Lackluster India have a battle on their hands to save defeat

Three sparkling centuries by the Lankan batsmen following Marvan Atapattu''s 108 yesterday, shut India out of the third test at Colombo on day three. Making mockery of the lackluster fare served out by the Indian bowlers, Jayawardene (139) Tillekaratne (136*) and an unbeaten 103 by debutant Samaraweera helped Sri Lanka pileup a mammoth 610/6 in reply to India''s 234.
Needing to score 376 to make the Lankans bat again and avoid the humiliation of an innings defeat, Das and Ramesh were braving the storm with the score reading 28/0 at stumps. Earlier, as soon as Samaraweera playing with a runner completed his century on debut, skipper Jayasuriya declared the innings with a first innings lead of 376 runs.
This was Sri Lanka''s second highest Test score, their highest being 952/6 also against India at Colombo. On a day that saw the fielders regularly scurrying after the ball, India was only able to claim the wicket of Jayawardene who on 139 was adjudged lbw to Sairaj Bahutule.
Apart from that there was little joy for Ganguly and his men as the bowlers got flogged to all parts of the ground. The Indian skipper used seven bowlers, including Ramesh and Badani but all in vain. Trump card Harbhajan looked distressed and caused no trouble to the Lankan bastmen who made the most of splendid batting conditions.
Mahela Jayawardene who was 95 not out overnight, struck his seventh Test century and his third against India when he swept Harbhajan to the midwicket fence. Leg spinner Sairaj Bahutule made the breakthrough for India when he trapped Jayawardene lbw. The stylish batsman scored 139 with 14 fours and one six.
The dismissal was the only bright spot for India, as Hashan Tillakaratne on a comeback trail and all rounder Thilan Samaraweera took the Indian bowlers to the cleaners. Tillakaratne notched up his seventh Test century and Samaraweera his maiden Test fifty soon after. Sri Lanka were 533 for six at tea with Tillakaratne on 112 and Samaraweera on 50. Tillakaratne and Samaraweera brought up the hundred run partnership for the seventh wicket off 171 balls.
Both the batsman played the Indian bowlers with great ease, rotating the strike and punishing the loose deliveries. The Indian bowlers already wilting under pressure, succumbed to the wiles of the Lankan batsmen, bowling without much imagination.