Get Sports News Via RSS

>>>ematchfixing>>Cricket>>News>

India crumbles as Murali strikes

Offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan claimed two wickets in four balls Sunday as Sri Lanka took an early command of the third and final cricket test against India.

Muralitharan (2-31) dismissed Sachin Tendulkar (23) and Yuvraj Singh (0) in one over to fashion India's middle-order collapse, leaving the home side tottering at 125 for five at tea on the opening day.
V.V.S. Laxman was batting on 36 and Mahendra Dhoni on 12 at the break.

India's slump began when stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag (20) was clean bowled by pace bowler Lasith Malinga on the first delivery after lunch.

Sehwag struck four boundaries off 35 deliveries before his stumps were dislodged by a sharp incutter from Malinga.

Malinga (2-54) had earlier dismissed opener Gautam Gambhir, who dispatched him to the fence three times in a 33-ball 19 before top-edging a pull shot to rookie Upul Tharanga at mid-wicket.

Tendulkar scored a patient 81-minute 23, featuring two fours from 66 deliveries, before becoming Muralitharan's first victim when he gloved a catch to forward Jehan Mubarak.

India lost three wickets in the space of nine minutes as Muralitharan went on to snare Singh, who could not open his account, and leg-spinner Malinga Bhandara dismissed Mohammad Kaif for four.

Singh lasted just two balls, edging the second delivery from Muralitharan to Thilan Samaraweera in the slips and India was reduced to 88 for four.

Kaif pulled Bhandara straight to captain Marvan Atapattu at midwicket with India's total still three runs short of 100.

Sehwag is leading India for the first time in a test match, in place of regular captain Rahul Dravid, who was Friday night hospitalized due to a bout of diarrhea and vomiting.

Since his debut at Lord's in 1996, Dravid played 94 test matches without a break and was in contention to break Sunil Gavaskar's record of 116 consecutive test matches. No player has played more successive tests than Dravid from the start of his test career.

Sri Lanka was forced to replace its pace attack of Chaminda Vaas and Dilhara Fernando as both are down with flu.

Spinner Anil Kumble on Sunday became the fifth Indian to play in 100 test matches. Kapil Dev's 131 are the most tests played by an Indian, but Tendulkar is just five matches behind him.