Harbhajan Singh produced a sustained spell of bowling as India restricted the powerful Sri Lankan batting line up to 215 for 5 in their first innings on day two of the second test match continued at the Galle International Stadium yesterday.

Sri Lanka are now trailing India by 114 runs with five wickets in hand. After losing opener Michael van Dort in the very first over of the innings Kumar Sangakkara and Malinda Warnapura set the pace for another good total with a superb century stand in almost even time.

However Harbhajan Singh struck twice in successive overs to remove both Sangakkara and Warnapura and followed up with the wickets of Thilan Samaraweera and Tillekeratne Dilshan in one over. Left hander Sangakkara hammered a splendid 68 with nine boundaries while Warnapura stroked a fluent 66 inclusive of one six and ten boundaries.

Earlier Ajantha Mendis captured his maiden five wicket haul in test cricket but not before Virender Sehwag had completed an epic unbeaten double hundred that lifted India to a formidable 329 in their first innings.

If Sehwag took the honours with the bat it was Sri Lanka’s mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis who made a lasting impression by running through the Indian late order batting almost single handedly.

This was a tremendous effort considering the fact that he was playing in his second test match after having claimed a matchbag of eight wickets on his debut at the SSC grounds in Maitland Place last week. But this time the Indian batting looked more solid especially with Sehwag carrying his bat until the end.

In fact Sehwag stood between Sri Lanka and another famous Indian batting collapse by scoring his fifth double century in test cricket and his first against Sri Lanka from 227 deliveries inclusive of four sixes and 22 boundaries.

He also became the second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to have carried his bat throughout the innings and the first since 2001 where Javed Omar performed a similar role for Bangladesh against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo.

Even then the Indian opener certainly enjoyed his share of luck for the second successive day but still it was a fantastic effort considering the fact that he was forced to bat with the tailenders during the most crucial stage of the innings.

Sehwag on 182 survived a confident leg before wicket decision from the bowling of Muttah Muralitharan after the decision was referred by the third umpire. Then again on 188 he was given not out for a caught behind from the bowling of Ajantha Mendis with the television re playes clearly suggesting that the batsman had edged the delivery.

However by that stage skipper Mahela Jayawardena had already utilised his three referrals allowed for an innings and had no option but to continue with the task. Sehwag’s hopes of making a double hundred looked bleak at one stage when Zaheer Khan was ninth out with the score on 323.

Sehwag certainly proved that he is a great team player when on 199 he refused to take a single twice and preferred to shield last man Ishant Sharma rather than achieving his landmark. Sehwag in the process also became the tenth Indian batsman to have completed five thousand runs in test cricket.

INDIA 1ST INNINGS
(overnight 214-4):

G. Gambhir lbw b Mendis 56
V. Sehwag not out 201
R. Dravid c Warnapura b Mendis 2
S. Tendulkar lbw b Vaas 5
S. Ganguly c P. Jayawardene b Vaas 0
V. Laxman c Samaraweera b Mendis 39
D. Karthik lbw b Mendis 7
A. Kumble st P. Jayawardene b Muralitharan 4
H. Singh lbw b Mendis 1
Z. Khan c P. Jayawardene b Muralitharan 2
I. Sharma lbw b Mendis 0

Extras (b1, lb4, w7) 12
Total (for all out) 329

Fall of wickets: 1-167 (Gambhir), 2-173 (Dravid), 3-178 (Tendulkar), 4-178 (Ganguly), 5-278 (Laxman),
6-290 (Karthik), 7-317 (Kumble), 8-318 (Harbhajan), 9-323 (Zaheer), 10-329 (Sharma).
Bowling: Vaas 19-2-74-2 (w1), Kulasekara 8-1-40-0 (w6), Mendis 28-1-117-6, Muralitharan 27-1-93-2.

SRI LANKA
1ST INNINGS:

M. Vandort c Dravid b Zaheer 4
M. Warnapura c Gambhir b Harbhajan 66
K. Sangakkara c and b Harbhajan 68
M. Jayawardene not out 46
T. Samaraweera lbw b Harbhajan 14
T. Dilshan c Gambhir b Harbhajan 0
P. Jayawardene not out 5

Extras (b6, lb6) 12
Total (for five wickets) 215

Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Vandort), 2-137 (Warnapura), 3-144 (Sangakkara), 4-192 (Samaraweera), 5-192 (Dilshan).
Bowling: Zaheer 6-1-39-1, Sharma 8-1-36-0, Kumble 22-4-57-0, Harbhajan 25-4-71-4.