KOLKATA – India is on the verge of a second successive humiliating defeat at home against England who is set for an emphatic victory in the third Test at the Eden Gardens here Saturday. After conceding a huge 207-run lead, India's famed batsmen put up a pathetic display but R. Ashwin (83 batting) and the tailenders delayed the inevitable as the host reached 239 for nine at close on the penultimate day. Ashwin, who flopped as a bowler, provided some resistance as the last two wickets added 80 runs after being at a precarious 159 for eight at one stage, forcing the game to stretch into the fifth day with India having a slender lead of 32. With one full day left, England is on course for a huge win and take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match series. India got off to a good start with Virender Sehwag (49) and Gautam Gambhir (40) putting on 86 runs but the innings completely came apart after the lunch break with wickets falling with embarrassing ease on a track, which gave some assistance to the bowlers. While the Indian bowlers looked completely ineffective, the English bowlers exploited the conditions far better and raised hopes of their first series win on Indian soil in 28 years. After the humiliating 10-wicket defeat in Mumbai, the host once again seemed clueless in its own den. Steve Finn (3-37), James Anderson (2-38) and Graeme Swann were (2-70) were the wicket-takers for England. Barring Ashwin, none of the Indian batsmen showed the stomach for a fight out as they perished to poor strokes. Cheteshwar Pujara (8), Sachin Tendulkar (5), Yuvraj Singh (11), Virat Kohli (20) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (0) were the big guns who failed to fire on a track in which England posted 523 in the first innings. Earlier in the morning, resuming at the overnight score of 509 for six, England was all out for 523 within the first half an hour's play. Ashwin struck back to back boundaries to Swann to notch up his third half-century that also helped India avoid the humiliation of an innings loss as the Eden, which registered the highest attendance Saturday. Ashwin's shared a 38-run ninth wicket partnership with Ishant Sharma (10) to avoid an innings defeat and later he stitched an undefeated 42 runs with Pragyan Ojha (3 batting). High-scoring draw Sri Lanka's only tour match before its three-Test series against Australia ended in a draw in Canberra Saturday when it declared on 396 for six at lunch on day three. The tourists still trailed the 439 for six made by the Chairman's XI but both sides agreed to bring an end to a high-scoring match on a Manuka Oval wicket that offered little to the bowlers. Tillakaratne Dilshan, who retired unbeaten after reaching his century, top-scored for Sri Lanka with Prasanna Jayawardene (71), Dinesh Chandimal (57) and Kumar Sangakkara (55) also grabbing half centuries. New South Wales lefthander Scott Henry plundered an unbeaten 207 in the Chairman's XI innings. — Agencies
