Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara top-scored with 75 while former skipper Mahela Jayawardene made 56 and Thilan Samaraweera was unbeaten on 65 as Sri Lanka, leading the three-match series 1-0, ended Day 1 at 293 for 4 at the P Sara Oval in Colombo.

All-rounder Angelo Mathews was the other batsman at the crease on 26, having put on 52 runs so far for the fifth wicket with Samaraweera.

Sangakkara, who won his third successive toss and decided to take first strike on the even-paced wicket, missed out on a third century in the series.

The left-hander, who made 103 in the first Test and 219 and 42 not out in the second, looked set for another big knock when he hit five boundaries and two sixes with some elegant shots. But a lapse in concentration midway through the afternoon session caused his downfall when he lofted left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha to long-on, where Virender Sehwag held the skier.

India, seeking a series-levelling win after losing the first Test, were let down by the bowlers, who sent down 14 no-balls and two wides during the day.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra, making his first appearance in the series in place of the injured Harbhajan Singh, was the worst culprit, with six no-balls in his 0-99 from 25 overs. Ojha, the most successful bowler of the day with 2-78, sent down four no-balls. Seamer Ishant Sharma bowled three and Sehwag one, while Abhimanyu Mithun conceded two wides.

Sangakkara was given a life on 23 when third slip Suresh Raina lunged to his right and dropped the ball that was carrying comfortably to Venkatsai Laxman at second slip. Mithun was the unlucky bowler.

Jayawardene, who put on 84 for the fourth wicket with Samaraweera, was unlucky to be given out leg-before by Australian umpire Rod Tucker in the final session. Television replays indicated the ball from Ojha would have passed over the stumps.

Sri Lanka, batting almost the entire day in overcast conditions, lost both openers in the morning session to go to lunch on 102-2.

Tharanga Paranavitana, who also hit centuries in each of the previous two Tests, fell for eight when he edged Sharma to wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Tillakaratne Dilshan (41) added 87 for the second wicket with Sangakkara, before he was run out off what turned out to be the last ball of the morning session.

Dilshan stepped out to defend a no-ball from Ojha, but failed to return to his crease as Murali Vijay fielded the ball at silly-point and passed it back to Dhoni. Replays showed Dilshan’s back-foot was not grounded when Dhoni broke the stumps.

India went into the decisive Test without the injured duo of opener Gautam Gambhir and seasoned off-spinner Harbhajan. Raina, who hit a century on his debut in the last match, was preferred over Yuvraj Singh for the number six spot.

Indian batting star Sachin Tendulkar’s 169th Test made him the most-capped player in history, surpassing former Australian captain Steve Waugh’s tally of 168 appearances.

Fit-again fast bowler Lasith Malinga returned for Sri Lanka along with left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara. They replaced Dilhara Fernando and Dammika Prasad, who shared the new ball in the second Test.

Match Summary:

Sri Lanka 293 for 4 (Sangakkara 75, Samaraweera 65*, Jayawardene 56) v India

With little interest left on a dreary last day, the Indians scored a mammoth 707 all-out in the first innings, recording their second-highest total ever, largely due to a dogged resistance by the last wicket pair of Ishant Sharma (27) and Pragyan Ojha (17).

The hosts then scored 129 for three in their second innings before both the captains decided to call off play, bringing an end to a dull Test completely dominated by the batsmen with just 17 wickets falling.

The drawn result meant that India retained their number one position in the ICC’s Test rankings as the hosts needed to win the match to dislodge the visitors from top of the table.

The third and final Test will begin at the P Sara Oval from August 3, with the hosts leading the series 1-0 after winning the first Test in Galle by ten wickets.

The track at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground, which came in for much flak, hardly gave any assistance to the bowlers, which made life extremely easy for the batsmen, as was evident with two double centuries and three centuries being scored.

Resuming at 669 for nine, Sharma and Ojha almost survived the opening session of the final day, as India’s first innings folded for 707 about 15 minutes from the break. India bettered its highest total abroad by two runs as they had made 705 against Australia in Sydney in 2004.

It was also India’s second highest total, the highest being 726 for 9 declared against the same opponents in Mumbai last year.

Sharma and Ojha shared the longest tenth-wicket partnership for India in terms of balls faced by number 10 and 11 batsmen as they resisted for 174 balls. They bettered their own mark of 92 balls at Galle during the first Test. Paceman Dilhara Fernando ended Sri Lanka’s agonising wait when he had Sharma caught at gully by Kumar Sangakkara.

Sharma’s 27 runs came off 117 balls with help of one boundary while Ojha consumed 92 balls for his unbeaten 17 and helped himself with one boundary.

Sri Lanka, who trailed by 65 runs, lost Tharanga Paranavitana (34), Tillakaratne Dilshan (14) and Mahela Jayawardene (5) in the post lunch session.

Abhimanyu Mithun drew first blood by having Dilshan caught at short mid-wicket and then Laxman caught Paranavitana in the slip cordon off Harbhajan Singh. Part time spinner Virender Sehwag trapped Jayawardene minutes before the second break of the day.

Captain Kumar Sangakkara (42 not out) and Thilan Samaraweera (10 not out) ensured that there were no further stabacks before both the captains decided to call off play.

Match Summary:

Sri Lanka 642 for 4 dec (Sangakkara 219, Jayawardene 174, Paranavitana 100) and 129 for 3 dec (Sangakkara 42*, Paranavitana 34) drew with India 707 (Tendulkar 203, Raina 120, Mendis 4-172)

Man of the Match: Kumar Sangakkara

Sangakkara led from the front with an imposing 219 while Jayawardene (174) notched up his 27th century as the hosts declared the first innings at a mammoth 642 for four.

In reply, India were 95 for no loss but still trailing by 547 runs at close on the second day which saw only two wickets fall and as many as 425 runs being scored on a placid Sinhalese Sports Club track.

It was yet another day of toil and frustration for the Indian bowlers who failed to make much of an impression against the Lankan batsmen, who scored at a brisk pace right through the day.

Sehwag (64) and Murali Vijay (22) batted in contrasting fashion, as India survived 18 overs in the last session of the day without any hiccups. The sound start by Indian openers, best in the series so far, also lifted the gloom over the India camp as they worked hard without much success in the field for more than five sessions.

Perched on top of the Test rankings, India need to win this match, as a defeat would not only take away their number one rank but also extend their winless streak in a Test series in the Island nation.

Sehwag was his usual aggressive self and was harsh on the Lankan bowlers, particularly paceman Dammika Prasad, whom he hit thrice in third over to set the tone for the Indian reply. Exploiting the lifeless track, like their counterparts, India scored quickly and at an impressive run-rate of 5.27.

Sehwag, the only centurion on this tour for the visitors, scored 48 of his 64 runs in boundaries, while Vijay batted cautiously from the other end.

Resuming the day at 312 for two, Sri Lanka started from where they had left on day one as Sangakkara and Jayawardene went about murdering the clueless Indian attack effortlessly. The Lankan skipper, overnight 130, did not take much time to complete his double century and, with Jayawardene, raised a 193-run partnership for the third wicket.

Sangakkara’s knock came in 335 balls and was laced with 29 hits to the boundary.

Thilan Samaraweera (76) joined his Vice Captain in the middle and remained their till the declaration. Jayawardene and Samaraweera raised a 176-run stand for the fourth wicket to add to India’s misery and frustration.

Earlier, Sehwag removed Sangakkara just after lunch, but not before the Sri Lankan captain had registered his seventh double century. Sangakkara made 219 before Rahul Dravid took a sharp catch at slip off Sehwag to give India a rare moment of joy.

The fact that 400 runs for Sri Lanka came in a record 435 minutes and 651 balls testified to a placid pitch and some lacklustre bowling from the Indians.

Match Summary:

Day 2: India 95 for 0 (Sehwag 64*, Vijay 22*) trail Sri Lanka 642 for 4 decl (Sangakkara 219, Jayawardene 174, Paranavitana 100) by 547 runs

It was the Sri Lankan captain’s seventh double ton in Test cricket, taking him one ahead of Marvan Atapattu , and making him the batsman with the most double hundreds for his country.

Sangakkara had said after the opening day’s play that the hosts would be hoping to score another 250 runs on Day 2 before making India bat, and the duo of Sangakkara and Jayawardene ensured that they scored those runs in quick time. At lunch (after 119 overs), the home team had made 457 for two, with Sangakkara batting on 214 and Jayawardena on 71.

The Indian bowlers looked out of sorts in the opening session, failing to make that crucial breakthrough. Kumar Sangakkara started the day with a superb boundary off Abhimanyu Mithun, one that went through the right of mid-off. The second ball of the day was flicked throug the midwicket, the result being the same.

Two boundaries in the first two balls bowled on the day and the writing was clear: the home team wanted to make the most of their advantage.

The home team had reached 312 for two at close of play on day one, with Sangakkara unbeaten on 130 and Mahela Jayawardene on 13.

The Sri Lankan captain helped himself to three successive boundaries in Mithun’s third over – the fifth of the day, the second of which helped him surpass the 150-run mark.

It was the 12th occasion when Sangakkara had made 150-plus in an innings, thereby joining his former captain and present non-striker (Mahela Jayawardene) as the only two Lankan batsmen to have achieved the feat.

Jayawardene also cut loose soon, with a couple of boundaries off Ishant Sharma . Another boundary from his blade, this time off Pragyan Ojha over mid-on, completed the 100-run partnership for the third wicket.

It was the 12th time that the Sangakkara-Jayawardena combine had featured in a 100-run stand, a Lankan record bettering the 11 such instances set by Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda De Silva.

Shortly after, a single off Ojha helped Jayawardene complete what was his 36th half century in Test cricket. And he celebrated the same with successive boundaries.

Then came Sangakkara’s turn to make Ojha suffer. And the Lankan captain hit four boundaries in five balls to move on to 199. A square drive, well clear of the slip fielder, in Harbhajan’s next over, not only reached the boundary but also helped Sangakkara complete a well-deserved double hundred.

Match Summary:

At lunch, Day 2, Sri Lanka 457 for 2 (Sangakkara 214*, Paranavitana 100, Jayawardene 71*) v India

Several senior players including regular captain Kumar Sangakkara, former skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga and Sanath Jayasuriya, who had a dismal World Twenty20 tournament in the Caribbean, have been left out of the team.

Muttiah Muralitharan, the most successful bowler in history with a record 792 Test and 512 one-day international wickets, was not picked for the tour. Muralitharan is recovering from a groin injury.

All rounder Angelo Mathews will be vice-captain.

The 15-member squad includes left-hand batsman Lahiru Thirimanne, who played two one-day games against Bangladesh in January, and uncapped allrounder Jeewan Mendis.

The selectors also included fast bowler Dilhara Fernando, opener Upul Tharanga and middle-order batsman Chamara Silva, who were left out of the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.

The tri-nation series gets under way in Bulawayo on May 28, with Zimbabwe taking on India in the opener.

Sri Lanka squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Chamara Kapugedera, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Ajantha Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Dilhara Fernando, Chamara Silva, Thissira Perera.

Waugh was approached by Harshad Mehta, the Dubai-based chairman of Kochi, earlier this month and discussions were at an advanced stage for Waugh to spearhead the team’s maiden season in the expanded 10-team league next year, a report in The National here said.

“We are trying to get Steve Waugh to be a part of the team. Waugh will be given a top position in the team with two layers of people below him,” Mehta told the daily.

Mehta said the franchise is also attempting to lure Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka batsman and leading scorer so far in the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies, away from Kings XI Punjab for next season.

“I like Mahela personally and have a very good relation with him. I was the first person to take him outside Sri Lanka to play in South Africa. My relation with him is over 20 years now. If he is available and if I have a successful bid, he will be part of the Kochi team,” Mehta said.

According to Mehta, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, who hails from Kerala, has more or less agreed to join the Kochi team. “He is the best bowler but not very mature. He must have a target and everything will be good,” Mehta said.

The name of the team, the manager and the make-up of the squad will all be announced by the end of this month, he added.

Mahela Jayawardene’s scintillating century powered Sri Lanka to a commanding 173 for seven off the 20 overs and rain didn’t even give Zimbabwe a chance to chase down the total. Zimbabwe were 29-1 in five overs when rained stopped play after the game was reduced to 11 overs, with the target reduced to 104. Sri Lanka took two points from the game as Zimbabwe needed to be 43-1 at this stage according to the Duckworth Lewis method.

The 2009 finalists needed to win this game to stay afloat in the tournament after losing their opening game against New Zealand and Jayawardene came to the party for Sri Lanka when it mattered, scoring a magnificent 64-ball 100, only the fourth hundred in the history of T20 internationals, in an innings laced with 10 fours and 4 sixes.

Earlier, winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Sri Lankan innings was a one-man show, with Jayawardene scoring 100 out of the173 runs, the next highest scorer being Perera with 23.

No Sri Lankan batsman could get going but even as they kept losing wickets at one end, Jayawardene held one end up to take them to a competitive 173 for 7.

For Zimbabwe, Raymond Price picked up 2 for 31.

Zimbabwe now needs to win their match against New Zealand on Tuesday to stand a chance of qualifying for the next round.

Match Summary:

Sri Lanka 173 for 7 (Jayawardene 100) beat Zimbabwe 29 for 1 in five overs by 14 runs (D/L method)

Man of the Match: Mahela Jayawardene

Chasing 175 to win, Deccan were jolted by early setbacks as their skipper Adam Gilchrist, once again didn’t get going and was dismissed for 9. And when Mohnish Mishra was adjudged lbw, although the replays showed that the ball would have easily missed the leg-stump, Deccan were in trouble and Kings XI Punjab seemed like the party poopers once again.

But a calm and composed 66-run partnership between Deccan’s find of the tournament, T Suman, and the man on a mission to silence his critics, Rohit Sharma, got them back into the game. Both Sharma and Suman batted sensibly, maneuvering the ball and taking advantage of whatever bad balls they got. It was a perfect example of how a chase should be planned and even though Punjab gave Deccan some jitters towards the end of the game with Suman (43 off 31) and Andrew Symonds (4) going in quick succession, Rohit Sharma didn’t make the same mistake that he made against the Rajasthan Royals, guiding Deccan home this time. The elegant batsman smashed six fours and three sixes in his unbeaten knock of 68 off 38 balls.

For Punjab, Piyush Chawla picked up 1 for 24 from four overs, and although he has been good in the last couple of games for Punjab, he still hasn’t done enough to justify his selection in the T20 World Cup squad. Chawla did take a nasty fall during the dying matches of the game and had to walk off the field… and if he is injured, I wouldn’t waste a single second in replacing him with Robin Uthappa for the World Cup.

Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, was under heavy criticism, with a lot of people questioning his selection for the squad ahead of in-form players like Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey but the way Sharma has batted in the latter half of the tournament, a lot of those questions have been put to rest.

Earlier, Deccan Chargers won the toss and put Punjab into bat with both captains not knowing what to expect from a new pitch at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.

Punjab didn’t get off to the best of starts, with Ryan Harris sending back Shaun Marsh in the first over of the innings. But the Sri Lankan duo of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara once again came to the party for Punjab adding 86 runs for the second wicket. Jayawardene, in fact, has proven once and for all that Twenty20 is not all about slam-bang. There is place for sensible batting and the 20 overs that seemed too less when this format started isn’t actually that short a time. A batsman can take some time to get set and then launch into the bowlers and that’s what Jayawardene has been doing in this tournament.

Jayawardene took eight balls to get off the mark but then he carried his bat through the innings, almost making his second century this season. The classy right-hander remained unbeaten on 93 off just 62 balls including 13 fours and 2 sixes. After Sangakkara’s dismissal, Jayawardene added another 86 runs with Yuvraj Singh, out of which Yuvraj’s contribution was just 20 off 20 balls.

Deccan has had problems with the last five overs of the innings while bowling and they once again leaked runs during the same period. Punjab scored 76 runs in their last five overs, with Jayawardene alone scoring 57 off just 18 balls. The former Sri Lankan skipper smashed RP Singh for five consecutive boundaries in the 18^th over and his form would be a huge confidence booster for Sri Lanka ahead of the T20 World Cup.

With this win, Deccan now has seven wins in 13 matches and they have climbed to the fourth spot in the points table.

Match Summary:

Deccan Chargers 178 for 5 (Rohit 68*, Suman 43) beat Kings XI Punjab 174 for 3 (Jayawardene 93*, Sangakkara 52) by five wickets

Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma

Michael Lumb launched a brutal assault against the Punjab bowlers, scoring 83 off just 43 balls to power Rajasthan to the emphatic win in their first game on their home ground this season. With this win, Rajasthan has now jumped to third place with 12 points and are looking certain to reach the semi-finals.

Chasing a modest 154 to win, after Punjab threw away a promising start to finish on 153-6, the Royals were off to a flying start, with Lumb ripping apart the Punjab bowlers. The Englishman smashed 16 fours and 2 sixes in his 43 ball innings. He fell in the 10^th over, with Rajasthan at 109-1 but Naman Ojha and Yusuf Pathan didn’t let the scoring rate dip, completing a comprehensive victory in just 15 overs. Naman Ojha remained unbeaten on 44 while Yusuf Pathan was 21 not out. Ravi Bopara was the only successful bowler for Punjab who picked up Lumb’s wicket.

Earlier, Punjab was looking good for a total in excess of 180, with Mahela Jayawardene and Yuvraj Singh taking the visitors to a healthy 100-2 inside 11 overs, but both of them were dismissed in the same over in the space of one run, which dented Punjab’s progress. Jayawardene followed up his century in the last game with a classy 44 after Punjab opted to bat, while Yuvraj made 28, but no Punjab batsman converted the start into a big score to take them to a bigger total.

Yuvraj looked dangerous as he smashed Shane Warne for two consecutive sixes but like in the other matches this season, his confidence gave way to complacency as he was bowled by Aditya Dole in the next over for 28. Siddharth Trivedi was the pick of the bowlers with 1-22 while Aditya Dole picked up two crucial wickets of Yuvraj and Jayawardene.

Match Summary:

Rajasthan Royals 157 for 1 (Lumb 83, Ojha 44) beat Kings XI Punjab 153 for 6 (Jayawardene 44, Trivedi 2-20) by nine wickets

Man of the Match: Michael Lumb

Chasing a steep target of 201 to win, Punjab romped home with 10 balls to spare, to register their second win of the tournament out of 9 matches. This was just the third occasion when a team has chased down a target in excess of 200 in the Indian Premier League. Kings XI Punjab were never in any trouble chasing, with Jayawardene and skipper Kumar Sangakkara (38) adding 98 runs for the second wicket to just take the game away from KKR. Jayewardene’s innings was laced with 14 boundaries and three sixes.

Jayawardene’s unbeaten century, the fourth century in IPL 3, completely overshadowed a brutal 42-ball 88 by Chris Gayle after the home side won the toss and opted to bat first.
Gayle, as he has done in the tournament so far, once again started slowly, but cut loose just before the death overs to tear apart the Punjab bowlers. The West Indian skipper smashed eight sixes and six boundaries to post the highest score at the Eden Gardens in the IPL.

The Knight Riders got off to a solid start with Sourav Ganguly and Gayle scoring slowly but ensuring no early breakthroughs for Punjab. The Knight Riders skipper, who returned to form in the previous game with a match-winning 88, was scalped by Ravi Bopara for 36 off 31 balls. But Bopara’s happiness did not last long as Gayle launched a brutal assault against him in the 13th over. Bopara conceded 33 runs, the most expensive over in IPL history, with Gayle smashing four sixes.

Match Summary:

Kings XI Punjab 204 for 2 (Jayawardene 110*) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 200 for 3 (Gayle 88) by eight wickets

Man of the Match: Mahela Jayawardene