Related Links : Sri Lanka in India 2009/10 | Scorecard of Day 2 | Live Scorecard and Commentary
Sri Lanka were off to a terrible start in reply to India’s mammoth first innings total of 642. Dashing opener Tillakaratne Dilshan who struck a century in the Ahmedabad Test got dismissed in the very first ball of the innings when he miscued a pick up shot off a wayward delivery down the legside from Zaheer Khan. Pragyan Ojha, the debutant fielding at mid on held his nerve to take the skier off the leading edge from Dilshan’s blade.
The Lankans had to face 24 overs before Stumps on Day 2 which they did quite nervously. They finished the day’s play at 66 for 1 with Tharanga Paranavitana on 30 (from 64 balls with 5 fours) and Skipper Kumar Sangakkara on the same score of 30 (from 80 balls with 3 fours). Harbhajan Singh posed plenty of questions in his 7 overs in which Sangakkara was often outsmarted in the air. The left hander survived a narrow lbw shout to a ball that drifted in and struck him on the pad by the same bowler.
Pragyan Ojha had a good start to his Test career as well although he was a bit too leg stumpish. India’s bowling attack looks very promising with Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth bowling with plenty of fire. Sreesanth was unlucky not to have Paranavitana after Umpire Nigel Llong had missed a faint outside edge from the left hander. The two pacers should be getting plenty of reverse swing tomorrow.
India had resumed the last session at 639 for 7 and they could add just three more runs before the innings folded in just 4.2 overs after Tea. Yuvraj Singh (67) was the first to go after pulling Ajantha Mendis flat to mid wicket. Zaheer Khan followed him after jumping down the track to Herath but only to edge him to slip. Herath finished the innings in style by pinning Sreesanth back into the crease and striking the pad with his mystery ball that comes into the right hander with a round arm action. The left arm spinner finished with 5 for 121 in 33 overs.