Galle: Lasith Malinga's lethal three-wicket spell has frustrated India's hopes to save the first test as Sri Lanka edges close to a famous win.
The visitors, after being forced to follow on Wednesday, finished day four at 181-5, needing 63 more runs to make Sri Lanka bat again. It has five second-innings wickets in hand and a day's play remaining.
Sachin Tendulkar (84) and Rahul Dravid (44) shared a solid 119-run partnership under pressure and showed signs of a serious fightback but Malinga dismissed both batsmen in a span of six balls.
Earlier, retiring offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan bagged his 67th five-wicket haul to dismiss India at 276 in its first innings in reply to Sri Lanka's 520-8.
India first innings
India, all out for 276 in reply to Sri Lanka's first innings of 520-8 declared, were 68-2 at tea, still trailing by 176 runs.
They lost Gautam Gambhir without scoring to the third ball when he edged a catch behind the wicket off Lasith Malinga. Virender Sehwag, who scored a century in the first innings, went for 31, snapped up brilliantly by Mahela Jayawardene at gully.
Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar were unbeaten on 12 and 21 respectively.
In his final test, Muralitharan picked up his 67th five-wicket haul and took his career tally to 797 wickets.
Having dismissed Sachin Tendulkar on the third day, Muralitharan added the wickets of Yuvraj Singh (52), skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (33) and tailenders Pragyan Ojha and Abhimanyu Mithun after India had resumed on 140-3.
Sehwag reached his 20th test 100 in the second over of the morning with a streaky inside-edged four off Angelo Mathews.
However, he went chasing after a wide delivery from Chanaka Welegedara on 109 and edged a catch to first slip after hitting 19 fours and a six in his 118-ball innings.
Lasith Malinga removed the other overnight batsman VVS Laxman for 22 when he top-edged a pull to deep square leg.
Yuvraj and Dhoni steadied the Indian innings with a sixth-wicket stand of 74 before Muralitharan broke through.
Score board
Sri Lanka 1st innings: 520-8 declared (T. Paranavitana 111, K. Sangakkara 103, R. Herath 80 not out, L. Malinga 64, A. Mithun 4-105, I. Sharma 3-145)
India 1st innings (overnight 140-3):
G. Gambhir lbw b Malinga 2
V. Sehwag c Paranavitana b Welegedara 109
R. Dravid run out 18
S. Tendulkar lbw b Muralitharan 8
V. Laxman c Dilshan b Malinga 22
Y. Singh c M. Jayawardene b Muralitharan 52
M. Dhoni b Muralitharan 33
H. Singh st P. Jayawardene b Herath 2
I. Sharma not out 5
P. Ojha c M. Jayawardene b Muralitharan 3
A. Mithun b Muralitharan 8
Extras: (b1, lb1, w2, nb10) 14
Total (all out, 65 overs) 276
Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Gambhir), 2-68 (Dravid), 3-101 (Tendulkar), 4-169 (Sehwag), 5-178 (Laxman), 6-252 (Dhoni), 7-259 (Yuvraj), 8-259 (Harbhajan), 9-266 (Ojha), 10-276 (Mithun).
Bowling: Malinga 13-0-55-2 (nb4), Welegedara 11-1-69-1 (nb5, w1), Herath 18-1-62-1 (nb1), Mathews 5-0-19-0 (w1), Muralitharan 17-1-63-5, Dilshan 1-0-6-0.
India 2nd innings:
G. Gambhir c P. Jayawardene b Malinga 0
V. Sehwag c M. Jayawardene b Welegedara 31
R. Dravid c Sangakkara b Malinga 44
S. Tendulkar lbw b Malinga 84
V. Laxman not out 9
Y. Singh c M. Jayawardene b Muralitharan 5
Extras: (lb3, w1, nb4) 8
Total (for five wickets, 59.3 overs) 181
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Gambhir), 2-42 (Sehwag), 3-161 (Dravid), 4-172 (Tendulkar), 5-181 (Yuvraj).
Bowling: Malinga 9-2-33-3 (nb2), Welegedara 6-1-26-1 (nb1), Herath 14-2-27-0 (nb1), Mathews 7-3-13-0 (w1), Muralitharan 18.3-1-57-1, Dilshan 5-0-22-0.
