India close in on victory over Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka were staring at defeat after losing 14 wickets and being forced to follow on during a dire third day of the second test against India in Kanpur on Thursday.

India paceman Shantakumaran Sreesanth marked his return to the test team by snaring 5-75 to help bowl out the visitors for 229 in their first innings.

After following on, Sri Lanka were 57-4 in their second innings at stumps, still 356 runs from making India bat again, after the hosts made 642 in their first innings.

Wilting under pressure, Sri Lanka lost Tillakaratne Dilshan (11), Tharanga Paranavitana (20), Mahela Jayawardene (ten) and captain Kumar Sangakkara (11) in the last session as India's bowlers tightened their grip on the match. Thilan Samaraweera (one not out) and Angelo Mathews (two not out) will resume on Friday with the task of trying to stave off what appears almost certain defeat.

Playing his first test for two years, Sreesanth troubled the Sri Lanka batsmen with his swing, claiming five wickets in an innings for only the second time in his 15-test career.

He dismissed opener Paranavitana (38), Sangakkara (44) and Samaraweera (two) in the first session, and went on to add the wickets of Prasanna Jayawardene (39) and Rangana Herath (11) to his haul after lunch.

Debutant left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha (2-37) and offspinner Harbhajan Singh (2-54) claimed the other wickets on Thursday after the tourists resumed at a decent overnight score of 66-1.

Sri Lanka were quickly in trouble on day three, when Sreesanth removed overnight batsmen Paranavitana and Sangakkara.

Paranavitana was caught behind by Mahendra Singh Dhoni after adding just eight runs to his overnight score of 30, while Sangakkara played a seaming Sreesanth delivery onto the stumps.

Prasanna Jayawardene contributed 39 in his 60-run partnership for the sixth wicket before becoming Sreesanth's fourth victim, nicking an outswinger to wicketkeeper Dhoni, while Rangana Herath soon followed, bowled for 11.

Mathews (13) was bowled by Harbhajan, and Ojha claimed his first test wicket when Mahela Jayawardene (47) was caught by Tendulkar in trying to loft a shot over mid-on. Jayawardene had a lucky escape earlier, edging a ball between wicketkeeper and slip to get off the mark.

Ojha went on to trap Muttiah Muralitharan (six) lbw after tea and Sri Lanka's innings ended when Harbhajan got an lbw decision against Chanaka Welegedara (seven).

Sreesanth returned to trouble Sri Lanka again in the second innings, inducing an edge from opening batsman Tillakeratne to Dhoni.

Part-time spinner Virender Sehwag (1-4) trapped Paranavitana lbw and Harbhajan (1-14) bowled Sangakkara, while Mahela Jayawardene got run out as to leave Sri Lanka in tatters.

The first test of the three-match series ended in a dreary draw last week.

- Report Day 1
- Report Day 2

Teams:

Sri Lanka: TM Dilshan, NT Paranavitana, KC Sangakkara (capt), DPMD Jayawardene, TT Samaraweera, AD Mathews, HAPW Jayawardene (wk), BAW Mendis, HMRKB Herath, M Muralitharan, UWMBCA Welegedara