MUMBAI, India (AP) — India closed in on a lopsided victory in the third Test against Sri Lanka, reducing the visitors to 274-6 at stumps yesterday on Day Four despite a century from captain Kumar Sangakkara.

Sangakkara’s 133 not out, his 21st Test century, and an unbroken 66-run stand for the seventh wicket with Nuwan Kulasekara (nine not out) helped Sri Lanka avert defeat.

Sri Lanka, which lost the second Test by an innings and 144 runs with a day to spare, needs to score another 58 to make India bat again.

Sri Lanka made 393 in its first innings, and India responded with their highest ever Test score of 726-9 declared.

Pushing for a victory that would take it to the No 1 spot in the world Test rankings, India reduced the tourists to 144-5 at tea, but only managed one more wicket in the final session as Sangakkara played a fine knock that featured 19 hits to the fence off 258 balls.

India’s attack was led by pace bowler Zaheer Khan (2-51) and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha (2-84).

Khan induced an edge from Mahela Jayawardene (12) to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and then removed Thilan Samaraweera (0), while Ojha snared Angelo Mathews (5) and Prasanna Jayawardene (32).

Sri Lanka earlier lost overnight batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan (16) when he padded up to a delivery from off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (1-70) and was adjudged lbw. TV replays later showed the ball would have spun away wide off the leg stump.

Opener Tharanga Paranavitana made a composed 54 and shared a defiant 90-run partnership for the second wicket with Sangakkara before he was out lbw to paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth (1-36).

Paranavitana had eight boundaries off 144 deliveries.

Scoreboard

Sri Lanka 1st innings: 393 (T Paranavitana 53, T Dilshan 109, A Mathews 99, H Singh 4-112, P Ojha 3-101)

India 1st innings: 726-9 decl (M Vijay 87, V Sehwag 293, R Dravid 74, S Tendulkar 53, V Laxman 62, M Dhoni 100 not out; R Herath 3-240, M Muralitharan 4-195)

Sri Lanka 2nd innings (overnight 11-0):

T Paranavitana lbw b Sreesanth 54

T Dilshan lbw b Harbhajan 16

K Sangakkara not out 133

M Jayawardene c Dhoni b Zaheer 12

T Samaraweera c Laxman b Zaheer 0

A Mathews c Dhoni b Ojha 5

P Jayawardene lbw b Ojha 32

N Kulasekara not out 9

Extras: (b8, lb1, nb3, w1) 13

Total (for six wkts, 93 overs) 274

Fall of wickets: 1-29 (Dilshan), 2-119 (Paranavitana), 3-135 (M Jayawardene), 4-137 (Samaraweera), 5-144 (Mathews), 6-208 (P Jayawardene)

Bowling: Harbhajan 31-5-70-1, Ojha 23-4-84-2, Zaheer 17-4-51-2 (nb1), Sreesanth 13-4-36-1 (nb2, w1), Sehwag 9-2-24-0

Sri Lanka trail by 59 runs with four wickets in hand

Toss: Sri Lanka

Umpires: Nigel Llong (ENG) and Daryl Harper (AUS)

TV umpire: Shavir Tarapore (IND)

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)