First Test, Galle (day three, close):
Sri Lanka 520-8 dec v India 140-3
Match scorecard

Tendulkar falls victim to Murali for eight to leave India on 101-3

India closed day three of the rain-hit first Test with Sri Lanka in Galle 380 runs adrift at 140-3.

Resuming on 256-2 after a day lost to rain on Monday, Sri Lanka declared on 520-8, with Rangana Herath and Lasith Malinga smashing maiden Test fifties.

Muttiah Muralitharan, needing eight wickets in his final Test to reach 800, saw his first 15 balls hit for 22 but ousted Sachin Tendulkar and took 1-31.

Virender Sehwag struck 14 fours and a six in 85 before bad light ended play.

Malinga, whose previous Test highest was 42, hit three fours in an over from Pragyan Ojha then shortly afterwards brought up the century stand with Herath with consecutive sixes over long-on off the slow left-armer.

Muralitharan was applauded to the crease by the India players when he arrived for his 164th Test innings and the 38-year-old made an unbeaten five to increase his batting average to 11.67.

606: DEBATE If India fail to make the follow on, they'll probably lose. Herath and Murali, on a turning track, will be very hard to play on day five Silk

Malinga then struck with the second ball of the India reply as Gautam Gambhir was trapped lbw.

The paceman continued his fine day with a run-out from mid-off while Rahul Dravid was well short of his ground attempting an ill-advised second run on the mis-field.

Murali came into the attack to bowl the 17th over which cost only a single, but in his next Sehwag swept a four and drove down the ground for six in consecutive deliveries.

Tendulkar cut an exquisite boundary off Muralitharan but next ball the leading Test run-scorer became the leading Test wicket-taker's 793rd victim when he missed a sweep and was out lbw for eight.

Sehwag shared an unbroken stand of 40 in nine overs with VVS Laxman (18 not out) but India still require a further 181 to avert the threat of being asked to follow-on.

Slow left-armer Herath believes Sehwag is the key wicket and said: "If we can get him early we are in the game. The wicket has started to take turn, and even if India avoid the follow-on, we have a good chance to win."

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