Cricket: Kapil edges closer to record

India. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .541-6 dec

Sri Lanka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59-2

KAPIL DEV struck an explosive 53 and then took a quick wicket as India gave Sri Lanka a battering on the second day of the second Test in Bangalore yesterday.

India, with Mohammad Azharuddin cautiously compiling 108, declared their first innings at 541 for 6. Sachin Tendulkar was bowled four runs short of his eighth Test century. Sri Lanka were 59 for 2 at the close.

Kapil took the new ball and had Dulip Samaraweera caught at slip with his third ball. It was his 427th Test wicket; he now needs five more to break Sir Richard Hadlee's Test record. 'Our spinners are bowling so well that I will have to make the most of the short spells of bowling that I will be getting,' Kapil said.

(Second day: India won toss)

INDIA - First Innings

(Overnight: 339 for 3)

S R Tendulkar b Anurasiri. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 * M Azharuddin lbw Muralitharan. . . . . . . . . . .108 S V Manjrekar c Mahanama b Muralitharan. . . . . . . 39 Kapil Dev not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 ] N Mongia not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Extras (b6 lb6 nb20). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Total (for 6 dec). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .541

Fall: 1-34 2-182 3-248 4-372 5-459 6-468.

Did not bat: A Kumble, R K Chauhan, Venkatapathy Raju.

Bowling: Wickramasinghe 20-0-98-1; Jayasuriya 8-2-26-0; Muralitharan 65-11-179-4; Ranatunga 4-0-14-0; Anurasiri 45-2-158-1; Kalpage 19-1-54-0.

SRI LANKA - First Innings

R S Mahanama not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 D P Samaraweera c Prabhakar b Kapil Dev. . . . . . . . . 0 P A De Silva c Chauhan b Prabhakar. . . . . . . . . . . 17 * A Ranatunga not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Extras (lb1 nb5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Total (for 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Fall: 1-7 2-36.

To bat: H P Tillakaratne, R S Kalpage, S Jayasuriya, P Dissanayake, G P Wickramasinghe, S D Anurasiri, M Muralitharan.

Umpires: S K Bansal and K Parthasarathy.