Tillakaratne Dilshan's three wickets in the final session in Colombo ensured that Sri Lanka would bat twice, as the players prepare to go through the motions on day five of the second Test.

As the final ball of day four sailed past the edge of Pragyan Ojha's bat, Prasanna Jayawardene let off a frustrated 'Ooooh', but there seemed a collective sigh of relief in its aftermath; the day was over - wickets had fallen and many runs had been made, but for the majority of the day play lagged on in a fashion not becoming to even the most ardent of cricket fans. Wednesday was a run-fest, Thursday was a bore-fest.

By the time Mahendra Dhoni shoveled one behind the wicketkeeper for the single that saw India surpass Sri Lanka's first-innings total of 642 for eight declared, the second Test had lost all semblance of meaning, as batsmen racked up milestone after milestone on a track so flat one cannot consider it suitable for international cricket.

Nonetheless, the Sri Lankan bowlers toiled manfully in the searing heat as Suresh Raina recorded his maiden hundred in his first Test innings, becoming only the ninth Indian to achieve the feat.

Raina began the day by lofting Suraj Randiv over long-off and he heralded in his ton in as aggressive fashion, dispatching Dammika Prasad to the fence with a booming drive. The debutant's assured performance suggested he had a lot more than just one cap under his belt, with the left-hander comfortable against both pace and spin.

It was the latter that eventually brought his downfall, flicking a quicker delivery from Ajantha Mendis to Kumar Sangakkara at short midwicket to fall for 120. In truth, it was a tame end to a fine innings and it would seem we're set to see more of the same from Raina in the future.

Indeed, it was the 256-run partnership between Raina and Tendulkar that snuffed out any chance of a Sri Lankan victory charge, with the pair signaling that it would be runs, not wickets, that India would be offering up.

While Raina's career is in its infancy, the man with whom he shared the record fifth-wicket stand surprised no-one. Tendulkar once again underlined his class in scoring his fifth double-century. Despite being hampered by a groin injury the Little Maestro looked assured at the crease before falling shortly after the tea break to Dilshan.

Dilshan's part-timers proved incredibly successful late in the day, with the off-spinner adding the wickets of Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh to his tally. But while Dilshan snatched a few wickets it was the spin duo of Suraj Randiv and Ajantha Mendis that did the lions' share of the work but like many bowlers before them received scant reward for their efforts.

In four days in Colombo we've seen three centuries and two double-tons but crucially one can now say with near certainty that what we won't see is a result. In a time when many are questioning the future of Test cricket, this is not the kind of advertisement the five-day game needs to make if it wishes to survive.

Delivery of the Day
Simply for the scarcity of its occurrence, Dammika Prasad nailing Sachin Tendulkar on the helmet comes out on top here. It's not often that Tendulkar is so comprehensively beaten and while Prasad has failed to create wicket-taking opportunities he can take heart from this particular delivery.

Shot of the Day
In only the third over of the day Suresh Raina decided to give Suraj Randiv the charge. For a moment it appeared the batsman would be beaten as the ball began to spin away from him, but Raina countered by simply extending his arms a touch further, getting the necessary reach to monster the ball over long-off.

Defining Moment of the Day
Raina had to wait four years, 11 months and five days between making his ODI debut and his Test bow, and the left-hander has certainly made the most of the opportunity. He becomes one of only a few to make a century in his first Test innings, and while a cynic may try and cheapen the achievement by pointing to a favourable track, Raina still went out and made the runs, something the more experienced duo of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were unable to do.

Julia Harris