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Monday, 19 December 2005 |
Cricket: India fight back against Sri Lanka
India fought back well after a collapse to end day one of the final
Test against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad on 247-6. The hosts were reduced to
125-5 at tea as Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga took two
wickets each.
Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan took the crucial wicket of Sachin Tendulkar (23), who was caught at short-leg.
But VVS Laxman hit an unbeaten 71, putting on 86 with wicket-keeper
Mahendra Dhoni (49) and 64 with Irfan Pathan (39no) to lead the
recovery.
Sri Lanka will be disappointed after their inexperienced attack -
missing flu sufferers Chaminda Vaas and Dilhara Fernando - ran through
the hosts' top order on a good batting track.
India, leading 1-0, were without Rahul Dravid who was ill with
gastroenteritis and whose run of 94 consecutive Tests since his debut
in England in 1996 was ended.
Leg-spinner Anil Kumble became the fifth Indian to play in 100 Tests
and would have been delighted when stand-in captain Virender Sehwag won
the toss and opted to bat.
After heavy dew on the grass delayed the action for an hour, Virender Sehwag and Gautum Gambhir began aggressively.
Lasith Malinga was particularly expensive but he struck when Gautum
Gambhir went after a shorter one outside off-stump and was caught at
mid-wicket by Upul Tharanga.
It became 52-2 when the paceman's sharp in-cuitter beat Virender Sehwag's defences and clattered into the stumps.
Sachin Tendulkar adopted a patient approach, hitting only two fours in
his 66-ball 23, before gloving Muttiah Muralitharan to Jehan Mubarak.
He was the first of three wickets to fall in quick succession as Yuvraj
Singh edged Muttiah Muralitharan to Thilan Samaraweera at slip and Kaif
pulled leg-spinner Malinga Bhandara straight to Marvan Atapattu at
mid-wicket.
But VVS Laxman survived a bat-pad shout on 51 off Malinga Bhandara -
replays suggested that the ball had taken the inside edge - to compose
a 194-ball knock featuring nine fours.
The scoring rate improved with the arrival of Mahendra Dhoni, who
smashed seven boundaries in 64 balls before Muttiah Muralthiran trapped
him lbw.
Irfan Pathan took over Mahendra Dhoni's role and had seven fours
against his name before stumps were drawn after an hour's extension in
the evening to make up for lost time at the start.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 December 2005 )
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