The reason Sri Lanka have such a strong lead is because unlike the previous two morning sessions when India lost wickets in a hurry, Sri Lanka managed to protect theirs on the third day at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad.
mahela jayawardene2
Sri Lanka were led strongly into day three (overnight score on 275 for three) by Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera, even though India did not show the potent to take wickets to cause the visiting team too much damage.
Sri Lanka saw Samaraweera and Jayawardene matching each other run for run until the former was dismissed for seventy runs by Ishant Sharma. And Samaraweera's reaction showed that he felt this pitch and his form and the quality of the opposition even suggested he could have reached the three figure mark. The partnership though worth 138 for the fourth wicket was crucial from overhauling India's target.
Another forty-three run partnership ensured between Jayawardene and Angelo Matthews before India were able to extract Matthews, giving Harbhajan Singh his first wicket of the match at the stroke of lunch as Sri Lanka were five down for 375.
A fruitful morning session gave way to another equally rewarding one post lunch and prior to tea as Jayawardene, batting on eighty-six runs at lunch, reached the prestigious three figure mark, his twenty-seventh in Test cricket.
Keeping in good company amidst some ordinary bowling was Prasanna Jayawardene, the wicket keeper, as Sri Lanka took the lead to forty-eight runs, having scored 543 for five when tea was called.
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