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Indian bowlers do well in warm-up match

Related Link : India’s Tour of Sri Lanka 2008

India had a good beginning to their Sri Lankan tour with the bowlers doing a good job in the 3-day warm-up game at Colombo. The visitors bowled out the Jehan Mubarak led Sri Lanka Board XI team for just 224. India in reply lost Gautam Gambhir for hardly anything on the board before stumps on the first day at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground.

It was the home side that had won the toss and elected to bat first and they had an extremely bad start against the new ball attack of comeback man Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma. The Board team was at 22 for 3 and could have easily been bundled out. But fighting half centuries from left handed Thilina Kandamby and One Day Regular Chamara Silva saved the day for the Lankans. Kandamby top scored with 84 (from 138 balls with 11 fours) while Chamara Silva chipped in with 68 (from 108 balls) that came with 6 fours and a couple of sixes. Captain Jehan Mubarak was the only other significant contributor with 25 before getting lbw to Harbhajan Singh.

The Indians took nearly 72 overs to bowl out the homeside for a moderate looking 224. Zaheer Khan seems to have got into a nice shape bowling 12 overs in which he got 2 for 35. Captain Anil Kumble was the most successful with 3 for 30 in 13 overs while his spin twin Harbhajan got the wickets of Mubarak and Silva after having a long enough spell. Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel had taken a wicket each. Just before stumps, Gautam Gambhir became a casualty to Dilhara Fernando. Both sides had earlier agreed to use 12 players with 11 out of them to field. The Indian camp had rested Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Parthiv Patel and RP Singh for this match.