, surpassing their 420 all out in Kanpur during the 1986
series.
Wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene joined the run-riot with an
unbeaten knock of 84, helping his senior partner compile a record
216-run partnership.
It was Sri Lanka’s best sixth-wicket stand, eclipsing the 189 by
Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga against Zimbabwe in Colombo in
1997.
Jayawardene, who quit as captain earlier this year to concentrate on
his batting, has kept vigil for eight hours and hit 17 boundaries and a
six in his 27th three-figure knock.
During the day, he overtook Pakistanis Inzamam-ul Haq and Javed
Miandad, and Graham Gooch of England, to become the ninth highest scorer
in Test cricket with 8,951 runs from 108 matches.
His double-century brought him to par with his present captain Kumar
Sangakkara, former team-mate Marvan Atapattu and Miandad, who all have
six scores of 200 or more.
Only Australian legend Don Bradman (12), West Indian Brian Lara
(nine) and Englishman Wally Hammond (seven) have crossed 200 more times.
“I have learnt to manage my innings better because I know what my
weaknesses are,” said Jayawardene, 32. “It was good to get my first
hundred in India and it was important in the context of the match.
The spinners proved the most expensive with Harbhajan Singh going for
1-151 in 39 overs and Amit Sharma returning wicketless at the cost of
152 runs from 43 overs.
Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera, who resumed at the overnight
score of 275-3, put on 138 for the fourth wicket to build on opener
Tillakaratne Dilshan’s century on the second day.
Samaraweera was dismissed for 70, but all-rounder Angelo Mathews
helped Jayawardene add 43 for the fifth wicket before falling to a
controversial decision in the last over before lunch.
Mathews, who made 17, was declared caught at forward short-leg by
Australian umpire Daryl Harper even as replays showed the ball from
Harbhajan bounce off the batsman’s pad.
AFP
SCORECARDINDIA
first innings 426
SRI LANKA 1st innings (overnight 275-3)
T. Dilshan c Dravid b Zaheer 112
T. Paranavitana c Dhoni b Sharma 35
K. Sangakkara c Tendulkar b Zaheer 31
M. Jayawardene not out 204
T. Samaraweera c Yuvraj b Sharma 70
A. Mathews c Gambhir b Harbhajan 17
P. Jayawardene not out 84
EXTRAS: (b5, lb13, w3, nb17) 38
TOTAL (for 5 wkts, 160 overs) 591
TO BAT: Chanaka Welegedara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dammika Prasad, Rangana Herath.
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-74 (Paranavitana), 2-189 (Dilshan),
3-194 (Sangakkara),
4-332 (Samaraweera), 5-375 (Mathews).
BOWLING: Zaheer 30-4-93-2 (nb8, w2), Sharma 28-0-108-2 (nb3, w1),
Harbhajan 39-3-151-1, Mishra 43-6-152-0 (nb6),
Yuvraj 13-1-49-0, Tendulkar 7-0-20-0.
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