Colombo: The resilient Sri Lankan pair of Dimuth Karunaratne (92 batting, 200b, 12×4) and Kusal Mendis (110, 135b, 17×4) strung together Sri Lanka’s best batting display of the series taking the hosts to 209 for two after being asked to follow on. Earlier in the first innings they had been bowled out for 183 giving the visitors’ a 439-run first innings lead at the SSC ground here Saturday. Virat Kohli had no hesitation asking Sri Lanka to follow on, but in the second knock they put up a much better display.
While Sri Lanka still need 230 runs to avoid innings defeat with two days left, the pitch losing a bit of bite and the effort by the top-order, should help the home team make a match out of it.
Spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin (0/79) and Ravindra Jadeja (0/76) looked a pale shadow of their original self, which saw them account for bulk of the Sri Lankan wickets in the first innings.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya (1/12) came in handy as he induced an inside edge of Mendis with Wriddhiman Saha taking a smart catch down leg-side.
With the pitch losing a bit of pace, the two Indian spinners couldn’t make much of an impact after Ashwin’s 26th five-wicket haul in the first innings and Jadeja’s milestone 150th wicket.
Credit to the Lankan pair, who had a plan against the spinners, especially Mendis, who used the sweep shot to good effect. They were ready to use their feet, coming to the pitch of the deliveries, smothering the spin.
India however, missed a great chance to get Mendis early when Shikhar Dhawan dropped a sitter at mid-on off Ashwin in the eighth over when the centurion was batting one.
Earlier, in reply to India’s mammoth 622/9 declared, Sri Lanka collapsed to 183 all out at lunch conceding their highest-ever first innings’ lead in Test cricket – 439 runs, more than 419 runs against Pakistan at Galle in 2000.
Starting from overnight 50/2, it was surprising to see Ashwin not handed the ball straight away. Instead, Umesh Yadav (1/12) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/84) started proceedings, getting instant results.
Dinesh Chandimal (10) was the first to go, in the fifth over of the day, caught at square-leg off Jadeja. In the very next over, Yadav had Mendis (24) caught at mid-on, striking a double body blow to Sri Lanka’s hopes of defiance on this day.
It brought Angelo Mathews (26) and Niroshan Dickwella (51, 48b, 7×4, 1×6) to the crease, and the duo decided to attack the Indian bowling, particularly the spinners. They put on 53 runs for the fifth wicket taking Lanka past 100 in the 33rd over. However there weren’t any more partnerships of note as they were all-out for 183 in little under 50 overs.
Press Trust of India
