Tue, Jul 20 10 01:27 PM
Galle (Sri Lanka), Jul 20 (PTI) Off-colour pacer Ishant Sharma finally struck form with a three-wicket haul as India came back strongly to leave Sri Lanka 361 for 6 in their first innings at lunch on the third day of the rain-hit first cricket Test here today. After the second day was completely washed out, play resumed today after an hour''s delay with Sri Lanka at 256 for two. Ishant, who has been struggling for quite some time, tasted his first success when he induced a nick from centurion Tharanga Paranavitana which went straight to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Paranavitana (111) poked at the moving delivery off the backfoot and the diving Indian skipper made no mistake. Debutant Abhimanyu Mithun then struck another blow to the Lankan line-up when he had new batsman Thilan Samaraweera (0) trapped leg before. The ball that slanted in late caught Samaraweera unawares and the Hawkeye showed the it may have just kissed the top of the middle stump. Samaraweera had earlier got a reprieve when Rahul Dravid dropped a sitter off the bowling of Mithun at first slip. The outside edge looped up and carried straight into the Dravid''s lap but failed to stick. However, former Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene took a measure of the Indian fast bowlers as he cut a Mithun bouncer over the slip cordon for a boundary. Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews sought to accelerate the score in the rain-marred Test. Jayawardene later got the benefit of the doubt when his attempted sweep popped into Gautam Gambhir''s hand at short leg. The third umpire ruled that the ball had bounced before carrying to Gambhir. Sri Lanka''s 300 runs came in 348 minutes in 81.4 overs. Dhoni decided to bring back the fast bowlers in pursuit of further wickers as both Mathews and Jayawardene showed little difficulty in playing the spinners. Ishant was unlucky not to get early breakthroughs as he troubled the batsmen but finally got Jayawardene who missed an attempted flick and was given LBW out. Jayawardene''s 48-run knock was laced with six hits to the boundary. Ishant then got Mathews as he nipped an away going delivery to be neatly taken by Lakshman at second slip. Prasanna Jayawardene (20) and Rangana Herath (0) were at the crease when the break was taken.
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