India were firmly on the backfoot with Sri Lanka building a vital 103-runs first innings lead after reaching 352 for seven at lunch on the third day of the deciding third and final cricket Test on Sunday.
While overnight centurion Kumar Sangakkara departed after scoring 144, Prasanna Jayawardene was batting on 44 with debutante Dhammika Prasad holding the other end at 16.
It was a relief for the Indians to see the Sri Lankan vice-captain back as he edged a turning delivery from Anil Kumble to wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel about 20 minutes before lunch.
Sangakkara's innings included 14 hits to the fence.
With medical bulletins on fitness of its injured players not very encouraging for the Indian camp, Anil Kumble justifiably delayed the second new ball in the absence of the injured Ishant Sharma when play began this morning.
Though the Indian spinner toiled hard and got the odd ones to turn, the two Sri Lankan batsmen displayed grit and determination and kept the scoreboard ticking.
Sangakkara began with a bang as he drove Harbhajan's flighted delivery to the extra cover.
Though the turbanator did manage to keep the two guessing at times with his odd ones, they by and large confronted him without any major trouble.
As many as 49 runs were added in the first hour as Sri Lanka moved to the 300-mark in the 107th over.
The new ball experience for Sourav Ganguly, coming in for Ishant Sharma, was hardly great as the former captain was dispatched for two boundaries in his first over.
After driving him to the mid-off, Jayawardene dispatched Ganguly past the backward point boundary.
Sensing the batsmen were scoring briskly, skipper Anil Kumble shifted to a defensive field.
Jayawardene chose to play second fiddle to his senior partner Sangakkara as the two raced to a 60 runs partnership.
Indians were also fortunate to save some boundaries due to a slow outfield.
Jayawardene was fortunate not to be run out after substitute fielder Rohit Sharma field to throw the ball near the wicket forcing Parthiv Patel to dive to stop it.
This gave the Sri Lankan ample time to reach home, thereby denying India the much needed breakthrough.
All that the depleted pace attack could do was to strive to restrict the Sri Lankan batsmen from getting away with a huge score.
Sangakkara's cracking square cut of Zaheer Khan raced to the boundary was received with thunderous applause from the spectators.
It was then Jayawardene's turn to pull the Hyderabad bowler's short delivery to the boundary.