Cricket: Dravid holds off Sri Lanka

India 247-3 v Sri Lanka

Rahul Dravid was out in the nervous 90s for the second Test running but still helped India stave off an early Sri Lankan challenge in the third and final Test in Bombay yesterday.

Nayan Mongia was bowled in the second over by Pramodaya Wickramasinghe and then Navjot Sidhu was caught trying to hit the spinner Kumara Dharmasena over deep mid-on.

Dravid, who made 92 in the second Test at Nagpur, fell this time for 93 - but he helped India consolidate with a 150-run stand for the third wicket with Saurav Ganguly (92 not out).

First day; Sri Lanka won toss

INDIA - First Innings

N R Mongia b Wickramasinghe 1

N S Sidhu c Mahanama b Dharmasena 35

R S Dravid c Mahanama b Ranatunga 93

S C Ganguly not out 92

*S R Tendulkar not out 8

Extras (b1 lb11 nb4 w2) 18

Total (for 3) 247

Fall: 1-1 2-55 3-215.

To bat: M Azharuddin, A Kumble, J Srinath, R K Chauhan, A Kuruvilla, Venkatesh Prasad.

Bowling (to date): Vaas 17-3-37-0 (1nb); Wickramasinghe 18-5-37-1 (1nb); Pushpakumara 17-4-59-0 (1nb, 2w); Dharmasena 26-9-61-1 (1nb); Ranatunga 8-3-18-1; Jayasuriya 4-1-23-0.

SRI LANKA: S T Jayasuriya, M S Atapattu, R S Mahanama, P A De Silva, *A Ranatunga, H P Tillakaratne, H D P K Dharmasena, S K L De Silva, C J U P W Vaas, G P Wickramasinghe, K R Pushpakumara.

Umpires: A V Jayaprakash (Ind) and S A Bucknor (WI).