Sri Lanka's squandered opportunity

It may sound harsh, at the end of a day when their batsmen scored 366 runs at a brisk pace, but Sri Lanka missed a trick today. The runs column looks healthy but what will concern them is the wickets lost - eight down, which might be too many on a pitch that eased after a lively first session. And, perhaps more significantly, the manner in which they were lost.

The session scores are revealing: 117 for 1 off 27 overs at lunch; 213 for 4 off 56 overs (tea) and then a strong surge in the final session that produced 153 runs off 33 overs for the loss of four more wickets.

Though there was never a dramatic collapse, those seven wickets in the final two sessions meant a waste of promising starts. Kumar Sangakkara and the two Jayawardenes - Mahela and Prasanna - faltered just when Sri Lanka were on top of the bowling. Sangakkara, the captain, would be most concerned about his own form - he has failed to post even a half-century in the six Tests he has played so far in India. The struggle he faced here in 2005 has been extended four years on, the same impatience proving again to be his undoing. In Ahmedabad, he went for an unnecessary pull when the situation was well under control; in Kanpur he dragged a widish delivery on to his stumps in the first innings and, in the second, accounted for the run out of Mahela Jayawardene while attempting to take an unnecessary and cheeky single.

Today, despite good movement in the first hour, Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan failed to hit the right lengths consistently, allowing Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana to compile their highest opening stand of the series (93). That seemed to have lulled them into some sense of security when the spinners came on and, after a few overs of sharp turn and flight and the day's first maiden, Paranavitarna tried to hit Harbhajan with the spin and faltered.

India went to lunch sensing hope and, after the break, their faith paid off as the batsmen. threw their wickets just when they got on top of the bowling. Sangakkara had hit two boundaries before trying an ugly charge against Pragyan Ojha only to be caught behind. Mahela, reckoned to be Sri Lanka's most dangerous batsman given a start, caved in to the pressure built by a testing spell of both conventional and reverse swing bowling from Sreesanth and was bounced out, caught at deep backward square-leg. Later with less than an hour's play left, Prasanna stepped out ambitiously to hit Ojha over the top but was caught at mid-on.

Luckily for Sri Lanka, Dilshan and Angelo Mathews were a bit more circumspect. Dilshan played with maturity and responsibility to set up a good platform while Mathews finally revealed his potential, and put to use his physique, to retain the advantage at the end.

Dilshan's was the more impressive innings considering he adapted to the situation successfully rather than adopting his usual hell-for-leather approach, playing the anchor as Paranavitarna assumed majority of the strike. Dilshan understood the need was to persist and not perish. The bowlers tried to attack him and lure him in alternate measure but Dilshan played selflessly to notch up a century that could prove crucial in the context of the series.

Later, Mathews adopted the Virender Sehwag approach to batting. Sehwag recently spoke about attacking tired bowlers and pushing the advantage your way in the final hour and today Mathews went after Harbhajan Singh by consistently sweeping him and using the long handle each time he received a loose ball. It would be a commendable effort if Mathews reaches his maiden hundred, but he would be happier if Sri Lanka can inch towards 500.