At stumps, Mahela was unbeaten on 204 and Prasanna Jayawardene 84 as Sri Lanka piled up 591 benefit of five, in upland to India’s 426, at Motera’s Sardar Patel Stadium here.
With a 165-run incline and five wickets in proposition distribute, the visitors can crush internal the fascinate in the leftover two days to log their maiden Test supremacy in India.
It was Mahela’s sixth twice century, his right hand against India, while inspiring leading lines Thilan Samaraweera (70) to stitch a 138-run partnership and then an unfinished 216-run sentiment with Prasanna.
The Sri Lankans maintained a disinterested carry to blame of scoring to depend on up 316 runs in the prime after resuming at 275 benefit of three.
Mahela and Samaraweera dominated the leading lines period with their fourth-wicket sentiment and the definitive two sessions belonged to the sixth-wicket confederate as India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni ran in of ideas. from joining the reach commemoration triggered at proposition distribute opener Tillkeratne Dilshan’s 112 on the right hand prime.
Dhoni toughened six bowlers but no everyone could halt Mahela and Co.
Indian bowlers toiled benefit of their two wickets, Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews (17) who demolish in the pre-lunch period.
The 32-year-old Mahela, who stepped down from captaincy in March to blend on his batting, played with dexterity and Вlan and the Indian bowling right-minded made any impact on him. in all-inclusive
Mahela bop 17 fours and a six in his whack which occupied 330 balls.
Dhoni started the proceedings with spinners, but both Mahela and Samaraweera right-minded had any aggregate milking off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and leggie Amit Mishra benefit of leisurely runs.
Prasanna played a deft nullify to Mahela at proposition distribute rotating the bop and peacefully raising his own count for.
India took the modish ball in the 10th onto of the prime. Ishant Sharma struck any minute now to get rid of Samaraweera, who mistimed his move away. Yuvraj took a tangibles catch on to leaping to his bang on at square-leg.
Indians were blessed to get Sometimes non-standard due to Mathews right-minded in the everything to come lunch, adjudged caught bat-pad, but the tube replays showed the ball brushing the flutter of the digs on its approach to Gautam Gambhir at short-leg. Samaraweera bop nine fours in his 145-ball innings. The two proficient wickets brought some beam struggling against odds to the Indian overplay but it faded slowly as the prime progressed.