The intrepid Virender Sehwag's reflexes and timing powered the opener to an influential unbeaten 85 in the last session of an extended and often gripping day three of the first Micromax Test.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men have a job on hand though. At 140 for three, replying to Sri Lanka's mammoth 520 for eight declared, India needs to bat responsibly to salvage a draw.
There was increasing evidence of assistance to the spinners here on Tuesday. A flighted delivery from off-spinning wizard Muttiah Muralitharan gripped the surface, straightened and bounced past V.V.S. Laxman's blade. The fact that this delivery hastened off the wicket would have pleased the Sri Lankans.
There were a few memorable vignettes from the day. Muralitharan was given a guard of honour by budding cricketers as he led the Sri Lankans into the field in his final Test. Then, the legend was greeted with fireworks.
Muralitharan was the cynosure as he bowled. Sehwag danced down to the Sri Lankan legend for a spectacular straight six. However, Muralithathan consumed maestro Sachin Tendulkar on the sweep with a cleverly bowled fuller length ball that drifted in to take his tally of Test wickets to 793.
Sehwag and the elegant Laxman (18 batting) ensured India lost no more than three wickets.
Earlier, the left-handed Gautam Gambhir played across a Lasith Malinga delivery swinging in from just outside the off-stump to be rightly adjudged leg-before.
Rahul Dravid committed a fatal error of judgment after Sehwag played seamer Angelo Mathews to mid-off. Dravid turned back for the second run after Malinga misfielded but the erring fielder quickly recovered to fire in a throw to the bowler with Dravid short.
On a happy hunting ground, Sehwag continued to hold centre-stage. The opener was all balance and timing as he whipped left-arm paceman Chanaka Welegedara. He also created width to cut the paceman. An on-the-walk on-drive off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath reflected his touch. Expansive cover-drives which scorched the turf followed.
The Indian attack made inroads in the morning before struggling against the lower order. The left-handed Rangana Herath (80 not out) and Lasith Malinga (64) exposed the shortcomings of the Indian spin bowling after the pacemen had bowled zestful extended spells.
Mahela Jayawardene (48), light of foot and soft of hands, conjured a charming 48 of deft drives and flicks. Angelo Mathews raced to an entertaining 41 before Herath and Malinga added to the Indian frustration.
For a tail-ender, Herath played a few surprisingly cultured strokes.
He got behind the line, timed his shots. The hard-hitting Malinga enjoyed his stint in the middle.
The two came together at 393 for seven in the 98th over. The total had soared to 508 for eight in the 121st over when Malinga was held in the deep to hand impressive debutant Abhimanyu Mithun his fourth wicket.
The Indian bowling had impressed in the morning. There was assistance for both Ishant Sharma and Mithun from a pitch that seemed a tad damp.
Ishant, responding well to criticism, found the line just outside the batsman's off-stump. And he employed the short ball effectively; Ishant struck Thilan Samaraweera on the helmet with a mean bouncer.
The left-handed Tharanga Paranavitana succumbed to a short of a good length delivery of bounce and precision angled across him.
Ishant smartly mixed his leg-cutter with the off-cutter before finally sending back Mahela Jayawardene with the one coming in. And his teasing off-stump line - the ball straightened - accounted for the free-stroking Matthews. A diving Laxman plucked a fine catch at second slip.
Mithun's methods are different from those of Ishant; he swings the ball while Ishant strives to hit the deck.
With a predominantly front-on release, Mithun's stock delivery swings into the right-hander. Mithun did get the odd delivery to straighten and almost scalped Samaraweera. However, when the right-hander edged, Dravid put down a sitter in the slips.
To his credit, the persistent Mithun took out Samaraweera in the same over, getting the ball to move in from just outside the off-stump.
Prasanna Jayawardene was another victim of Mithun's indipper.
Given his chest on action, Mithun will never quite be able to swing the ball away from the right-hander. But then, he could develop the leg-cutter as a critical variation.
Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha disappointed. Left-armer Ojha conceded far too many scoring opportunities without ever seeming to induce the batsman into a false stroke. He lacked control over his length.
Sri Lanka (Ist inngs): T. Paranavitana c Dhoni b Ishant 111 (233b, 12x4), T. Dilshan c Dhoni b Mithun 25 (24b, 6x4), K. Sangakkara c Tendulkar b Sehwag 103 (145b, 12x4), M. Jayawardene lbw b Ishant 48 (78b, 6x4), T. Samaraweera lbw b Mithun 0 (7b), A. Mathews c Laxman b Ishant 41 (58b, 6x4), P. Jayawardene lbw b Mithun 27 (26b, 2x4, 1x6), R. Herath (not out) 80 (93b, 10x4, 1x6), L. Malinga c Harbhajan b Mithun 64 (75b, 9x4, 2x6), M. Muralitharan (not out) 5 (10b), Extras (b-2, lb-9, nb-5) 16, Total (for eight wkts decl in 124 overs) 520
Fall of wkts: 1-55 (Dilshan), 2-236 (Sangakkara), 3-259 (Paranavatana), 4-260 (Samaraweera), 5-332 (Mahela), 6-344 (Mathews), 7-393 (P. Jayawardene), 8-508 (Malinga).
India bowling: Ishant 28-5-145-3, Mithun 28-3-105-4, Harbhajan 30-4-98-0, Ojha 28-1-115-0, Sehwag 10-0-46-1.
India (Ist inngs): G. Gambhir lbw b Malinga 2 (2b), V. Sehwag (batting) 85 (98b, 14x4, 1x6), R. Dravid (run out) 18 (33b, 1x4), S. Tendulkar lbw b Muralitharan 8 (21b, 1x4), V.V.S. Laxman (batting) 18 (31b, 2x4); Extras (lb-1, w-1, nb-7) 9; Total (for three wkts in 29.4 overs) 140
Fall of wkts: 1-2 (Gambhir), 2-68 (Dravid), 3-101 (Tendulkar).
Sri Lanka bowling: Malinga 9-0-40-1, Welegedera 4-0-34-0, Herath 6.4-1-25-0, Mathews 3-0-9-0, Muralitharan 7-1-31-1.
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