Day 2 Report

India were all out for 511 off the penultimate ball of the second day, Nayan Mongia caught by Samaraveera off Muralitharan for 44. V. Raju was not out on 5. It did seem that the tailenders were told to push the score rapidly in order for an overnight declara- tion (this is just my opinion). Mongia hit Wickremasighe for two fours while Raju added a third off the penultimate over of the day. Earlier Sachin Tendulkar was the first to get out on the second day out for 142. Tendulkar hit 4 fours off the first over of the morning (when 75 min of play was lost due to foggy condi- tions) off Wickremasinghe to reach his hundred. Azhar was un- characteristically slow and was the next to go after having made 47.

Manjrekar started quite briskly and he and Kapil were going good before Muralitharan struck getting both. Manjrekar was caught and bowled by Muralitharan for 61 whereas kapil was caught by wickremasinghe b muralitharan for 42. Manjrekar fell at 6/446 whereas kapil was out at 7/458. Kumble and Mongia then had a 24 run partnership, the latter doing most of the scoring. Kumble was eventually bowled by Wickremasinghe for 4 at 8/482. Ra- jesh Chauhan soon followed after having made 3 at 9/491. Mural- itharan ended up with 5 wickets in the match. Crucial days of play lies ahead tomorrow.

Thanks to Shash (sshah@merle.acns.nwu.edu)

Sachin Tendulkar hit a stylish 142 as India amassed 511 runs in the first innings of the first test against Sri Lanka. Sanjay Manjrekar celebrated his return to the Indian team with a sedate 61 and newcomer Nayan Mongia slammed a quick fire 44. The Indian innings ended on the penultimate ball of the day with Sri Lankan off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan scalping five wickets. Muralithran was the most punished bowler though giving away 162 runs.

Thanks to goo-chie (jdw5@*.ukc.ac.uk)

Day 3 Report

Sri Lanka faced a probable follow on after leg spinner Anil Kumble plucked four wickets on the third day of the first test. Replying to India's first innings score of 511 the visitors still needed 115 to avoid batting again at the close of play. Sri Lanka's first wicket pair of Roshan Mahanama and Duleep Samarweera put on 120 runs. When both fell at the that score the innings came apart and to leave Sri Lanka on 197 for 7.

Thanks to goo-chie (jdw5@*.ukc.ac.uk)

Sri Lanka struggle after opening stand

Openers Roshan Mahanama and Duleep Samaraweera gave Sri Lanka a solid start in reply to India's 511 in the first test on Thursday but the other batting crumbled and the visitors managed only 197 for seven. Sri Lanka, who plunged from 120 without loss, need another 115 to avoid the follow on when play resumes on Saturday after Friday's rest day.

Anil Kumble had to wait until an hour after lunch before Mahanama became his first victim, one of his four dismissals for 69. Mahanama, who had batted with assurance and poise for his 73, mistimed a sweep. The ball rose high towards short square leg, and wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia had ample time to run from behind the stumps to claim his first test wicket. Mahanama hit six fours and faced 167 balls.

Samaraweera promptly fell leg before to Rajesh Chauhan for 42 with the total still on 120. The openers' fall started the slide, with Kumble's line and length causing major problems. Next to go was Hasan Tillekeratne (7), snicking a Kumble delivery into Mongia's gloves. Neither Aravinda de Silva nor captain Arjuna Ranatunga could stop the rot and looked overawed by the swing in fortunes. De Silva (13) departed after playing forward to a ball from Kumble while Ranatunga (9) fell after dealing half-heartedly with a delivery from Venkatapathy Raju.

Kumble removed Ruwan Kalpage (2) and Raju collected the last wicket of the day against a courageous Pubudu Dissanayake, who struck a defiant 36. Dissanayake stepped out and tried to sweep but missed the line of the ball, allowing Mongia to whip off the bails. Kapil Dev, only seven wickets short of Sir Richard Hadlee's test record of 431, bowled only seven overs.

Thanks to Vicky (VIGNESWA@*umass.edu)

Day 4 report

India's sensational leg-spinner Anil Kumble picked up a career-best seven for 59 here on Saturday as Sri Lanka were crushed by an innings margin in the first Test. The 23-year-old mechanical engineer from Bangalore returned match figures of 11 for 128, and now has an incredible tally of 77 wickets in just 14 Tests. Following on 293 runs behind, the Sri Lankan second in- nings folded up for 174 to give India a resounding victory by an innings and 119 runs and an ideal start to the three-Test series. Saturday's triumph over Sri Lanka, India's sixth victory in their last eight matches, was also their 50th victory in Test cricket. The second Test starts in the southern city of Bangalore on Janu- ary 26. The third will be played in the southern city of Ahmeda- bad from February 8.

Kumble's remarkable strike power proved too much for the bewildered Sri Lankans who lost 13 wickets in the three sessions of the fourth day's play and gave the Indians a well-deserved rest on Sunday, the scheduled fifth day. Starting the day at Thursday's score of 197 for seven in reply to India's mammoth 511, the Sri Lankans were bowled out for 218 in their first in- nings half-an-hour after the start at the wind-swept K.D. Babu Stadium. A belligerent 45 by Roshan Mahanama and 47 by Hashan Tillakaratne took Sri Lanka to 100 for one in their second in- nings half an hour after lunch.

But Sri Lankans lost six wickets for the addition of 23 runs to go to tea at an uncomfortable 123 for six. Pubudu Dassanayake and Dulip Liyanage saved Sri Lanka the blushes with a 40-run stand for the seventh wicket, but India's victory was never in doubt. However, the Sri Lankan batsmen appeared unhappy at some disputed decisions by umpire R.C. Sharama, standing in his first test. Dulip Samaraweera, who fell for 29 after padding a googly from Kumble, appeared unhappy at the decision and indi- cated to umpire Sharma that the ball had pitched too far outside the off stump. Later, Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga was caught at the wicket by Nayan Mongia, a decision the batsman disputed before angrily walking off.

Thanks to vasa (Vasanthan.Dasan@*Sun.COM)