AFP, Colombo :Sri Lanka’s captain Angelo Mathews scored 102 before India fought back in the second Test at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo on Saturday.The hosts, replying to India’s first innings total of 393, took their overnight score of 140-3 to 298-7 by tea on the third day, still trailing by 95 runs with three wickets in hand.Sri Lanka were cruising at 259 for four in the post-lunch session when India hit back with three quick wickets soon after Mathews notched up his sixth Test century with a reverse-hit boundary off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.Mathews and his overnight partner Lahiru Thirimanne batted through the morning session to put on 127 for the fourth wicket before lanky seamer Ishant Sharma claimed two wickets in the space of three overs after the break.Sharma had left-handed Thirimanne caught behind by Wriddhiman Saha for 62 and then dismissed Dinesh Chandimal for 11, caught at second slip by Lokesh Rahul.All-rounder Stuart Binny, who was added to the touring squad before this match, claimed his first success after going wicketless in three previous Tests when he forced Mathews to edge a catch to the slips.Leg-spinner Amit Mishra struck in the next over by having Dhammika Prasad caught in the slips to make Sri Lanka 289-7. Mathews, one of modern cricket’s leading all-rounders, followed his fine spell of two for 24 in 15 overs of steady medium-pace bowling during India’s innings with a century that was studded with 12 boundaries.At tea, Jehan Mubarak was unbeaten on 20 and Rangana Herath was on one.Sri Lanka lead the three-match series, having won the first Test in Galle by 63 runs.
