MUMBAI: For Sri Lanka, it might have seemed like they had been granted a free showing of Pulp Fiction just when they were dreading the thought of Dhoni hits ton, India firmly in driver's seat watching any further bloodshed.
The whole of Friday was Prime Time, a Tarantino-like thriller that had Indians gleefully munching popcorn as the Lankans looked for a place for hide.
No sooner did the ball land on the roof of Brabourne's clubhouse in the final half an hour of the third day's proceedings, Mahendra Singh Dhoni raised his bat for a well-struck 100 and ran back to the dressing room acknowledging the cheers. He wanted Sri Lanka to pad up and play as many overs as possible while chasing India's impressive 333-run lead.
Dhoni declared at 726/9, his innings bringing the curtains down on an extremely boisterous show that Sehwag had started. Sri Lanka will remember this batting genocide for a long time. It left the visitors nursing multiple bruises as the Indians registered their highest-ever total in Tests, surpassing their previous best of 705 at Sydney in 2004.
For Lanka, it couldn't have been more torturous after Sehwag had virtually battered the opposition.
No sooner did Friday begin, though, the high expectations that Sehwag would become the first batsman to score three triple tons in Tests fell flat. Muttiah Muralitharan allowed himself to grin for the first time in this Test match, coming round the wicket and sending down one with enough loop for the batsman to tap it right back. Caught and bowled for 293, seven excruciatingly painful runs short of 300, Sehwag returned to a standing ovation.
At least for the next 36 years - that is how long Brabourne yearned for a Test match - it will easily remain the most pleasing memory here. Soon, Dravid left too, missing his century after scoring 74 runs and for just that moment, it began to seem doubtful if batting once would be enough for the hosts.
Often, in Mumbai, when a match is on and regardless of whether Sachin Tendulkar is playing in it or not, it is a given for the crowd to keep chanting his name. 'Sachin, Sachin,' they go on, and he needn't actually be there. So, it was just about normal that India at 487/3, with Sehwag having set the tone, Tendulkar walked out to a rapturous welcome and scored 53 in the middle of a decibel level that made Lanka cringe further. Along with Laxman's 62, these were important runs though India were still quite far from reaching the 700-run mark until Dhoni had finished.
On Saturday, when play begins, each delivery bowled, every wicket taken, will be with the sole intention of wrapping this Test up as soon as possible. India's race to the Number One spot in the ICC Test rankings has begun and they might as well reach there in style.
For all the runs accumulated, every bit contributed by those playing the second fiddle to Sehwag was pleasing to the eye. If his smacking Sri Lanka all over the park was a Thursday special, Dhoni hitting his sixes all over the clubhouse roof time and again made for Friday's blockbuster.
With 15-odd minutes left for the day's play to end, Lanka faced three overs, scored 11 runs and surely got a taste of things to come. India had begun attack with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha from each end.
TOI
The whole of Friday was Prime Time, a Tarantino-like thriller that had Indians gleefully munching popcorn as the Lankans looked for a place for hide.
No sooner did the ball land on the roof of Brabourne's clubhouse in the final half an hour of the third day's proceedings, Mahendra Singh Dhoni raised his bat for a well-struck 100 and ran back to the dressing room acknowledging the cheers. He wanted Sri Lanka to pad up and play as many overs as possible while chasing India's impressive 333-run lead.
Dhoni declared at 726/9, his innings bringing the curtains down on an extremely boisterous show that Sehwag had started. Sri Lanka will remember this batting genocide for a long time. It left the visitors nursing multiple bruises as the Indians registered their highest-ever total in Tests, surpassing their previous best of 705 at Sydney in 2004.
For Lanka, it couldn't have been more torturous after Sehwag had virtually battered the opposition.
No sooner did Friday begin, though, the high expectations that Sehwag would become the first batsman to score three triple tons in Tests fell flat. Muttiah Muralitharan allowed himself to grin for the first time in this Test match, coming round the wicket and sending down one with enough loop for the batsman to tap it right back. Caught and bowled for 293, seven excruciatingly painful runs short of 300, Sehwag returned to a standing ovation.
At least for the next 36 years - that is how long Brabourne yearned for a Test match - it will easily remain the most pleasing memory here. Soon, Dravid left too, missing his century after scoring 74 runs and for just that moment, it began to seem doubtful if batting once would be enough for the hosts.
Often, in Mumbai, when a match is on and regardless of whether Sachin Tendulkar is playing in it or not, it is a given for the crowd to keep chanting his name. 'Sachin, Sachin,' they go on, and he needn't actually be there. So, it was just about normal that India at 487/3, with Sehwag having set the tone, Tendulkar walked out to a rapturous welcome and scored 53 in the middle of a decibel level that made Lanka cringe further. Along with Laxman's 62, these were important runs though India were still quite far from reaching the 700-run mark until Dhoni had finished.
On Saturday, when play begins, each delivery bowled, every wicket taken, will be with the sole intention of wrapping this Test up as soon as possible. India's race to the Number One spot in the ICC Test rankings has begun and they might as well reach there in style.
For all the runs accumulated, every bit contributed by those playing the second fiddle to Sehwag was pleasing to the eye. If his smacking Sri Lanka all over the park was a Thursday special, Dhoni hitting his sixes all over the clubhouse roof time and again made for Friday's blockbuster.
With 15-odd minutes left for the day's play to end, Lanka faced three overs, scored 11 runs and surely got a taste of things to come. India had begun attack with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha from each end.
TOI
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