Tags: Cricket , Ind vs SL , Ahmedabad , Ahmedabad Test

Ahmedabad: Gritty knocks from Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar on the fifth and the final day took India to the threshold of a draw in the first cricket Test and spoil Sri Lanka's hope of their maiden win on Indian soil here Friday.

Gambhir's fine 114 and an unbeaten half-century from Tendulkar (55) saw India bat the first two sessions successfully and get to 341 for four in the second innings and take a slim lead of seven runs by the tea break at Motera's Sardar Patel Stadium. Giving Tendulkar company at the other end was V.V.S. Laxman (28).


With 33 overs left in the day, Sri Lanka's chances of achieving their milestone win was all but over. Sri Lanka declared their first innings at 760 for seven in reply to India's 426.


Resuming at the overnight score of 190 for two on the final day, India were on the defensive mode right from the start and scored at a painstaking pace, with 66 runs coming off 29 overs in the first session.


Gambhir and nightwatchman Amit Mishra (24) didn't take any chance on the lifeless track and were happy with their defensive strategy that kept the Sri Lankan bowlers at bay. Mishra played well for his career-best score and was dismissed after Tillekaratne Dilshan took a diving catch, jumping to his right off Angelo Matthews.


Gambhir controlled his natural instincts and played a patient innings that reminded many of his match saving 137 against New Zealand in Napier earlier this year. He took some time to get to his 90s, but then hit three fours to get his third consecutive century and the seventh overall.


Gambhir and Tendulkar added 66 runs for the fourth wicket. But at a time when everything looked set, Gambhir perished with a poor shot off Rangana Herath and Dammika Prasad took an easy catch at mid-off. Gambhir 230-ball knock was studded with 13 fours.


Tendulkar, who became the only batsman to score 30,000 international runs, and Laxman played intelligently for their unbroken 66-run stand to give India the slim lead.
Opener Gautam Gambhir slammed his seventh Test hundred as India continued to fight back, reaching 256 for three at lunch on the fifth and final day of the first Test against Sri Lanka here today.

Resuming at 190 for two, India lost nightwatchman Amit Mishra just after 45 minutes of play before Gambhir reached his fourth hundred at home in the company of Sachin Tendulkar with a glanced boundary off Angelo Mathews.

It was Gambhir's third hundred, all scored in the second innings, following his marathon 10 and a half hour match-saving 137 at Napier and 167 at Wellington in the last two Tests of the three-Test series played in New Zealand in March-April.

The 28-year-old Delhi player and ICC Test Player of the Year completed his ton with half hour to go for lunch and remained unconquered at the interval with 105 runs to his name off 213 balls with 12 fours in it.

Tendulkar, who started off fluently with three early boundaries before slowing down a bit, was the other unbeaten batsman at lunch and was batting on 22, after facing 56 balls and striking four fours in the team total of 256 for 3 in 74 overs.

With four more sessions left in the match, a strong batting line-up to follow and the wicket showing no signs of having deteriorated, the home team would be fancying their chances to leave this city on level terms.

Needing 144 more runs to make the visitors bat again after having conceded a huge first innings lead of 334 runs, the home team were 78 runs behind at the break on a fifth-day wicket holding no demons.

Mishra, sent in to protect the main batsmen late last evening at the fall of Rahul Dravid's wicket, stuck to his task for over 45 minutes before he was dismissed by Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews, caught brilliantly at leg gully by Tillakaratne Dilshan.

The leg break bowler, who was very expensive and conceded over 200 runs for a lone wicket, did his task of denying Sri Lanka an early breakthrough in the morning.

He faced 51 balls in making 24, falling to the 26th delivery he received today when Dilshan dived to his right to take the catch off Mathews. Mishra also helped Gambhir take the score from 169 to 209 by adding 40 runs for the third wicket.

Tendulkar came in and started stroking the ball sweetly as he cover-drove the accurate and miserly Mathews for a four and then hit danger man Muthiah Muralitharan for successive fours in one over.

Gambhir also opened up and raced to his hundred by hitting left arm spinner Rengana Herath for two fours before he glanced Mathews to the rope. It is his first hundred against the visitors and came after a stay of 287 minutes.

By lunch, the fourth wicket duo had added 47 runs without being separated and India put on 66 runs in 29 overs in the pre-lunch period.

India were 256 for three in their second innings at lunch on the fifth and final day of the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka here today.

Scoreboard at lunch on the fifth day of the first cricket Test between India and Sri Lanka at Motera's Sardar Patel Stadium here Friday.

India first innings: 426


Sri Lanka first innings: 760 for seven declared


India second innings: (Overnight 190/2)


Gautam Gambhir batting 105


Virender Sehwag c Mathews b Herath 51


Rahul Dravid lbw b Welegedara 38


Amit Mishra c Dilshan b Mathews 24


Sachin Tendulkar batting 22


Extras (lb 7, nb 9) 16


Total (for three wickets in 74 overs) 256


Fall of wickets: 1-81 (Sehwag, 16.6 overs), 2-169 (Dravid, 40.1), 3-209 (Mishra, 55.6)


Bowling:


Chanaka Welegedara 11-0-46-1


Dammika Prasad 9-0-49-0


Rangana Herath 20-2-64-1


Muttiah Muralitharan 22-4-72-0


Angelo Mathews 11-5-16-1


Tillekaratne Dilshan 1-0-2-0


Umpires: Daryl Harper (Australia) and Tony Hill (New Zealand)


TV umpire: Amiesh Saheba (India)


Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)

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