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Dravid, Tendulkar firm after losses

The off-spinner took his career tally to 797 wickets as India were shot out for 276 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 520-8 declared after lunch on the fourth day.

India, trailing by 244 runs, went to tea struggling at 68-2 in their second knock with Rahul Dravid unbeaten on 12 and Sachin Tendulkar on 21.

Fast bowler Lasith Malinga, who had removed Gautam Gambhir second ball in the first innings, dismissed the left-hand opener with his third delivery for no score.

First-innings centurion Virender Sehwag hit a breezy 31 off 30 balls before he was superbly caught at gully by Mahela Jayawardene off left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara.

It was the 67^th time Muralitharan had claimed five wickets or more in a Test innings, way ahead of second-placed Australian spinner Shane Warne, who did it on 37 occasions.

The world’s leading wicket-taker, who retires from Test cricket aged 38 after the match, followed up the dismissal of Tendulkar for eight on Tuesday with four more scalps.

Muralitharan broke a 74-run stand for the sixth wicket between Yuvraj Singh and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (33) by bowling the Indian captain with a ball that turned in sharply.

Muralitharan struck again in his next over, forcing Yuvraj (52) to edge a catch to first slip and claim his 795^th wicket.

Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath had Harbhajan Singh stumped on two to leave the hosts on top in the first match of the three-Test series.

Muralitharan returned after lunch to remove tailenders Pragyan Ojha and Abhimanyu Mithun as India, the top-ranked Test side, were bowled out in 65 overs on a good wicket.

Earlier, India lost the overnight pair of Sehwag and Venkatsai Laxman to reckless batting within the first hour of play to slip from Tuesday’s total of 140-3 to 178-5.

Sehwag, starting the day on 85, reached his 20^th Test century with a streaky shot down the leg-side off Angelo Mathews for his 18^th boundary.

The Delhi opener moved to 109 when he slashed at a wide ball from Welegedara and only managed to edge an easy catch to lone slip Tharanga Paranavitana.

Laxman made 22 when he top-edged a hook off Malinga to be caught at square-leg by Tillakaratne Dilshan.

India still needed 143 runs at that stage to save the follow-on, but Dhoni and Yuvraj settled in to frustrate the Sri Lankans with a flurry of boundaries.

The entire second day’s play had been washed out and 22 overs were lost on the first day due to heavy rain, but Wednesday’s play began under clear blue skies.