Ind vs SL: Angelo Mathews strikes as Sachin Tendulkar misses ton again

Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing well and looked destine for 100th ton, was bowled by Angelo Mathews for 48 in the second ODI of the tri-series against Sri Lanka at the WACA in Perth.

The master blaster played a sensible knock of 48 off 63 balls, which included five hits to the fence, before Mathews got better of him in the 19th over.

Tendulkar added valuable 75-run for the second wicket with Virat Kohli to revive India run chase after they lost Virender Sehwag (10) early.

Chasing a modest 234-run target, India lost opener Sehwag in the third over to be reduced to 14/1 in 2.3 overs.

Sehwag started in a typical aggressive style as he hit two fours in his short 8-ball stay on the crease before Kulasekara took a running catch at the third man area off the bowling of Lasith Malinga.

Asked to field first, Ravichandran Ashwin (3-32) and Zaheer Khan (2-44) led a fine bowling display by India as they restricted Sri Lanka to 233/8 on Wednesday.

Ashwin dismissed three crucial Sri Lankan middle-order batsmen as the Islanders failed to increase their tempo in the entire match and set a modest 234-run target for the Indians. Ashwin finished his ten overs spell with impressive figure of 3 for 32 runs.

Zaheer started Indian attack on the right note as he took two early wickets after Sri Lanka decided to bat at the bouncy WACA pitch.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-australia/top-stories/Ind-vs-SL-Angelo-Mathews-strikes-as-Sachin-Tendulkar-misses-ton-again/articleshow/11803427.cms

India vs England: Statistical highlights, fifth ODI

The Statistical highlights from the fifth and final ODI between England and India in Cardiff.

# England's 3-0 series triumph is their biggest in a bilateral series against India without losing a single game.

# England have won 33 and lost 38 out of the 76 matches contested against India - winning % 46.57 (NR 3 and Tied 2).

# India (304/6) have recorded their fifth total of 300 or more against England in England in ODIs.

# India have registered their highest total in international games against England in 2011, eclipsing their 300 in The Oval Test.

# Alastair Cook became the first England skipper to win all five tosses in a bilateral series and the second English captain overall. Alec Stewart had won all five tosses as England skipper in the 1999 World Cup.

# Virat Kohli (107) has become the second Indian player to register a hundred against England in England.

# Kohli's innings is the highest by an Indian batsman against England in England, bettering Sachin Tendulkar's 105 not out off 108 balls at Chester-le-Street on July 4, 2002.

# Kohli has become the sixth Indian after Sachin Tendulkar (three), Rahul Dravid (twice), Sourav Ganguly, Ajay Jadeja and Kapil Dev to register a hundred in ODIs in England.

# Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli were involved in a stand of 170 - India's highest against England in England for the third wicket, oovertaking the 104 between Dravid and Sourav Ganguly at Birmingham on August 27, 2007.

# The aforesaid partnership is India's second highest for the third wicket against England, next only to the 175 between Navjot Singh Sidhu and Mohammad Azharuddin at Gwalior on March 4, 1993.

# The above stand is the highest for any wicket at Sophia Gardens, surpassing the 154 for the first wicket between Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith for South Africa against Zimbabwe on July 5, 2003.

# The 170-run stand is the highest put on by Dravid against England for any wicket, obliterating the 169-run partnership for the fourth wicket at Chester-le-Street on July 4, 2002.

# Virat Kohli (107) has posted his highest innings against England, obliterating the 55 at Chester-le-Street on September 3, 2011.

# Kohli's aforesaid innings is his (highest away from home) joint second highest in ODIs - his highest being 118 against Australia at Visakhapatnam on October 20, 2010.

# Kohli has registered six centuries in ODIs - two against Bangladesh and one each against England, New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka.

# Kohli has recorded three hundreds each in India and away from home.

# Kohli's strike rate of 115.05 is his second highest amongst his centuries in ODIs, next only to the 100 not out off 83 balls (SR 120.48) against Bangladesh at Dhaka on February 19, 2011.

# Rahul Dravid (648 at an average of 38.11 in 20 matches) has become the leading Indian run-getter against England in England, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 639 at an average of 39.93 in 17 matches.

# Mahendra Singh Dhoni (236 at an average of 78.66 in five matches) has equalled an Indian record as captain in a bilateral series against England. Sourav Ganguly had the same tally - 236 in five matches at an average of 47.20 in 2001-02.

# Dhoni has recorded three fifties in succession for the first time against England - 69 at The Oval, 78 not out at Lord's and 50 not out at Cardiff.

# Dhoni has recorded a strike rate of 192.30 while posting a fifty - 50 not out off 26 balls - the highest by an Indian against England in ODIs (minimum 50), surpassing Yuvraj Singh's 176.92 at Rajkot on November 14, 2008 during his innings of 138 not out off 78 balls.

# Ravindra Jadeja has recorded his fourth duck in ODIs - his first against England.

# Virat Kohli is the leading run-scorer for India in ODIs in 2011 - 868 at an average of 39.45 in 24 matches.

# Kohli's 107 is the highest individual innings at Cardiff, obliterating the 100 by Mohammad Ashraful against Australia on June 18, 2005.

# Dhoni's sixth fifty against England is his 41st in ODIs.

# Among the captains with 1500 runs or more as captain in ODIs, Dhoni's average of 53.63 (3808 runs in 107 matches) is the highest.

# Rahul Dravid has signed off his ODI career with an excellent innings - 69 off 79 balls.

# Dravid's 83rd fifty in ODIs is his eleventh against England.

# Dravid has completed his 1,000 runs against England in ODIs - 1012 (ave.38.92) in 30 matches. He has become the fourth Indian to do so against England, joining Tendulkar (1455), Yuvraj (1187) and Virender Sehwag (1008).

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When Ponting urged Dravid not to retire

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting claims that he persuaded Rahul Dravid against retiring when the Indian batsman was written off after a string of low scores last year. Ponting also said that Dravid reciprocated the support by inspiring him during his lean patch.

Dravid, the lone Indian batsman to perform well in the team’s recent 0-4 Test whitewash at the hands of England with 461 runs, was woefully out of form last year and Ponting said he encouraged the veteran right-hander to carry on despite the criticism.

“I remember after our last series in India there was a lot of talk and speculation about Dravid being finished,” Ponting told ‘ESPNcricinfo’. “I actually went and found him at the end of the series and said ‘don’t you even think about retiring’ because I just saw some stuff in a few of his innings that suggested he was still a very, very good player.

“I just said ‘don’t let them wear you down, don’t let them get you down’. I received a similar text message before and after the Ashes from him as well,” he added.

The 36-year-old Ponting has not scored a Test century since January last year but he is confident of regaining his touch and he is looking upto Dravid for inspiration.

“There are a few (who provide an inspiration for batsmen of advancing years). Sachin (Tendulkar) and (Jacques) Kallis both had a great last year; Dravid is doing well now.

“It’s not only good for guys of my age to see guys doing that, it’s good for the younger blokes to see it as well; to know that if you keep doing the right things and working hard, and if you’ve got talent, then age is not a barrier in our game,” he said.

Speaking about the state of the game in general, Ponting said he is worried about the impact of Twenty20 on youngsters. “The big worry I’ve had about Twenty20 cricket and even other shorter forms of the game being played at really developmental times in kids’ careers is that it won’t teach them the art of concentration.

“Cricket for me when I was growing up meant batting until someone got me out, and if that took them a week then that’s how long it took them,” he said.

Source:

Team India on top in test

It has been a 77 years long stay. Indian cricket team, under the leadership of captain MS Dhoni, reached a historic achievement when it secured 124 points in ICC Test rankings to attain at the top spot. India defeated Sri Lanka on the home soil by an innings and 24 runs, thereby confirm the 3-match Test series win with 2-0. It was the second consecutive innings defeat of the Sri Lanka. Now, South Africa has been consigning to the second place. Surely it was the combined team efforts, as commented by skipper Dhoni did the magic. It was the excellent contribution of all departments of the game- the batsmen, the bowlers and the fielders, which saw the defeat of the Lankans. Sehwag's super performance has merited him with `Man of the Match' and the `Man of the Series' award. Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakara put the defeat due to the shortcomings of their bowlers. Brabourne stadium saw Test cricket returning to it after 36 years where the fans had turned up in great numbers to cheer for the team.

Now, the real defy lies with the Indian boys to sustain the top honor. Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has termed the side under MS Dhoni to be the best one. It is the combined efforts of the players which has made India proud to be on the number one spot in the Test matches.

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar expressed his delight at India becoming the No. 1 Test team in the world. It's not just the team and the support staff, you also have to give it to the selection board, who often get criticized, to the cricket board, which has backed the team, which has backed the support staff and the selection committee,".

India in good position in Mumbai Test

India took control of the third and final test match against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, with a record-breaking score of 726/9. In reply to Sri Lanka's first innings total of 393, India declared at 726/9, which is its highest score in test cricket. Sehwag was the top scorer with 293, while Dhoni remained unbeaten on 100.

India took a massive 333-run over Sri Lanka in the first innings and all set to press for a win in Mumbai. From here, India cannot lose the match. If they win this test, that will propel them to the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test Rankings.

Earlier, Virender Sehwag missed a milestone by a whisker. He was out for 293 and lost the golden opportunity to become the first cricketer in test history to score three triple hundreds. Sachin Tendulkar too fell short of completing his 13,000 runs in test cricket. He made 53. Laxman scored 62.

For Sri Lanka, Muttiah Muralitharan took 4 wickets, while Rangana Herath took 3 wickets. Sri Lanka were 11/0 at stumps on Day 3. It would be interesting to see whether the Sri Lankan batsmen can withstand the pressure and save this test match.

India Lead the Mumbai test Sehwag leads the day

Virender Sehwag smashed the second fastest double century in Test cricket and Rahul Dravid completed a fifty as India dominated with the bat on Day 2, in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka, at the Brabourne stadium, in Mumbai, on Thursday.

Sehwag celebrated the return of Test cricket to the Cricket Club of India (CCI) after nearly 37 years with an unbeaten 284 off 239 deliveries, batting nearly six hours and hitting as many as 40 boundaries and seven sixes.

At the other end, Dravid also looked quite comfortable as he finished unbeaten on 62 from 121 deliveries (five boundaries), the two batsmen having already added 222 runs in 224 deliveries for the second wicket.

India went past their own record for most runs in a day, as they finished Day 2 on a mammoth 443 for 1 in 79 overs, a lead of 50 runs, after Sri Lanka were dismissed for 393 in their innings. India's previous best score in a day's play was 419, which they put up in the previous Test in Kanpur.

The day belonged to Sehwag as he registered his sixth double century in Test cricket and his second double against Sri Lanka after the 201 not out he made in Galle last year.

Sehwag single-handedly dominated proceedings on the second day and was involved in two successive double century partnerships for the first and second wickets.

Murali Vijay, playing in only his second Test, played a fluent innings of 87 from 121 deliveries, having hit ten boundaries and a six, before he was dismissed leg before wicket by Rangana Herath.

The Tamil Nadu opener played a vital role in helping India get off to a blazing start as he added 221 runs for the opening wicket with Sehwag.

Earlier, Angelo Mathews fell agonizingly short of a maiden Test century when he was run-out for 99. Resuming on their overnight score of 366 for eight, Sri Lanka lasted 26 minutes on the second day, adding 27 runs before losing their last two wickets in 34 deliveries.

All-rounder Mathews was the first wicket to fall on the second day as he attempted a tight second run to complete his century, but Sachin Tendulkar caught him short with a brilliant throw from deep square leg.

Mathews stroked a breezy 99 from 131 deliveries, having hit 15 boundaries, before his dismissal reduced the visitors to 379 for nine in the 93rd over.

Pragyan Ojha finished off the innings when he trapped Chanaka Welegedara leg before wicket for eight. Harbhajan Singh finished as the most successful bowler for India, with figures of four for 112 in 32 overs, while Ojha claimed three for 101 in 23.4 overs.

On Day 1, Tillakaratne Dilshan smashed 109 from 160 deliveries, inclusive of ten boundaries and two sixes, his second century of the series to give the visitors a fine start.

India lead the three-match series 1-0 following their victory in the second Test at Kanpur by an innings and 144 runs. The first Test in Ahmedabad had ended in a high scoring draw.

India make their task fine in day 1 of Mumbai test

Sri Lanka finished Day 1 of the third and final test match in Mumbai at 366/8. Tillakaratne Dilshan led from the front and was wrongly given out on 109. Paranavitana and Prasanna Jayawardene made 53 and 43 respectively. Angelo Mathews is batting on 86. For India, Harbhajan Singh took 4 wickets.

The Sri Lankan batsmen played positive cricket throughout the day and scored at an average of above 4 runs per over. Indian fast bowlers were not so effective, while Harbhajan was the pick of the bowlers today. He took four wickets. Pragyan Ojha took 2 wickets.

Sri Lanka would like to score at least 425-450 and put pressure on the Indian batsmen on a turning wicket. Muralitharan and Herath have the abilities to run through the Indian batting order, while Gautam Gambhir's absence may hurt India badly.

India Ready for the Mubai test and to maintain the 1st place in the test ranking

Indian winning skipper M S Dhoni says that the players will go all out for the series win against Sri Lanka in the 3rd Test. A win against Sri Lanka in Mumbai will do the ruse and it all sets up perfectly with the Brabourne playing hosts. It's a rare prospect for India to hold onto the No 1 position in Mumbai.

After winning the first Test they jumped to the number 1 mark in Test rankings and will become the clear No 1 with 124 points. South Africa will be in the second spot and Australia will overtake Sri Lanka to the 3rd spot.

A draw will also guarantee the top spot separated only by a minor difference from South Africa.

However, if India loses to Sri Lanka in the 3rd and final Test it will be back to square one and India will slip back to the 3rd position with 119 points behind South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, all eyes will be on Sreesanth following his planetary performance in the Kanpur Test but there was a minor injury scare while the Indian team was practicing in Mumbai ahead of the final Test. Sreesanth injured his little finger of his right hand and was immediately attended to and MS Dhoni has made clear that Sreesanth will be available for the final test in Mubai.

In the meantime, his successful comeback has inspired his Kings XI teammate Irfan Pathan who is also eyeing a comeback to the national fold.

Expectations on Murali

Sri Lanka are backing Muttiah Muralitharan to return to form in the third and final test against India starting on Wednesday, the master spinner's last overseas test.

The world record holder for test and one-day international wickets will retire from the Test cricket next year but the Sri Lankans are hoping he can help them record their first test win on Indian soil to square the series 1-1.

The 37-year-old had a rough time in the first two matches, picking up five wickets at a cost of 396 runs on unhelpful pitches.

"Murali is still the lead of our attack and we back him 100 percent to turn it around and win the match for us," Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara told reporters on Tuesday.

"He's still our best spinner and he still might be the best spinner in the world. When you have that quality in the side you have to back that quality, that ability."

Leg-spinner Ajantha Mendis will miss out as Sri Lanka opt for a more balanced attack after playing three specialist spinners in the second-test defeat in Kanpur.

Indian, SL players spend time with Deprived children

It crooked out to be a memorable evening for needy children from ‘Make A Wish Foundation’ as they got to spend few fun moments with members of the Indian and Sri Lankan team on Monday.

The juncture was a fun fair at the G D Somani School in south Mumbai here organized by the Yuvraj Singh Foundation.

Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth, left arm spinner Pragan Ojha and stylish middle order batsman Yuvraj were present from the Indian side; the Sri Lankans were represented by Captain Kumar Sangakara and Mahela Jayawardene.

The children, many of them distress with life bullying diseases, had to wait for over two hours from the scheduled time but the cricketers made up for the delay by handing them gifts of their choice, besides taking stills with them.

“It’s a great opportunity to make a few wishes of these kids possible,” Yuvraj said on the occasion.

India's 1st Test victory in 1952 Century Victory in 2009 1952 victory in Madras(Chennai)2009 Victory in Kanpur put India on top of the table

India attains their biggest victory in opposition to Sri Lanka and in the process confirms their 100th Test win on the fourth day of the second Test in Kanpur. India's previous best against their neighbors was a victory by an innings and 119 runs in 1994 and they well again that with easy win today. Thilan Samaraweera resisted the inevitable with an assured fifty but it was always just a matter of time before India swathed up the match.

The only question at the start of the day was how long Sri Lanka would delay defeat. They batted positively, adding 149 runs in the first session, but India kept taking wickets at regular intervals. Samaraweera was involved in two fighting partnerships with Prasanna Jayawardene and Ajantha Mendis, which not only proved that the pitch wasn't bad for batting but also showed the top order in poor light.

India's only concern was Zaheer Khan's no-ball problems but he started the day by send away Angelo Mathews in his first over. Mathews had hit three consecutive fours, which included a pull, and Zaheer placed a man at deep square-leg and tested Mathews with more bouncers. The first was fended off in an ungainly manner and the next was top-edged to backward point where Rahul Dravid took a grabbing catch.

Samaraweera continued to stitch together a 61-run partnership with Prasanna who, much like in the first innings, grateful to mislead. He was looking good with his cuts and sweeps but was cleaned up by an off break from round the stumps from Harbhajan Singh. It glides away and broke back in but Prasanna left a big bat-pad gap and was bowled. Muttiah Muralitharan indulged himself with a typical hit-and-giggle knock filled with slog sweeps but fell, going for yet another big hit.

Samaraweera, who then added 73 runs with a determined Ajantha Mendis to frustrate India, was rarely troubled during his stay, the highlight of which was a whippy on-drive to a delivery on off and middle stump from Sreesanth. He rarely looked hurried, tackled the spinners and seemers and unfurled several pleasing on drives. The series now moves to Mumbai for the third Test that starts on December 2.

A Great Come back by Sreesanth in the Kanpur testhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

It was one of the greatest days of leading the side for MS Dhoni as his team almost dominated the Sri Lankan.

Sri Lanka were left staring at one of their most crushing defeats of recent times, hoping for a miracle as their scorecard at the end of the third day’s play read a dismal 57/4, trailing by 356 runs.

Sreesanth was emitting toxin all over again in the islanders’ second innings as he claimed opener Tillakaratne Dilshan early-on. Harbhajan too wasted no time in getting into the center of the action, getting the wicket of Captain Kumar Sangakara.

Virender Sehwag, the man with the good spin, came well and scalped Tharanga Paranavitana at a score of twenty runs, giving India its second breakthrough of the innings. It would have been sweeter if Dravid had not dropped Jayawardene yet again, but the outfit would look to amend such issues at the continuation of play tomorrow.

However, the fielding drifts was made-up for, with Yuvraj Singh being lightning fast to run Mahela Jayawardene out of his crease. The top order yet again futile to make for Sri Lanka, that too on the same 3rd day of the Kanpur test.

Dravid make India to pass 600 run mark

India piled up 642 in their first innings of the second Test at Kanpur and has Sri Lanka battling hard at 66 for 1 at Stumps on Day 2. The visitors had lost Tillakaratne Dilshan in the very first ball of their innings when he played a flick shot too early off Zaheer Khan to get caught off a leading edge. Paranavitana (30) and Sangakkara (30) have gone past some nervous moments against pace and spin to see the day through for Lanka who had to bat for 24 overs before stumps.

Overnight batsman Rahul Dravid went onto score 144 (from 226 balls with 15 fours and a six) before getting run out at the non-striker’s end for no fault of his. His overnight partner Sachin Tendulkar was the first to depart on the second day after failing in an attemt to loft Ajantha Mendis over mid off. It was in the same over that Tendulkar had taken the bowler for a straight six over his head. Sachin fell having scored 40 from 91 balls. VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh helped themselves to score 60s to put on a century stand for the fifth wicket.

India was charging towards the 700-run mark but were bowled out for less than 650 itself with left arm spinner Rangana Herath producing some late magic. Herath produced a couple of sensational deliveries that came back with the arm instead of turning away from the right hander. Skipper MS Dhoni and Harbhajan were the victims of those deliveries as they got bowled through the bat pad gap. Herath wrapped up the Indian innings with a five-wicket haul.

Virender Sehwag Expectations for the win in Kanpur test

Virender Sehwag smack a reverberating century at the placid Green Park Stadium pitch here and promptly predicted a score upwards of 700 for the home side. "Once we have 700 or 800 on the board, we can put them under strain and go for a win," said Sehwag, who struck 131 and was coupled in an important 233-run stand with opening partner Gautam Gambhir, the second double-century stand between the two at the venue.

"I think the pitch will help spinners later on in the match and I am optimistic we can bag the 20 wickets needed for a win. We have done that long-ago, against Australia in Mohali last year, and we can do it again," said Sehwag. "As of now, this pitch looks as good for batting as Motera, but it is slightly slower and the ball skids on a little. I think we have done a good job of capitalizing batting on the first day as it may not be so easy batting on it towards the end," he added.

Sehwag said the opening pair's plan of seeing off the early overs had paid rich dividends. "I got an early chance but I decided to leave balls outside the off stump from then on. I knew it was a matter of seeing off some overs and was confident of knocking the spinners around for some runs, though we were not targeting any bowler as such," said the opener, who was all extol for Gambhir. "Gautam is in superb form and I told him early on to concentrate and get a fourth consecutive century in Tests and go on to set some kind of record. He once hit centuries in five consecutive Ranji Trophy matches, so he is used to this kind of run," reminded Sehwag.

Sehwag said he was not concerned at missing a 150-plus score after passing that figure in each of his previous 10 Test centuries. "I don't repent playing that shot against to the spin of Muralitharan. And 131 is not a small score," he said.

India Ready for the Test inKanpur

Their batting inconsistency and bowling frailties laid bare in the yard-earned draw in Ahmedabad, India go into the second Test against Sri Lanka on Tuesday hoping not to repeat the follies again.

The famed Indian batting line-up both embarrassed and redeemed itself in the Ahmedabad shirtfront, where it collapsed like a house of cards in the first innings and then rose from its ruins in the second to salvage a draw from the jaws of a seemingly imminent defeat.

But to expect such resurgence everyday would be to invite trouble and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men would do well to learn the lessons from their Ahmedabad escapade and mend their way.

Source: CNN

Sachin Saves the India In the last day of the 1st test against Sri Lanka

Sachin Tendulkar was unbeaten on exactly 100 and passed 30,000 international runs as India batted out for a draw in the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir, who made 114, helped India to 412 for four wickets when the match was called off on the fifth day.

The home side had faced a massive 334 runs deficit on first innings and were in danger of losing a Test to the Sri Lankans for the first time on home soil.

Batting maestro Tendulkar reached the new record landmark, he is the leading run-getter iin Test and one--day internationals, when he reached 35 soon after lunch, turning Chanaka Welegedara to square-leg for a routine single.

He was on his way to his 43rd Test century, but the result was still in doubt when Gambhir departed.

But Tendulkar compiled an unbroken fifth wicket stand of 137 with VVS Laxman, who finished unbeaten on 51.

It completed a high-scoring Test in which 1,598 runs were scored with just 21 wickets falling.

Sri Lanka placed their hopes on Test world record holder Muttiah Muralitharan but he was wicketless in the second innings despite bowling 38 overs.

Gambhir was making his third century in successive Tests, but once again it was Tendulkar who stole the headlines as the 36-year-old continues to add more runs to his massive tally.

The second Test of the three-Test series starts in Kanpur on Tuesday.

In other cricket news, the first one-day international between South Africa and England in Johannesburg was called off due to heavy rain at the Wanderers.

The Highlights of Day 4 in Ahmedabad test

Statistical highlights on fourth day of the first cricket Test between India and Sri lanka here today.

Mahela Jayawardene has created history by becoming the only player to share world records for three different stands - 624 for the third wicket with Kumar Sangakkara against South Africa at Colombo SSC in 2006; 437 for the fourth wicket with Thilan Samaraweera against Pakistan at Karachi in 2009 and 351 for the sixth wicket with Prasanna Jayawardene against India at Ahmedabad in November 2009.

Four Indian bowlers have conceded 100 runs or more in an innings - Amit Mishra, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma - the third instance for India against Sri Lanka.

Harbhajan has produced his worst bowling performance (48.4-4-189-2) in terms of runs gien, eclipsing the 53.3-6-185-2 against Sri Lanka at Colombo, SSC in 2001.

Mahela Jayawardene`s 275 is his second best – his career-best being 374 against South Africa at Colombo, SSC in July 2006. He is the ninth player (and the first Sri Lankan) to amass 9000 runs in Tests, taking 178 innings to reach the landmark, which is the fourth fastest, next to Rahul Dravid (176), Brian Lara (177) and Ricky Ponting (177).

Mahela Jayawardene`s innings is the highest individual by a visiting batsman in India, eclipsing Pakistan`s Younis Khan`s 267 for Pakistan at Bangalore in March 2005.

Mahela (1436) is the leading run-getter in India-Sri Lanka Tests, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar`s run-aggregate of 1412.

Sri Lanka have registered their highest overseas total, obliterating their 713 for three wickets declared against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in 2004. The said total is the highest by a visiting team in India.

The first visiting team to register a total of 700 is Sri Lanka, surpassing the 652 for seven wickets declared by England at Chennai in 1984-85.

Gautam Gambhir has registered his 11th fifty in Tests - his fourth against Sri Lanka.

Gambhir (74 not out) has posted his highest innings at Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, eclipsing the 30 against Sri Lanka in December 2005.

Amit Mishra, for the first time, has conceded 200 runs in a Test innings. He became the fourth bowler to concede 200 runs or more in an innings against Sri Lanka, joining India`s Rajesh Chauhan (276 at Colombo RPS in 1997-98), Anil Kumble (223 at Colombo RPS in 1997-98) and South Africa`s Nicky Boje (221 at Colombo, SSC in 2006).

For the third time in an away Test, three batsmen have recorded hundreds in the same innings for Sri Lanka – the first two instances being vs Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in 2003-04 and vs Pakistan at Lahore in 2008-09.

Amit Mishra`s unbeaten 12 is his highest score against Sri Lanka - his career-best being 23 against England at Mohali in December 2008.

Rahul Dravid (177 & 38) has taken his run-aggregate at Motera to 666 at an average of 60.54 in six Tests, which is a new record at this venue. His tally includes two centuries and one fifty.

Virender Sehwag`s 51 off 67 balls is his 19th fifty in Tests, his second against Sri Lanka. The said innings is his first fifty at Motera, surpassing the 29 against New Zealand in 2003-04.

Sri Lanka (760 for seven wickets declared) have registered their second highest - the highest being 952 for six wickets declared against India at Colombo RPS in 1997.

Prasanna Jayawardene and Mahela have shared a sixth-wicket world record with their 351-run partnership, surpassing the 346 between Jack Fingleton and Don Bradman for Australia against England at Melbourne in 1936-37.

Mahela Jayawardene`s outstanding innings is now the highest at Sardar Patel Stdium, Motera, eclipsing Rahul Dravid`s 222 against New Zealand in 2003-04.

Mahela`s innings of 275 is his best overseas innings, beating the 240 against Pakistan at Karachi in February this year. The said knock is his best against India, obliterating the 242 against India at Colombo, SSC in 1998-99.

Sri Lanka Still Moving in a Good Position

Sri Lanka were 591 for five wickets at the close on the third day of the first test on Wednesday in reply to India's first-innings 426.

Scores: Sri Lanka 591 for five in 160 overs (T. Dilshan 112, M. Jayawardene 204 not out, T. Samaraweera 70, P. Jayawardene 84 not out); India 426 in 104.5 overs (R. Dravid 177, M. Dhoni 110; C. Welegedara 4-87, M. Muralitharan 3-97).

Sri Lanka Rules the day 2 in the firts test against India

The Sri Lankan cricket side took on the Indian cricket team yet again today, in the second day of the first test. It bowed out to be a great day for Sri Lanka, as they appeared to rule all the three sessions.

They handled to bowl out India in the first hour of the day, before there was a superb bang from Dilshan, who was his natural aggressive self. He scored his runs at a fast rate, to register the highest score by a Sri Lankan in Inida.

But then India controlled to fight their way back, with Zaheer getting purge of Sangakara and Dilshan in quick succession. But Mahela and Samaraweera made a good finish with a 81-run partnership for the 4th wicket, the day ends with the score of 275 for 3.

Dravid Completes his 11000 Runs in his Test history

Rahul Dravid on Monday became the second Indian to complete 11,000 Test runs when he took a single to take his individual score to 177 (not out) in opposition to Sri Lanka on Day 1 of the first Test in Ahmedabad.

The hosts, who were stumbled at 32 for four wickets at the start, ended the day at 389 for six.

Yuvraj was the first one to reach the half-century and was out at 68.

The partnership between Yuvraj and Dravid was 125 runs. Later, Dhoni joined Dravid and took India out of troubled waters. Dhoni made 110 before getting out. On the other end, Rahul Dravid kept his cool and completed 11,000 runs. At the close of the day, he was at 177 while night watchman Harbhajan was at 2 runs.