Jayawardene, Samaraweera reduce the deficit for Sri Lanka (Lunch Report)

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AHMEDABAD - A century-run stand between Mahela Jaywardene and Thilan Samaraweera took Sri Lanka to 375 to five in the first innings at lunch on the third day of the first cricket Test here Wednesday in reply to India’s 426.

Resuming at the overnight score of 275 for five, Jaywardene (86 batting) and Samarweera (70) completely dominated the first session of the day with a 138-run stand for the fourth wicket. Sri Lanka reduced the deficit to just 51 runs at the Sardar Patel Stadium.

Jayawardene and Samaraweera scored briskly. Their 100 runs came off in 27 overs in the morning session. But Indian bowlers picked up two wickets, Samarweera and Angelo Matthews (17), to pull back things a little in their favour.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni opted to start with spinners, but both Jayawardene and Samaraweera hardly faced any difficulties in milking Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra for easy fours. Both got to their fifties in similar fashion, hitting a four off Harbhajan.

India took the new ball in the 10th over of the day. Ishant Sharma struck soon to remove Samaraweera, who mistimed his pull. Yuvraj took an easy catch at square-leg. Samaraweera hit nine boundaries in his 145-ball innings.

Indians were again lucky after Mathews came down the track to face Harbhajann. But the ball hit the top-flap of his pad enroute to Gautam Gambhir at short leg at the stroke of the lunch break.