had struggled to keep momentum due to his back pain . `` I started my innings well , but during the partnership I had a lot of discomfort and the spasms did n't allow me to move freely . Once I was into my 30s it became very painful , '' he said . `` It was difficult . You do n't want to create confusion and also not break the rhythm . If you see , Sachin got out once I took the runner . But I was in such pain that I thought that the best decision in team 's interest was to have a runner instead of just giving away the wicket due to pain . '' Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said the turning point was when his side were bowled out for 267 in their second innings the previous day . `` If we had just tried to bat till lunch , the ball would have got softer and we could have scored a lot more runs . But unfortunately , we played some poor strokes , '' he said . `` Otherwise we could have batted out the day and put the heavy roller
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- India tied the three-Test series with Sri Lanka after V.V.S. Laxman overcame back problems to score an unbeaten century on the final day of the deciding match in Colombo to seal a five-wicket victory . Set 257 to win , the top-ranked tourists made it home comfortably following a fourth-wicket partnership of 109 between Laxman and veteran batsman Sachin Tendulkar , with Suresh Raina 's 41 off 45 balls completing a fine turnaround . Laxman followed up his first-innings 56 as he ended the match unbeaten on 103 from 149 balls , scoring his 16th Test ton despite needing the help of a runner . `` He proved today why he is called very , very special , '' Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni told reporters . `` He always comes up with innings that have a huge bearing on the game . `` It was very important for him to score runs as the team needed it most to level the series . I think it is a very special innings . Hopefully , he plays plenty more innings like this for us . '' Laxman , a veteran of 113 Tests , said he