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India in full control of third Test :
Sehwag blasts Sri Lanka
Virender Sehwag smashed a scintillating unbeaten double century as
India turned the tables on Sri Lanka in the third and final cricket Test
on Thursday.
Sehwag made 284 not out to lift the hosts to 443-1 by stumps on the
second day at the Brabourne stadium in reply to Sri Lanka’s first
innings total of 393.
The Delhi opener has so far hit 40 boundaries and seven sixes in his
239-ball innings, his sixth knock of 200 or more, two of which were
converted into triple hundreds.
If he makes 16 more runs on Friday to reach 300, Sehwag will become
the first batsman in history to score three triple-centuries. Australian
legend Don Bradman and West Indian great Brian Lara have two each.
Sehwag made light of the bounce and turn on the Brabourne stadium to
share two double-century partnerships during the run-riot, cheered by
15,000 boisterous home fans.
He put on 221 for the first wicket with Murali Vijay (87) and 222 for
the unbroken second with Rahul Dravid, whose share in the partnership
was 62.
Vijay, playing the Test only because Gautam Gambhir was unavailable
due to his sister’s wedding, matched his partner’s audacious strokeplay
with 10 boundaries and a six. Vijay became Sri Lanka’s lone success of
the day when he was trapped leg-before by left-arm spinner Rangana
Herath before tea when he missed an attempted sweep.
India scored 168 runs from 27 overs in the post-lunch session and 183
more in 34 overs in the final two hours to increase Sri Lanka’s misery.
Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, the world’s leading bowler with 788
wickets, conceded 119 runs in 20 wicketless overs, while Herath went for
112 runs in his 22 overs.
Sehwag appeared to carry on from his 131 in the second Test in Kanpur
last week, which India won by an innings and 144 runs to take a 1-0 lead
in the series.
When he reached 48 by lofting Herath for a six over long-off, Sehwag
went past the 6,000-run mark in his 72nd Test.
Sehwag reached his double century with four boundaries in one over
from seamer Nuwan Kulasekara after tea.
Earlier, Sri Lanka were dismissed 25 minutes after the start when
they resumed their first innings at the overnight total of 366-8.
All-rounder Angelo Mathews was run out on 99 as he attempted a second
run to reach his maiden Test century after playing a shot to deep
square-leg.
Sachin Tendulkar swooped on the ball and rifled in a return to
wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who broke the stumps a split second
before Mathews made his ground. MUMBAI, Thursday, AFP
SRI LANKA 1st innings
(overnight 366-8):
T. Paranavitana c Dravid b Harbhajan 53
T. Dilshan c Vijay b Harbhajan 109
K. Sangakkara c Dhoni b Ojha 18
M. Jayawardene c Sehwag b Sreesanth 29
T. Samaraweera c Vijay b Harbhajan 1
A. Mathews run out 99
P. Jayawardene c Harbhajan b Ojha 43
N. Kulasekara c Dhoni b Zaheer 12
R. Herath c Dravid b Harbhajan 1
M. Muralitharan not out 4
C. Welegedara lbw b Ojha 8
EXTRAS: (b4, lb6, nb4, w2) 16
TOTAL (all out, 94.4 overs) 393
Fall of wickets: 1-93, 2-128, 3-187, 4-188, 5-262, 6-329, 7-359, 8-362, 9-379, 10-393 .
Bowling: Zaheer 19-2-70-1 (nb4, w1), Sreesanth 16-1-82-1 (w1),
Harbhajan 32-3-112-4, Ojha 23.4-1-101-3, Yuvraj 4-0-18-0.
INDIA 1st innings:
M. Vijay lbw b Herath 87
V. Sehwag not out 284
R. Dravid not out 62
EXTRAS: (lb3, nb7) 10
TOTAL (for one wkt, 79 overs) 443
Fall of wicket: 1-221 (Vijay).
Bowling: Welegedara 11-1-48-0 (nb2), Kulasekara 11-0-66-0, Herath 11-1-62-1,
Muralitharan 11-0-74-0, Mathews 1-0-7-0 |
