Tendulkar's Double Century Veers Match To Inevitable Draw
India went on top in the fourth day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the SSC in Colombo, but the match is headed towards an inevitable draw. Sachin Tendulkar’s fifth double century, a debut hundred from Suresh Raina and a well-made half century from the captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 took India past the Sri Lankan score and establish a lead of 27 runs with one wicket still standing.
The first session was crucial for both the sides. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 who came out on top at the end of the first session without losing a wicket and scoring 95 runs off 27 overs in the process.
Raina looked good right from the start and was on his way to a well-deserved hundred. He drove, hit over the top and even played his trademark shot over midwicket on his way to his century. The hundred came when he punched a ball to the off-side boundary. He became the ninth Indian batsman to score a century on debut, but the first after Virendar Sehwag did it against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 in 2001. Tendulkar, who had started the session slowly, went past 150 by the end of the session.
The second session too started on the same note. The batsmen were content on staying at the crease rather than going after the bowling. India were still behind by 155 runs at that point. Sri Lanka finally had their breakthrough when Raina chipped one straight to Kumar Sangakkara at short midwicket failing to keep an on drive down off the bowling of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajantha-c42419 Mendis.
It had been a wonderful innings from Raina. Not only did he get to his century but also supported Tendulkar when India looked to be in trouble. Dhoni was the next man in and he started well like almost all the other batsmen had done on this track. He got off the mark with a boundary over mid-off and then scored two consecutive fours off Dammika Prasad. Randiv was treated in similar fashion a few overs later and he too was hit for two consecutive boundaries.
Tendulkar got to his double hundred just before the tea break. It wasn’t an explosive innings like Sehwag’s had been but it was exactly the type of innings that India needed at that stage. He had come in at a time when India had lost both its openers in quick succession and looked to be in a spot of bother. Tendulkar was involved in three good partnerships with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/VVS-Laxman-c2772, Raina and Dhoni, the one with Raina being the largest and the most crucial.
Tendulkar was out immediately after tea and the wicket came from an unexpected source. Tillekaratne Dilshan got one to turn from around the wicket and Tendulkar hit it on his pads only to see it go in the air and the wicketkeeper accept it gratefully. Harbhajan Singh was out three balls later, when he hit one straight to midwicket.
India were still behind by 50 runs by that stage and Sri Lanka still had an outside chance of getting India out and going for the win. But Dhoni and Abhimanyu Mithun then added 51 for the eighth wicket to take India past the Sri Lankan score of 642. Dhoni then fell for 76 to Dilshan and Mithun got out when he was on 41, missing a great chance to get to his maiden fifty. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ishant-Sharma-c64566 and Pragyan Ojha survived the last over to leave India at 669/9.
The pitch still looks like a good one to bat and unless something dramatic happens tomorrow, this match has only one conclusion. India did well to save the game and the batsmen did not repeat the mistakes they did in Galle. Raina proved that he can be good in this format too, albeit on a placid track. Time for personal glory tomorrow!
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