On a rain-marred day, when they lost 55 runs of play, India added 172 runs to their overnight tally to go to Stumps on 460 for 9.
Devdutt Padikkal built on his overnight century and Dhruv Gurriel made a half-century, but a hat-trick scored by debutant Keshara Nuwantha helped Sri Lanka claw their way back in the first Test in Galle, on Sunday (June 16).
Rain and resulting humidity delayed the start of play today, which began nearly five hours later than scheduled. India, who resumed the day on 288 for 2, started with Rishabh Pant pulling a short delivery for a boundary through mid-wicket territory as India batted safely in the first half-hour of play and crossed the 200-run mark. However, South was unable to add much to his score overnight as he departed soon after taking the second new ball.
Looking to finish off Nwantha, he came out of the crease but misdirected the ball into midfield. It remained the story of the day for India. Promising partnerships are broken against the run of play.
KL Rahul, who retired on Saturday due to cramps, returned to bat, but could only add five runs to his score, as he flicked a delivery off Nuwantha straight to short leg.
Sri Lanka continued to work their way back into the competition with disciplined bowling once they took the new ball, which also brought them regular batting. Padikkal, who made an emphatic start on a surface that remained largely predictable, but his innings stalled when he looked in a position to do more. Prabhat Jayasuriya’s return to the attack led to his downfall. Trying to get on the track against the spinner, he missed the quicker putt and stumbled neatly at 167.
To add to India’s woes, after losing three wickets in the second session, Jadeja was earlier trapped while fielding on the wrong line against Nawantha, reducing them to 377 for 6. It could have been worse for the hosts but Dhruv Gurel, looking assured, was felled by Dhananjaya de Silva on 29.
Sri Lanka’s response brought the game back into balance a bit, but Gurriel and Manav Suthar made the home team toil a bit in the latter part of the day. They began punishing Lahiru Kumara’s erratic lines and lengths, broke three boundaries in a haul to take the team beyond the 400-run mark, and showed tenacity to stitch up a 55-run stand on a surface that didn’t have many demons even if there was enough spin.
Dhanajaya made up for the dropped catch by hitting a stunning catch at the slips to bring back Jurel soon after the batter reached his half-century. The lower order did not offer much resistance – Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav moved their bats a little to pick some useful shots – but more importantly, ensured that Sri Lanka still had one more wicket to choose before they got their turn to bat.
However, with just three days to go and more rain expected, India will also be under pressure to speed up the match if they are to push for victory.
Summary scores: India 460/9 (Divdutt Padikkal 167, KL Rahul 82, Dhruv Gurriel 51; Prapath Jayasuriya 4-109, Keshara Nuwantha 3-175) vs Sri Lanka
