The chances of Sri Lanka recording their first Test win in India faded away here at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, on an unresponsive track yesterday, after the tourists came into the final day’s play hoping to create history.

Purposeful batting and unhelpful conditions ended Sri Lanka’s chances and play was called off early after Sachin Tendulkar reached three figures.

The dead pitch here in Ahmedabad will attract some criticism after just two wickets fell on the final day, despite the world’s highest wicket taker being in action.

The Indian curators and authorities have been criticised in recent years for providing wickets that have produced high scoring draws. A look at the statistics suggest that in the last five years, 11 of the 24 Tests played in India have been drawn, while just two of the 27 Tests played in Australia in the last five have been drawn. Sri Lanka too has an impassive record, as only four of the 22 games played in Sri Lanka during the same period have seen drawn games.

Resuming at the overnight score of 190 for two, still 144 runs behind, night-watchman Amit Mishra did more than what was required of him by hanging around for 45 minutes.

Chanaka Welagedara created an opportunity to dismiss Mishra, but Dilshan put down a chance at second slip in the second over of the morning.

Dilshan compensated for the missed chance by pulling off a stunner at leg-gully to give Angelo Mathews a wicket, as Mishra was dismissed for 24.

Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir batted till lunch and Sri Lanka took the second new ball after the break, hoping for the breakthrough.

Fast bowler Dammika Prasad didn’t bowl in the first session due to a hamstring niggle, but returned to the attack when the new ball was taken.

However, he failed to trouble the batsmen and Kumar Sangakkara soon had to switch back to his spinners.

Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene on day four had suggested that the team’s chances heavily depended on how off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan performed, but there was no success or luck for the world’s highest wicket taker.

The wicket did provide turn, but it was slow and with the track offering no bounce against batsmen who were brought up on slow turners, he was made to toil.

The 37-year-old, however, didn’t lose heart as he kept trying, bowling long spells, but a rich haul of wickets that has eluded him in Tests in India and more importantly a Test win here proved to be still elusive. Leave alone a rich haul of wickets, Muralitharan failed to pick up a single wicket in the Indian second innings, despite bowling 38 overs.

Gautam Gambhir proved why at the ICC Annual Awards in October he collected the Test Player of the Year award, with his seventh Test hundred.

His dismissal was a carbon copy of Virender Sehwag’s on day four, as he gave the charge to Rangana Herath, but failed to get to the pitch of the ball and ended up giving a high catch to Prasad at mid-off.

There was still a lot to be done to save the game when he got out and whether free scoring players like V. V. S. Laxman and Tendulkar could show patience remained a concern.

But Tendulkar extended his world record of centuries to 43 and completed 30,000 runs in international cricket, Tests and ODIs put together, while Laxman helped himself to a half-century to give something to cheer about for the cricket crazy Gujaratis, here in Ahmedabad.