Cricket: Azharuddin catches out Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka 119 and 154-5

India 358

INDIA'S captain, Mohammad Azharuddin, nudged Sri Lanka towards an innings defeat on the third day of the third Test at Ahmedabad yesterday, taking two brilliant catches after increasing his overnight score from 134 to 152.

At the close of play Sri Lanka, with five second-innings wickets in hand, needed 85 runs to make India bat again and have any hope of avoiding a series whitewash.

India added 29 runs in the morning to finish on 358, a lead of 239. Sri Lanka began their second innings promisingly, reaching 149 for 2, but in the space of 17 balls they were reduced to 153 for 5.

Aravinda de Silva and Hashan Tillakaratne were building on Roshan Mahanama's opening 63 when Azharuddin, at silly point, dived to take a catch inches from the ground to dismiss Tillakaratne for 40.

Moments later, from the same position, Azharuddin repeated the feat to see off de Silva. Sri Lanka's misery was almost complete when Rajesh Chauhan dismissed Marvan Atapattu for nought for the second time in the match.

(Third day; Sri Lanka won toss)

SRI LANKA - First Innings 119.

INDIA - First Innings 358 (M Azharuddin 152).

SRI LANKA - Second Innings

R S Mahanama lbw b Raju 63

D Samaraweera run out 20

H P Tillakaratne c Azharuddin b Raju 40

P A De Silva c Azharuddin b Chauhan 14

*A Ranatunga not out 5

M Atapattu c Mongia b Chauhan 0

R S Kalpage not out 0

Extras (b4 lb7 nb1) 12

Total (for 5) 154

Fall: 1-70 2-98 3-149 4-149 5-153

Bowling: Prabhakar 5-2-11-0; Kapil 5-1-12- 0; Raju 22-6-43-2; Kumble 26-8-40-0; Chauhan 21-9-30-2; Tendulkar 4-1-7-0.