Colombo, Sept. 1 :    Colombo, Sept. 1:  India 234, 217/6 Sri Lanka 610/6 Dec.. Nobody expected the pressure to be less than choking. Equally, nobody expected India to respond so unprofessionally - an unbelievable two run outs - in their second innings, at the SSC. That, too, when trailing by 376 runs. The sole 'plus' for India, at stumps on the penultimate day of the three-Test series, is that the decider has stretched to the fifth morning. It's a matter of time, however, before Sri Lanka win their first series at home in two years. That it will come about on Poya Day, tomorrow, suggests captain Sanath Jayasuriya's prayers at Buddha's Temple of the Tooth (Kandy) weren't exactly in vain. Belatedly, he is being blessed. Of course, India too are on the threshold of a first - the dubious 'feat' of losing to Lanka by an innings. It will also be India's first series loss to the Islanders in 16 years. And, for Sourav Ganguly, his only series-loss as captain. Exactly a week ago, the Indians were cock-a-hoop after that stunning comeback in Kandy. Today, the last rites are being awaited and few will shed tears for an overwhelmingly sub-standard performance. 'Well, yes, some excitement is there... But, then, our job isn't complete as four wickets remain,' remarked Jayasuriya, during a chat with The Telegraph. He added: 'I'd asked my players to treat this Test as another game... To do their best without inviting extra pressure. Looking back, that advice was well received...' Coach Dav Whatmore, the quintessential pragmatist, observed: 'It's nice to be in the position we are in, as opposed to India's, but I've always maintained cricket is a funny game and, so... Let's say I'll feel better when we've got the last wicket.' Really, both Jayasuriya and Whatmore are rating India higher than the visitors' own evaluation of their worth. Speaking exclusively, Sourav said he has asked Hemang Badani and Samir Dighe (the two not out batsmen) to 'keep at it,' but acknowledged he wasn't hopeful of averting defeat. 'But for the run outs, I would have been saying something else,' he added, visibly upset by the overall show at the SSC. A week after playing a match-winning innings (98 not out) in Kandy, Sourav was on course to script a match-saving effort. When on 30, though, he edged Tilan Samaraweera to become the debutant's maiden victim. Actually, at 186 for two, with Rahul Dravid and Sourav standing rock-solid, there was even the outside chance of saving the series. That's when Dravid ran himself out and, 31 minutes later, Mohammed Kaif paid the penalty for a horrible mix-up with the captain. Even the Lankans couldn't believe their luck and, very quickly, hopes of a fresh chapter being added to cricket's Great Escapes ended. Also, the runs dried up and, eventually, the Indians totalled a poor 189 from as many as 96 overs. If one is looking for a formula to add to the pressures, the Indian approach would be the perfect example. 'Being the coach, I've got to pinch myself to try and get a solution to basic errors... Charitable shots coupled with fundamental mistakes don't allow any space for recovery,' opined a deeply disappointed John Wright. Like Sourav, the coach is just hours from his first defeat in a (Test) series. Yet, in the morning, the start had been excellent with Shiv Sundar Das launching into shots (especially on the off-side) with aplomb. He would have delighted Barry Richards, for one, as Barry believes openers should always be positive. Sadagopan Ramesh, too, contributed and the openers posted 107 (the best for the series) to blunt much of the early pressure. It's a pity this wonderful partnership will get buried under the weight of what is expected to be a huge loss. In fact so dominating was Shiv Sundar, in particular, that Jayasuriya took Muttiah Muralidharan off after just five overs. Later, Lanka's trump card No. 1 bowled 29 on the trot (from before lunch till after tea). Shiv Sundar, however, fell soon after completing his second half-century (career-wise sixth) of the game. Drawn full stretch forward by Man of the Series-contender Murali, he was smartly taken by Hashan Tillekaratne, among the most outstanding of close-in fielders. The diminutive opener scored a flamboyant 68 (165 minutes, 161 balls, 11x4), though he was lucky to have been given the benefit of the doubt by Asoka De Silva, when on 45. Overall, Shiv Sundar's innings was a pleasing revelation. After three 40s in the series, Ramesh finally got a fifty (career-wise eighth) but didn't stay for long. Indecision against Murali doesn't pay and Ramesh got a painful reminder when he went forward and back, only to find himself bowled by the Kandyan's special one. Ramesh's 55 came in 229 minutes and off 165 deliveries (4x4). On this tour, at least, Ramesh consciously worked towards spending time at the crease. The unfortunate bit is that his downfall, almost every time, was self plotted. Sourav joined Dravid at 147 for two, but this most experienced pair preferred caution to calculated aggression. And, so, the score stood still on 149 for 23 balls and on 169 for as many as 26 deliveries. That would have been acceptable had the duo remained unseparated till stumps. As it turned out, the partnership ended when Dravid drove Murali to mid-on and set off for a single which could have avoided. Initially hesitant, Sourav responded, but it was Dravid who was running to the danger end. He failed to beat Maravan Atapattu's direct hit by a whisker, with third umpire Tyronne Wijewardene (of Kandy fame) ruling that the India vice-captain's bat was on the line and not in. That one dismissal confirmed this series would go Lanka's way. Absolutely ashen, Dravid later told this correspondent: 'At that point in time, I thought I was in... It's possible I wasn't... I do realise that run out has made such a difference... The drive was hard and, so, I perhaps shouldn't have...' But if Dravid has to take the rap for his own run out - it's a mystery why he didn't dive - Sourav has to take much of the blame for Kaif's exit. Inexplicably, neither the captain nor Kaif learnt from the close call a couple of minutes earlier. The fatal run, with Sourav being the striker, was never on and the 'yes-no-yes-no' situation ought not to have been reached. Sourav, who opened his account with a straightfield six off Murali, himself departed at 210 and, then, Sairaj Bahutule (promoted ahead of Dighe) fell to a freak dismissal: Not offering a stroke to Murali, he found the ball brush his front pad and disturb the timber. The nudge was slight, but enough to dislodge the leg-bail. That only meant more trouble for India but, frankly, they invited disaster on Day-I itself when the first innings didn't even last three sessions. Such indiscretions cost heavy.