Sri Lanka grabbed a spate of wickets in the afternoon session and checked the Indian middle-order's effort to gain control of the final Test. Suresh Raina and VVS Laxman shared a fighting stand to help India recover from a poor start to the third day, but Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga struck to tilt the scales. They now confront what has, so far in the series, been a solid Indian lower order, that has gradually taken India closer to Sri Lanka's first-innings score.
A combination of some attacking bowling and reckless batting gave Sri Lanka a couple of early breakthroughs but Raina batted with determination and helped India rebuild - just as he had in friendlier conditions on his way to a debut century at the SSC. Though a touch vulnerable against Suraj Randiv, who got the ball to spit and troubled him with deceptive turn, Raina ensured he didn't get bogged down for extended periods, working the singles with Laxman who was a little more assured at the other end. Raina defended solidly, met the length deliveries with a forward stride and improvised with minimal risk. He pulled, swept and drove Mendis, and picked Tillakarate Dilshan for boundaries through the leg side. He looked far more at ease after lunch, slashing Malinga for consecutive boundaries, bringing up his fifty and stepping out to Randiv to launch him over extra cover.
Laxman and Raina's positive approach narrowed India's deficit at a steady rate. Laxman picked Malinga's deceptive slower ones early and dealt well with deliveries that were pitched short. He cut and pulled Randiv for boundaries early in his innings, punched Chanaka Welegedera through the covers and inflicted the same treatment on Malinga. Laxman was on the lookout for scoring opportunities, often opening the face to deliveries flung just outside off and reached his half-century, guiding Malinga past the keeper.
However, the pair was separated when Mendis attacked from round the wicket. He found plenty of turn with his legspin from that angle, getting the ball to grip. Laxman's dabs outside off produced a couple of edges, the second of which was snapped by Mahela Jayawardene. Raina was done in by the bounce of a carrom ball that he punched straight to short midwicket. Malinga, who kept coming at the batsmen with a barrage of short balls, snared MS Dhoni gloving an attempted pull.Mendis' success followed an excellent spell by Randiv, also bowling from round the wicket, prior to the lunch break. The batsmen were uncertain while trying to gauge the extent of turn, often playing for some when there wasn't much, and were surprised by the bounce. Raina erred twice by offering his pads to deliveries angled in, while Laxman survived an lbw shout when playing inside the line. Virender Sehwag was fortunate when he was struck in line but not given, and got an inside edge onto his pads that evaded the short-leg fielder.
Sehwag, who had brought India on level terms yesterday with a blistering knock, reached three figures by dispatching a long hop to midwicket. But when Kumar Sangakkara brought in a silly point, he opted to cart Randiv over extra cover when the shot wasn't on. The ball was back of a length, struck high on the bat and lobbed up to Welegedara. That wicket came after the departure of Sachin Tendulkar in the first over, who, after being roughed up by a couple of short deliveries from Malinga, was drawn into chasing a widish one to feather a catch behind and hand the bowler his 100th Test wicket.
