Dilshan leads the way for Lanka with unbeaten half ton

After bowling out India for 426 in the first innings in the pre-lunch session, Sri Lanka continued the good work by batting sensibly in the second session.

Dilshan was not out on 88, his 14th half ton in 58 matches, in the company of visiting skipper Kumar Sangakkara (23) at the break. The duo put on 81 runs in only 107 balls for the second wicket.

The Lankans are now trailing India by 271 runs on a benign track offering no assistance to the bowlers.

The only wicket that the visitors lost was that of young left-hander Tharanga Paranavitana (35), who edged Ishant Sharma to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni who caught it brilliantly one-handed by diving to the left in front of first slip Sachin Tendulkar.

Paranavitana, who looked hardly in trouble with Dilshan, was lured by a ball angled away from him and took the edge of his bat. He and his opening partner added 74 runs in quick time and Paranavitana hit six fours in his 55-ball knock.

This was the lone success for the Indian bowlers in the session between lunch and tea that yielded 118 runs in 26 overs after Lanka resumed at their lunch time score of 37 for no loss.

The Indian bowlers looked innocuous for most part. Leg spinner Amit Mishra, playing his first competitive tie in a month since turning out for Delhi Daredevils in the Champions League Twenty20 last month, was unimpressive and was punished by Sangakkara who drove him for fours into the cover region with disdain.

Runs came at a brisk pace as the Lankans added 55 runs in 12 overs in the first post-lunch hour of play for Paranavitana's wicket and then 63 runs without losing a wicket in 14 overs till tea.

Dilshan, who has scored four centuries and over 900 runs this year, drove powerfully to the off side and played very few false strokes. He looked well-set for his 10th hundred at the break.

Both the pre-lunch and post-lunch sessions belonged to the visitors as they first fought back since yesterday’s position and dismissed the last four Indian wickets for only 41 runs this morning.

Left arm swing bowler Chanaka Welegedara got the important breakthrough early in the morning by getting rid off the well-set and ominous-looking Rahul Dravid at his overnight score.

The visitors grabbed the last three wickets after Dravid’s departure and ended the home team resistance just after the first drinks break.

The Indian innings folded up an hour and ten minutes after play commenced today, with the home team losing their remaining four wickets for the addition of 41 runs to their overnight total of 385 for six.