SAS Nagar, Nov 23: The sequel to Mad Max has been busting the cricket charts for nearly an year now. Seven 100s in seven Tests, four in-a-row against India and Aravinda De Silva, at 32, has struck paydirt in his new role as Max the Mature. His transformation from a colourful one-day performer to a complete Test batsman was never so pronounced as it was today on the final day of the first Test at the PCA Stadium.

And, as Sri Lanka ended the day at 251 for six, it was their stocky vice-captain's unbeaten 110 which allowed them to draw considerable satisfaction from the stalemate. Giving him company in a significant character role was Kumara Dharmasena (25), whose regulation size bat kept the Indians at bay.

If the draw was a victory of sorts for the Lankans, India would derive consolation from the manner in which they courted success for a major part of the day. More importantly, there is enough reason for Sachin Tendulkar and company to look forward to the second Test in Nagpur with some sense of anticipation. For, the five days here have proved that the Lankans are mortals, after all.

That they missed a golden chance to prove this conclusively here itself was the story of the day. And this after India had cut them down to 82 for four before lunch, with Arjuna Ranatunga cooling off in the dressing room after a brief say in the proceedings.

At that stage, the hazy skyline had the Indian seamers on top and the Lankans were 64 runs away from the India's lead of 146.

But, one hour into the second session and Roshan Mahanama and Sanath Jayasuriya were spotted swaying to the bhangra beats that blared through the giant speakers at drinks interval. The Indians, meanwhile, were seen hopping to Aravinda's tune.

There was one stern warning to Srinath before lunch who tested the Lankan with a couple of bouncers. The third was greeted with resounding pull and the ball crashed high into the stands. That was the only six in his 15th Test century and, the point made, de Silva stepped back into a familiar mode while ensuring that the runs kept coming in well-placed singles and twos.

Though the issue was over as a contest, Srinath was visibly nervous after he bowled Dharmasena to log his 99th Test wicket. The tension spread around as fading light then cut into the action for 38 minutes with Aravinda on 98.

But even as the gods smiled on the Lankan when play resumed, Srinath was kept waiting for another day as the elements forced the umpires to close the match, with 15.5 overs yet to go.

Now, even as the Indians allowed the Lanka's sixth-wicket pair to add 103 runs and deny them victory, two of Karnataka's leading cricketers are bound to be in focus in the two days leading to the second Test. One for his performance in this match, and other for his absence in the Indian XI. In a way this Test may have played a significant role in deciding the fortunes of Anil Kumble and Venkatesh Prasad.

For the leg-spinner, it has been an eminently forgettable outing. A couple of wickets from him today on a responsive pitch, would have really pushed the Lankans to the wall, but even tailender Dharmasena tackled him without any discomfort. Lack of any guile, problems with his runup and a faltering line only added to the engineer's troubles. Has Anil Kumble become a predictable quantity in Test cricket? The Indians, and Kumble himself, would hope the answer would be a loud 'no' before this series ends.

As for Prasad, his omission from this side has still not been convincingly explained. He has always been a wicket-taker, he forces the batsman to play, and his sharp leg cutters would have been lethal in today's conditions. The selectors might even bring him in next time, but that wouldn't change the record, would it?

SCOREBOARDSRI LANKA (1st innings): 369
INDIA (1st innings): 515-9 decl
SRI LANKA (second innings): Sanath Jayasuriya c Mongia b Srinath (15m, 14b, 2x4) 17; Marvan Atapattu c Chauhan b Kuruvilla (117m, 69b, 5x4) 31; Roshan Mahanama lbw Srinath (27m, 15b, 2x4) 11; Aravinda de Silva not out (378m, 273b, 15x4, 1x6) 110; Arjuna Ranatunga c Dravid b Kuruvilla (19m, 10b) 3; Hashan Tillekaratne c Tendulkar b Chauhan (74m, 48b, 1x4) 9; Kumara Dharmasena b Srinath (142m, 117b, 3x4) 25; Lanka de Silva not out (66m, 36b, 1x4) 11; Extras: (b-13, lb-9, nb-12) 34; Total: (for six wickets, 424 minutes, 93.1 overs) 251
Fall of wickets: 1-22 (Jayasuriya), 2-40 (Mahanama), 3-67 (Atapattu), 4-82 (Ranatunga), 5-106 (Tillekaratne), 6-209 (Dharmasena)
Bowling: Srinath 22-3-75-3, Mohanty 16-4-32-0, Kuruvilla 15.1-4-29-2, Kumble 19-5-66-0, Chauhan 18-11-23-1, Ganguly 2-2-0-0, Azharuddin 1-0-4-0

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.