Mahela’s double-ton raises Sri Lanka’s hopes of victory (Roundup)

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AHMEDABAD - Former captain Mahela Jayawardene cracked a chanceless double-century as Sri Lanka took a 165-run first innings lead against India by the close of third day’s play in the first cricket Test here Wednesday.

At stumps, Mahela was unbeaten on 204 and Prasanna Jayawardene 84 as Sri Lanka piled up 591 for five, in reply to India’s 426, at Motera’s Sardar Patel Stadium here.

With a 165-run lead and five wickets in hand, the visitors can press home the advantage in the remaining two days to record their maiden Test victory in India.

It was Mahela’s sixth double century, his second against India, while inspiring first Thilan Samaraweera (70) to stitch a 138-run partnership and then an unfinished 216-run stand with Prasanna.

The Sri Lankans maintained a brisk rate of scoring to accumulate 316 runs in the day after resuming at 275 for three.

Mahela and Samaraweera dominated the first session with their fourth-wicket stand and the last two sessions belonged to the sixth-wicket pair as India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni ran out of ideas.

Dhoni used six bowlers but none could stop Mahela and Co. from joining the run feast triggered by opener Tillkeratne Dilshan’s 112 on the second day.

Indian bowlers toiled for their two wickets, Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews (17) who fell in the pre-lunch session.

The 32-year-old Mahela, who stepped down from captaincy in March to concentrate on his batting, played with skill and panache and the Indian bowling hardly made any impression on him.

Mahela hit 17 fours and a six in his knock which occupied 330 balls. Prasanna played a perfect foil to Mahela by rotating the strike and quietly raising his own score.

Dhoni started the proceedings with spinners, but both Mahela and Samaraweera hardly had any difficulty milking off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and leggie Amit Mishra for easy runs.

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 a good catch leaping to his right at square-leg. Samaraweera hit nine fours in his 145-ball innings.

Indians were lucky to get Mathews just before lunch, adjudged caught bat-pad, but the television replays showed the ball brushing the flap of the pad on its way to Gautam Gambhir at short-leg. The two quick wickets brought some smile back to the Indian camp but it faded slowly as the day progressed.