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Sri Lankan spinners crush India

category: Cricket

26.07.2008 13:26

Muralitharan (left) obliterated India's batsmen for an 11-wicket match haul

Muttiah Muralitharan took 6-26 in the second innings to demolish India and seal a huge victory for Sri Lanka in the first Test in Colombo.

India, following on, collapsed again in the face of Muralitharan, who took 11 wickets overall, and Ajantha Mendis.

Debutant Mendis took 4-60, giving him eight wickets for the match, as India were skittled for 138, to lose by an innings and 239 runs.

Gautam Gambhir's knock of 43 proved the only Indian resistance of any note.

Mahela Jayawardene's side took an emphatic 1-0 lead in the three-Test series as they dominated the fourth day.

Muralitharan ripped through the Indian batting, taking the early wicket of Virender Sehwag for 13 and subsequently striking at regular intervals.

India lost their remaining nine wickets in little more than a session, marking another disappointing performance with the bat.

VVS Laxman fell to Mendis for just 21, trapped plumb in front on the back pad, and Sachin Tendulkar soon followed him back to the pavilion, caught at backward short leg for 12.

Umpire Billy Doctrove initially ruled not out, having failed to spot the ball flick Tendulkar's bat as he attempted to paddle-sweep Muralitharan, but third umpire Rudi Koertzen overruled the decision on review.

Muralitharan then snapped up the wickets of Gautam Gambhir (43), Sourav Ganguly (four), Dinesh Karthik (nought) and Anil Kumble (12).

Mendis added the wickets of Rahul Dravid (10), Harbhajan Singh (15) and Zaheer Khan (three) to his capture of Laxman.

India's first innings had earlier been brought to a close well inside the first session.

Beginning the day on 159-6, India put up some struggle through Laxman's 56, until a googly from Mendis ended his resistance to leave the visitors all out for 223.

Original text is here

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