Laxman takes India home in style & make the series level

Veteran VVS Laxman cracked a fighting unbeaten 103 as India relied on their experienced batsmen to pull off a five-wicket win in the third and final Test match against Sri Lanka to level the series 1-1 on Saturday.

Laxman defied cramps and anchored the innings brilliantly to notch up his 16th Test hundred, while Sachin Tendulkar (54) and Suresh Raina (41 not out) were the other notable contributors as the visitors overhauled a target of 257 about 10 minutes before the tea break.

Raina clobbered Chanaka Welegedara for a six to hand Sri Lanka there first loss at P Sara Oval Stadium since August 1994, triggering scenes of celebration in the Indian dressing room.

Chasing 257 on a rather difficult fifth day track, the Indians recovered from early blows suffered on Friday with a 109-run partnership between Laxman and Tendulkar that laid the foundation of the win.

But on the flipside, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men could not break the 17-year-old jinx of not winning a series in the island nation.

Resuming the chase from Friday's 53/3, India lost night-watchman Ishant Sharma (4) early in the morning.

Ishant was caught at short mid-wicket by Kumar Sangakkara off Suraj Randiv in the morning. Randiv ripped in a flighted loopy delivery around off and middle stump, leaving Ishant bemused who looked shaky right from the start.

Tendulkar and Laxman then took it upon themselves to steady the ship and steer a successful chase.

Tendulkar was the more cautious of the two veteran right-handers taking 106 deliveries to reach his 55th Test half century.

He didn't celebrate much on reaching the milestone but the Indian dressing room was up in applause for another of the iconic batsman's match-winning contributions.

Tendulkar had his share of luck in the early in the innings when he was dropped by Tillakaratne Dilshan at short leg while trying to push a Randiv turner.

The ball had gone off the bat and pad to the right of short-leg and Tendulkar, who was on just 18, heaved a huge sigh of relief when Dilshan spilled the opportunity.

The Indian right-hander attacked Randiv thereafter by charging down the track and driving a shot past the bowler for a boundary.

Laxman, on his part, leaned forward to an Ajantha Mendis delivery from the middle stump and turned it on to the boundary, marking the 50-run partnership between the two which came in 92 balls.

"I am really proud of my achievement today but more importantly I have contributed to India's victory. I always wanted to bat in such conditions, to win matches for the country from difficult situations," he said when told that it was his maiden century on Sri Lankan soil.


"Gary Kirsten was telling me that it was another chance to do something for India. A lot of hard work had gone into winning the match and finally we pulled it off," a relieved Laxman said after India won by five wickets.


The stylish batsman said it was the bowlers who brought India back into the game on the second day and fourth day before the batsmen did their job.


"It was a collective effort and after the first day and again in the Sri Lankan second innings, the bowlers brought us back. Then the batsmen chipped in. Sachin Tendulkar and I got together to win this game. We are very proud as a team," he said.


Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni also credited the win to team effort but emphasised on the fine show by the inexperienced bowlers.


"We came back into the match after the first day and the bowlers did really well though there was something in the pitch. There was bounce for the fast bowlers and turn for the spinners from both ends," Dhoni said.


"Then the batsmen did their job and we had the first innings lead. Even in the second Test we had the first innings lead and that showed we had the potential to win the Test though we had an inexperienced bowling attack," he added.


Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said despite the loss on Saturday, his players would be proud of themselves for their show in the series.


"We put a very good show in this Test and all through the series. We are proud of ourselves. It is great that younger players have stood up. But credit to India for the win. Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman batted really well to win this Test," he said.

Sangakkara picked Suraj Randiv for special praise. "Lasith Malinga and other bowlers did really well in the series but Randiv I think he is coming onto his own. He got all the five wickets in the Indian innings.


"It is good for the team since Muttiah Muralitharan has retired, though he cannot be compared with Murali. Had Randiv got enough support from the other end the result of the Test could have been different. But we would hold our heads high with the result (of the series)," said Sangakkara. 

 SCORE CARD :

Sri Lanka vs India India: 258/5(68.3 ov) Series: India tour of Sri Lanka, 2010 India beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets Venue: P Sara Oval Date: Jul 18 - Aug 07 , 2010

India Batting innings Batsman RUNS BALLS 4's 6's SR Murali Vijay C  Mahela Jayawardene b Suraj Randiv 27 53 3 0 50.94 Virender Sehwag C  Mahela Jayawardene b Suraj Randiv 0 3 0 0 0 Rahul Dravid BWLD   b Suraj Randiv 7 22 0 0 31.82 Sachin Tendulkar C  Prasanna Jayawardene b Suraj Randiv 54 122 3 0 44.26 Ishant Sharma C  Kumar Sangakkara b Suraj Randiv 4 26 0 0 15.38 VVS Laxman notout   103 149 12 0 69.13 Suresh Raina notout   41 45 4 1 91.11 MS Dhoni (C)    Amit Mishra    Abhimanyu Mithun    Pragyan Ojha    Extras(b 5, lb 6, w 2, nb 9) Run Rate: 3.77 Total:(258/5 in 68.3 overs) Fall of wickets 1-10(Virender Sehwag, 1.5 ov.),2-27(Rahul Dravid, 9.1 ov.),3-49(Murali Vijay, 15.2 ov.),4-62(Ishant Sharma, 21.3 ov.),5-171(Sachin Tendulkar, 51.3 ov.) Sri Lanka Bowling innings Bowler OVER MAIDEN RUNS WICKET NO BALL WIDE ECO Lasith Malinga 12.0 1 49 0 3 1 4.08 Suraj Randiv 29.0 3 82 5 1 2.83 Angelo Mathews 2.0 0 5 0 2.5 Chanaka Welegedara 8.3 2 34 0 4 1 4 Ajantha Mendis 14.0 0 65 0 1 4.64 Tillakaratne Dilshan 3.0 0 12 0 4

Match Information Series India tour of Sri Lanka, 2010 Match Referee Andy Pycroft (ZIM) Toss Sri Lanka, elect to bat Match Timings 10:00 IST - 17:00 IST 10:00 Hrs - 17:00 Hrs Umpires Daryl Harper (AUS), Simon Taufel (AUS) Current Time 22:00 IST