29 July,2010 03:44 PM IST | | Agencies
India's batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar scored his 5th double hundred to steer India closer to Sri Lanka's first innings target of 642.
Tendulkar's clinical 203 runs came ofu00a0347 balls which included 23 fours and a six.
Captain MS Dhoni who joined in the batting chorus after Suresh Raina's dismissal scored a brisku00a0half centuryu00a0inu00a055 balls.
At tea India were 589/5 and were trailing by just 53 runs.
Lankan all-rounder T Dilshan immediately struck twice after tea to dismiss the master blaster on 203 and Harbhajan Singh (0).u00a0
Tendulkar, the world's leading run-getter, equalled West Indian Brian Lara's record of 19 scores of 150-plus. Australian legend Don Bradman did it on 18 occasions.
Tendulkar compiled his fifth double-century in a glorious 168-Test career marked by more runs (13,741) and hundreds (48) than any other batsman in history.
Suresh Raina (120)u00a0notched up a century on debut besides putting on a 256-run partnership with veteran Sachin Tendulkar as India avoided the follow on to reach 477 for four in their first innings at lunch on the fourth day of the second Test against Sri Lanka here today.
Overnight 382 for four, India needed 51 more runs to avoid the follow at the start of play today.
Tendulkar, after a lot of waiting and watching, pushed debutant off spinner Suraj Randiv along the carpet to the cover boundary as he began bridging the still large first innings deficit.
Raina compounded Randiv's anxiety as he swatted the lanky bowler to the long off boundary for the first six of the day.
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The 150-run partnership between the two came in 156 minutes and 243 balls and marked the highest fifth wicket partnership for India against Sri Lanka. India's 400 came in 686 balls.
Raina also incidentally became the 12th debutant century maker for India as he and Tendulkar reached a 200-run partnership in 334 balls.
Earlier, the stout Raina did well to drill a short-pitched Dilhara Fernando delivery between extra cover and mid off for boundary.
Tendulkar, on his part, executed a perfectly-timed square cut to a 140 kph Prasad delivery as India inched towards a position of safety.
Dammika Prasad rattled Tendulkar with a short-pitched delivery which hit the Indian's helmet and raced to the boundary.
Meanwhile, Tendulkar accompalished his 150 with the help of a six and 20 fours. He reached the milestone in 261 balls.
