SPORTS SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015 Karunaratne, Yasir light up final Test

PALLEKELE: ’s Dimuth Karunaratne hit a century amid another rich haul by Pakistani leg-spinner Yasir Shah as the decisive third and final Test began on a rousing note in Pallekele yes- terday. The hosts, sent in to bat after Pakistan Misbah-ul Haq won the toss for the third time in a row, stuttered to 272-8 in their first innings by stumps on the opening day. Left-handed Karunaratne anchored Gautam Gambhir the innings with a dogged 130, his sec- ond Test century following the 152 Gambhir happy to buck against New Zealand in Christchurch last December. trends in comeback bid Yasir ended the day with four for 77, taking his tally in the series to 21 , NEW DELHI: Gymnastics and mixed martial arts do not the most by a Pakistani bowler in a three- come naturally to Indian batsmen but former opener Test rubber in Sri Lanka. Gautam Gambhir, toiling in Perth to revive his international Yasir enabled Pakistan to keep the career, does not mind giving them a try if it helps get him runs in check despite conditions favour- back to the top. ing the batsmen on the evenly-paced Once described by former partner Virender pitch after the initial moisture on the Sehwag as the best Indian opener since Sunil Gavaskar, had dried up under the hot sun. Gambhir has fallen out of favour with selectors and spent 20 The series is locked 1-1, with Pakistan months in the wilderness before making a brief comeback having won the first Test by 10 wickets in England last year. before Sri Lanka drew level with a seven- However, a highest score of 18 in four innings banished wicket victory in the second match. Gambhir back to test exile, with many blaming the 2009 ICC Pakistan’s coach Mushtaq Test Player of the Year’s decline to technical flaws, especially Ahmed said Yasir turned the game a penchant for poking at deliveries outside off-stump. around after the seamers had wasted the “I know there is a talk about that but I don’t see it as a new ball. “Frankly, we did not use the new demon to be honest,” the 33-year-old Gambhir told Reuters ball well but we recovered through Yasir, in an email interview. who bowled beautifully from the start,” “It’s a mode of dismissal that a lot of left-handers go said Mushtaq, himself a former leg-spin- through and so do right-handers when they face left-arm ner. “If he continues to perform like this, quicks bowling over the wicket,” said Gambhir, currently Pakistan is bound to prosper. It will be training under the watchful eye of former Australia opener really tough to play him in the fourth Justin Langer. “It’s not about ironing the flaws. In fact, I want innings. We are lucky to have a genuine to take my game to invincible levels. That is why I am here,” match winner.” he said of his stint under Langer, also coach of Western Karunaratne said the life in the pitch Australia. should help Sri Lanka when Pakistan bat, “My schedule here is revolved around a lot of batting in but added the team missed the calming the nets and facing up to the Western Australia bowlers. I influence of . also did a bit of mix martial arts and gymnastics, which was “We depended a lot on Sanga all these fun.” In a way, it seems almost natural that Gambhir should years,” he said. “When he batted, the runs turn to another gutsy left-handed opener to revive his kept flowing. We missed him here. I career. “Similarities yes, but it was more a case of me relat- thought we played well but we gave too ing to his ideology and philosophy,” the Delhi-born player many wickets in the last session.” said. “I met him during the last Champions League and we Sangakkara, the world’s leading cur- PALLEKELE: Sri Lankan cricketer Dimuth Karunaratne (center) plays a shot as spoke about the art, the science and the joy of batting. rent run-getter in Tests, opted out of the Pakistan wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed (left) and Younis Khan (right) looks on “That meeting helped me understand him better and after match since he had committed to play during the opening day of the third and final match. — AFP just the first two Tests against Pakistan this year’s IPL, I wanted to work on my game and thought Prasad off successive balls. pace attack. Sri Lanka recalled two left-han- Justin Langer will be the best man for that,” said Gambhir, and two more against India in August before retiring. Opener , who Karunaratne was as he ders in Tharanga and 34-year-old Mubarak, who has scored more than 4,000 runs in 56 tests, averaging attempted a big heave and Prasad holed who played the last of his 10 Tests in 42.58. had scored 125 in Galle and 80 in Colombo, was caught behind for nine off out to Yasir at deep square-leg to reduce December 2007 — before any of his cur- left-arm seamer Rahat Ali, who was Sri Lanka to 248-7. rent teammates had made their debut. The HARD YARDS Both sides made four changes each for hosts also left out veteran left-arm spinner The left-hander, who can effortlessly shift gears when on picked alongside Ehsan Ali and Imran Khan in a new-look pace attack. The left- the decider with Pakistan bringing in bats- and injured fast bowler song, has also scored 5,238 runs in 147 ODIs averaging near- man Shan Masood along with the fresh . — AFP ly 40 with an 85-plus strike rate. handed pair of Karunaratne and Upul Gambhir was India’s top-scorer in the 2011 World Cup Tharanga put on 91 for the second wicket final victory but could not find a place in the squad for this on either side of lunch to lift the score to SCOREBOARD year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand. 106 for one, before three wickets fell for “It’s like any other profession when you don’t get good 31 runs. Yasir had Tharanga, who replaced PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka: Scoreboard at D. Prasad c Yasir b Azhar 0 appraisals. You can brood over it but the fact is that you stumps on the opening day of the T. Kaushal not out 17 have to put in the hard yards to take the game to the next Sangakkara for the match, caught at slip for 46 before he removed Lahiru third and final Test between Pakistan S. Lakmal not out 1 level,” he added. and Sri Lanka at the Pallekele Extras: (lb3, w3) 6 “It’s not a setback. No one has taken my bat away from Thirimanne (11) and skipper (three) in successive overs to International Stadium yesterday: me. It’s here with me and so is a burning desire to excel.” Total (for eight wickets, 86 overs) 272 However, he dismissed suggestions that he might find it mistimed drives. Jehan Mubarak, recalled to the Test Sri Lanka 1st innings: Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Silva), 2-106 easier to break into the ODI side, in which Rohit Sharma, not D. Karunaratne st Sarfraz b Azhar 130 (Tharanga), 3-133 (Thirimanne), 4-137 a natural at the very top of the order, opens for India with side after almost eight years, helped Karunaratne add 67 for the fifth wicket K. Silva c Sarfraz b Rahat 9 (Mathews), 5-204 (Mubarak), 6-248 Shikhar Dhawan. U. Tharanga c Younis b Yasir 46 (Karunaratne), 7-248 (Prasad), 8-264 “I think Shikhar and Rohit are doing a good job. I mean before he was stumped off Yasir for 25. Azhar Ali, who had taken two wickets L. Thirimanne c sub (Azam) b Yasir11 (Chandimal). Rohit got two double hundreds and Shikhar had a decent A. Mathews c sub (Azam) b Yasir 3 Bowling: Rahat 19-2-74-2 (w1), Ehsan World Cup. “As far as my comeback is concerned, I am with his part-time in 43 pre- vious Tests, doubled his tally with the J. Mubarak st Sarfraz b Yasir 25 14-3-37-0 (w1), Imran 15-3-46-0 (w1), enjoying the journey at the moment without worrying too D. Chandimal lbw b Rahat 24 Yasir 31-4-77-4, Azhar 7-0-35-2. much about the destination.” — Reuters wickets of Karunaratne and Dhammika