Plenty to ponder for Kumble

After India's innings and 239-run loss to Sri Lanka, the main agenda on their captain Anil Kumble's mind was how they would sort out Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, who shared 19 of the 20 wickets to fall

Spin wizards stump India

Sri Lanka's utter humiliation of India resulted in plenty of records - favourable ones for the home team, and unwanted ones for India. Cricinfo looks at the important ones

Underdone India humiliated

Dileep Premachandran on the contributions of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis to Sri Lanka's innings and 239-run mauling of India in the first Test

Partners in guile

Muttiah Muralitharan, pointed out two things about Ajantha Mendis - one that Mendis is far more talented than he was when he debuted and two, that Mendis will take the pressure off him and perhaps extend Murali's Test career

An odd couple, and Murali's guile

Jamie Alter recaps the Plays of the day from the fourth day of the first Test between Sri Lanka and India at the SSC

Surprised how India folded - Jayawardene

Sri Lanka won the first Test in a little over three days and Mahela Jayawardene said he was surprised by the way India folded up. Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis shared 19 wickets between them as India slumped to an innings and 239-run defeat

New approach works for Dilshan

An under-pressure Tillakaratne Dilshan took advantage of a tired and insipid bowling line-up to rack up quick runs, and his fifth Test century

Kirsten disappointed with poor shot-making

Gary Kirsten has expressed disappointment at the way India batted on the third day, on which they finished at 159 for 6 in response to Sri Lanka's first-innings total of 600

Cat got your tongue, boys?

Dileep Premachandran recaps the Plays of the day from the third day of the first Test between Sri Lanka and India at the SSC

Mendis factor works in Murali's favour

How India's 'Fab Four' handled spin was always going to be a central focus of this match, and of the series

Mahela's MCG and bad reviews

Dileep Premachandran rewinds the Plays of the day from the second day at the SSC

Samaraweera and Warnapura share the limelight

Jayawardene's field of glory

Bugs in the system

A few questions emerged on the day when for the first time a player challenged the umpire's decision

Murali and Mendis maul India

In a match dominated by not one but two smiling assassins, Sri Lanka completely destroyed the Indian batting line-up twice over to script their best win at home

Warnapura takes the honours on rain-hit day

Malinda Warnapura's brisk unbeaten 50 off 74 balls proved to be the difference between an emphatic session and a merely satisfactory one for India on a rain-hit opening day of the Test series

Muralitharan leaves India in tatters

Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis shook the SCC pitch out of its slumber after the Sri Lankan batsmen given them a mountain of runs as a cushion, and the new-ball bowlers had done their bit in taking the shine off the ball

Bowlers impress on slow pitch

When external factors limit the opening day of a Test series to 22 overs, the time squeezed in assumes greater significance

Three centurions make it Sri Lanka's day

On a slow, benign SSC track, the Sri Lankan batsmen accumulated ruthlessly, and looked set for an imposing total that could rule out a defeat, helped along the way by the Indian fielders who did not accept some of the half-chances that came their way

Express yourself

Sri Lanka's success in recent times has hinged on how they have encouraged players to be themselves

Review system under the scanner

Just before lunch on the fourth day, the umpiring review system had its first tryst with serious controversy when Virender Sehwag was given out lbw after umpire Mark Benson had initially ruled him not out

Ranatunga slams India's 'Twenty20' approach

Arjuna Ranatunga, former Sri Lankan captain, has criticised India's batsmen for playing in Twenty20 mode and said they lacked focus

Sri Lanka v India, 1st Test, SSC, Colombo

Match home for the first Test between Sri Lanka and India at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo

Inconsistent India need to make amends

Jamie Alter on India's inability to win two consecutive Test matches over the last three years

Mendis arrives

The man who made every ball compelling