da 888： Harbhajan Singh racked the Sri Lankan top order, taking 4 for 24 asSri Lanka limped to 131 for 5 in reply to India’s 398
The Bulletin by Amit Varma19-Dec-2005
Livescorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Harbhajan Singh racked the Sri Lankan top order © Getty Images
Harbhajan Singh racked the Sri Lankan top order, taking 4 for 24 asSri Lanka limped to 131 for 5 in reply to India’s 398. It was afrustrating day for them: first, their bowlers failed to skittle outthe remaining Indian batsmen, who added 151 to the overnight score of247 for 6, with VVS Laxman making 104 and Irfan Pathan making 82; andthen their batsmen handled Harbhajan’s offspin inadequately.Marvan Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara had shown signs of defiance,adding 60 after Upul Tharanga was out with the score on 14. ButHarbhajan changed all that. First, he induced a mistake from Atapattu,on 40, who top-edged a sweep to Virender Sehwag (74 for 2). The verynext ball, Mahela Jayawardene was defeated by spin and bounce, glovinga ball that turned into him to Mohammad Kaif at forward short leg. Notlong afterwards, Thilan Samaraweera, on the back foot, tapped asimilar delivery to Kaif (82 for 4.)Sangakkara was the next to go, for 41, bowled around his legs as hebent down to sweep (105 for 5). Tillakaratne Dilshan and Jehan Mubarak kept theinnings together till the close of play, but it was all so ironic:just a day after they had reduced India to 97 for 5, they were indanger of being made to follow on. The credit for that had to go asmuch to India’s batsmen as to Harbhajan.The story of India’s innings lies in these numbers: 86, 125, 37, 39,14. These are the partnerships, totalling to 301, that their batsmenput together after they lost those five early wickets. VVS Laxman andMahendra Singh Dhoni had added 86 yesterday, and Laxman and IrfanPathan extended their overnight partnership of 64 to 125 today. Andafter these men were out, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan allchipped in to take India close to 400. Through all this, Sri Lankabowled with fire, fielded with vigour, but were simply outbattled.They began the day with some sharp bowling, but the batsmen were up toit. Lasith Malinga was more accurate than on the first day, notoverdoing the short-pitched stuff, troubling the batsmen with a fullerlength than yesterday. He induced a couple of edges and false shotsfrom Laxman, who was otherwise unflappable. Compact and assured,Laxman played the ball late and eschewed strokeplay.Muttiah Muralitatharan, no stranger to wrapping up innings, gave theball a lot of rip and extracted prodigious turn, but the Indians wereunruffled. Pathan was watchful when the length of the ball was good,but quick to step up to the pitch of the ball when he got a chance,and unfraid to loft.It was Farveez Maharoof who eventually struck, as Laxman was beatenand bowled by an incoming ball (308 for 7). His 104 was his ninth Testcentury, in a career that has featured many exceptional innings but isinvoked for just one.At such times, seven wickets down, all their specialist batsmen out,India tend to panic. But Pathan and Agarkar, once touted as anallrounder, batted sensibly. Pathan mixed solid defence with somelusty strokeplay, seeing off testing spells from both Malinga andMuralitharan. It was Maharoof who finally trapped him lbw,as he stepped a bit too across to a ball, bowled from over the wicket,that pitched on leg and would have hit off stump (345 for 8).Agarkar and Kumble, playing his 100th Test, then had a partnershipthat spanned 73 balls, as Sri Lanka’s early advantage became just amemory. They were out in quick succession, but India’s bowlers, bythen, had plenty runs on the board to defend. And they got to work.How they were outIndiaVVS Laxman b Maharoof 104 (308 for 7)
Irfan Pathan lbw Maharoof 82 (345 for 8)
Ajit Agarkar b Malinga 26 (384 for 9)
Anil Kumble v Jayawardene b Bandara 21 (398)
Sri LankaUpul Tharanga c Dhoni b Pathan 2 (14 for 1)
Marvan Atapattu c Sehwag b Harbhajan 40 (74 for 2)
Mahela Jayawardene c Kaif b Harbhajan 0 (74 for 3)
Thilan Samaraweera c Kaif b Harbhajan 1 (82 for 3)
Kumar Sangakkara b Harbhajan 41 (105 for 5)