India were on the brink of a 2-0 series victory against Sri Lanka after rattling the tourists with spin for the second time in the third and final Test in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
The hosts were four wickets away from a win as Sri Lanka, set an improbable victory target of 509, tottered on 235-6 in their second innings at stumps on the fourth day.
Jehan Mubarak (18) and Farveez Maharoof (two) were the batsmen at the crease, hoping for a miracle when the hosts return on Thursday to complete the formalities.
Anil Kumble, whose 10-wicket match haul gave India a 188-run victory in the second Test in Delhi last week, proved Sri Lanka’s nemesis again in his 100th Test match.
The leg-spinner sparked Sri Lanka’s downfall with the wickets of Kumar Sangakkara, Upul Tharanga and Thilan Samaraweera in the space of 16 balls, reducing the tourists from a comfortable 84-1 to 96-4.
Kumble, India’s most successful Test bowler, took his career tally to 483 wickets. He has claimed 18 victims in the series so far.
Mahela Jayawardene and Tillekeratne Dilshan resurrected the innings with battling half-centuries during a fifth-wicket stand of 105, but the revival faded after tea.
Jayawardene had made 57 when he fell to a disputed return catch off seamer Ajit Agarkar that was referred to TV umpire Ivaturi Shivram.
Jayawardene stood his ground, believing the ball may have bounced off the ground after hitting the bat, but TV replays showed Agarkar had taken the catch straight from the bat.
Dilshan (65) snicked Irfan Pathan to wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni, apparantly losing concentration after holding up the bowler when an intruder ran across the sightscreen.
India earlier added 29 runs in 20 minutes to their overnight total of 287-9 before stand-in captain Virender Sehwag declared the second innings at 316-9.
Kumble and Harbhajan Singh had boosted India’s score with an entertaining last-wicket stand of 69. Harbhajan was unbeaten on 40 off 51 balls, which included four boundaries and a six. Kumble made 29 not out.
Sri Lanka lost captain Marvan Atapattu in the last over of the morning session, caught superbly by a diving Mohammad Kaif at forward short-leg off Harbhajan for 16.
It was Harbhajan’s eighth wicket in the match after grabbing 7-62 in the first innings to bundle out Sri Lanka for 206.
Tharanga, 22 at lunch, had put on 45 for the second wicket with Sangakkara when Kumble sliced through the top order.
Sangakkara (17) played back to a delivery that went straight through to hit the pads and was declared leg-before.
Left-hander Tharanga, a 20-year-old playing his first Test, was on 47 when he flicked Kumble to leg slip where Gautam Gambhir took a tumbling catch.
Samaraweera, clearly short of form on the tour, groped to five but then offered a simple bat-pad catch to Kaif at forward short leg.
Dilshan and Jayawardene negotiated the turn and bounce in the wicket to deny India further success till tea, which Sri Lanka took at 160-4. — Sapa-AFP