India inch closer to victory in Kanpur Test (Lunch report)
By IANSFriday, November 27, 2009
KANPUR - India were two wickets away from registering a resounding victory against Sri Lanka in the second cricket Test at the Green Park stadium here Friday.
Following on, Sri Lanka were 206 for eight at lunch on the fourth day. The visitors were bowled out for 229 in their first innings in reply to India’s imposing total of 642.
Sri Lanka trail by 207 runs with Thilan Samaraweera (54) and Ajantha Mendis (5) at the crease.
Resuming at 57/4, Sri Lanka lost four wickets in the session. Harbhajan Singh (3-70) took two wickets while Zaheer Khan and Pragyan Ojha got one each.
Angelo Mathews was the first to be dismissed when he top-edged a pull off a Zaheer Khan delivery and was safely pouched by Rahul Dravid.
Harbhajan Singh then removed Prasanna Jayawardene and Rangana Herath.
The off spinner rattled the stumps of Jayawardene with a turning delivery. Herath was trapped lbw with a straighter one.
Muttiah Muralitharan (29) played an entertaining cameo, picking up Harbhajan for special treatment.
He sent Harbhajan soaring over long on for a six in the second ball he faced and then struck two consecutive four in the next two balls.
Muralitharan was finally bowled while trying to hit a second six off Ojha, but missed the line of delivery completely.
Samaraweera, who earlier in the day had struck three fours in an S. Sreesanth over,
brought up his 50 with a four of Ojha. He hit eight fours in his 84-ball stay.
