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Day 1: Ramesh and Dravid in record stand

By Nelson Clare in Colombo

SADAGOPAN RAMESH hit his maiden Test century as India took the upper hand against Sri Lanka in their Asian Test championship match yesterday.

India were 351 for three at the close of the first day with Sachin Tendulkar, who stroked an unbeaten 53 in as many balls, and captain Mohammad Azharuddin, 19 not out, consolidating on an impressive start.

Ramesh, who hit 143, shared an Indian Test record second-wicket stand of 232 with Rahul Dravid (107), hitting 18 fours in his 317-minute innings.

Sloppy fielding played a part in Sri Lanka's struggle after they had won the toss. Their solitary success in the morning was the dismissal of Vangipurappu Laxman, who edged a rising delivery from debutant paceman Ruchira Perera and was taken at first slip.

Ramesh fell when he was caught after driving uppishly off Mahela Jayawardene and Arjuna Ranatunga held a juggling catch to send back Dravid off the bowling of Chandika Hathurusinghe.

Day 2: Sri Lanka take up run chase

By Nelson Clare in Colombo

MAHELA Jayawardene produced a half-century as Sri Lanka made a positive start in reply to India's imposing 518 for seven declared on the second day of their Asian Test Championship match yesterday.

Jayawardene's unbeaten 59 off 74 balls included nine fours and an on-driven six off spinner Harbajan Singh, as Sri Lanka reached 121 for two. He was given a life at 25 when Vangipurappu Laxman, at short leg, spilled a bat-pad catch.

India's Test debutant, Ashish Nehra, captured his maiden wicket when he trapped Marvan Atapattu for six. Sri Lanka's other opener, Russel Arnold, made 34 in two hours and added 75 for the second wicket with Jayawardene before Rahul Dravid ran him out.

Mohammad Azharuddin, the India captain, and Saurav Ganguly made half-centuries to lift their side's total by 94 between lunch and tea. Azharuddin fell to a diving catch by Chandika Hathurusinghe at long-on for 87.

He batted for 218 minutes and hit 12 fours, sharing a 112-run fifth-wicket stand with Ganguly (56).

Day 3: Ranatunga relieved by rain as Sri Lanka stand ground

By Anthony Shaw in Colombo

SRI LANKA reached 293 for four, still in need of 26 runs to avoid the follow-on, when rain stopped play on the third day of their Asian Test championship match against India here yesterday.

Mahela Jayawardene was unbeaten on 128 as he consolidated Sri Lanka's innings with an unbroken stand of 115 runs for the fifth wicket with captain Arjuna Ranatunga.

When the final session was shortened by heavy rain, Ranatunga was not out on 66 and appeared pleased to call it a day after hurting a leg and having to call in a runner. Play ended 40 minutes after the tea break with 31.2 overs of the day's quota of 90 remaining.

Jayawardene reached his century with a six over long-on off a ball from off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. He had occupied the crease for 403 minutes and faced 265 balls.

Continuing from 59 overnight, Jayawardene survived a second chance when forward short leg Vengipurappu Laxman failed to hold a catch with the batsman on 63 off the bowling of Anil Kumble. Jayawardene had been dropped on 25 on the previous day by the same fielder. But he rode his luck further with his score on 97 when Sourav Ganguly at first slip missed a catch off the bowling of Singh.

Resuming from an overnight 121 for two, Sri Lanka took lunch at 184 for four after losing Chandika Hathurusinghe for 14 and Aravinda de Silva, who was bowled round his legs by Singh for 23.

Day 4: Kumble strikes back

By John Burrows in Colombo

INDIAN leg-spinner Anil Kumble grabbed four wickets in just 3.1 overs yesterday to leave Sri Lanka 33 runs in arrears after the first innings of their Asia Test Championship match here.

Sri Lanka reached 466 for six but lost their last four wickets for 19 runs as Kumble finished the fourth day with figures of four for 134.

India were 59 for one at the close, an overall lead of 92. They batted for only 69 minutes in their second innings before bad light ended play with 10 overs remaining.

Mahela Jayawardena, 21, earlier became the sixth player in Sri Lankan Test history to score a double century, when he contributed 242 to a total of 485, hitting 30 fours and two sixes in a marathon innings which lasted 677 minutes.

Day 5: Tendulkar tucks in for century

By Nelson Clare in Colombo

SACHIN Tendulkar stroked his 19th Test century for India as the Asian Championship match against Sri Lanka ended in a draw yesterday.

India, 33 ahead on first innings, extended their overnight second innings of 59 for one to 306 for five when play ended on the final day.

Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 124 in 308 minutes, hitting 10 fours and a six, and shared a third-wicket stand of 139 with Saurav Ganguly.

Ganguly scored a sedate 78 before being stumped by Romesh Kaluwitharana when attacking the occasional off-spin of Aravinda de Silva just before tea.

India lost their captain, Mohammad Azhaurddin, and leg-spinner Anil Kumble after the interval before Venkatesh Prasad, who was promoted in the order, played out time with Tendulkar.

Opener Vangipurappu Laxman was earlier out for 25 in the eighth over of the morning session when he was lbw to Eric Upushantha.

Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga did not take the field yesterday after straining a hamstring and later ruled himself unfit to face Pakistan in the third and final round-robin match of the championship, starting in Lahore on Thursday.

De Silva was appointed to lead the side in his place but the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka said a few hours later that he, too, was being replaced due to injury.

Hashan Tillekeratne will captain Sri Lanka in the Lahore Test, which will decide who plays Pakistan in the championship final in Dhaka starting on March 12.

Pakistan, who beat India in Calcutta, lead the table with 17 points from one match. India have 10 points from their two games and Sri Lanka have four points from one match.