| 0.0 : The first India - Sri Lanka Test turned out to be a cracking draw. Not many gave the tourists a chance to put up a fight and they surprised all by dominating the hosts for most parts of the game. If psychological advantage is a thing in sport, the home side will have plenty of it after running the visitors close towards the end. A bright and sunny weather in Nagpur welcomes us for the second game of the series. Yes, so we don't foresee any amount of time lost this time round. |
| India under Kohli will continue to not play the same side in consecutive games as Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are out of this one due to personal reasons. While Murali Vijay is expected to walk in to replace the southpaw, the replacement for the latter would be eagerly awaited. Sri Lanka would look at their seam bowling department and ponder over the personnel who could provide a better support to Suranga Lakmal, who looked incisive in Kolkata. Will they get in Vishwa Fernando instead o |
| The last Test match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium - India vs South Africa in 2015 - saw 33 out of the 40 wickets fall to the spinners. That shouldn't be the case this time as we have a greenish-looking surface on offer. India are looking beyond just this series and are on course to prepare for a tougher South African tour and hence such a surface. What will the story be this time round? Can the Indian batters put a better show in bowler-friendly conditions? What will the compositio |
| PITCH REPORT - Matthew Hayden observes that although there is a grass covering on the pitch, this one is a dry surface and there is no moisture on it like Eden Gardens. The previous Test here vs South Africa was a dustbowl and this isn't so, observes VVS Laxman. He is of the view that as the game progresses the cracks will widen and hence the spinners will come into play. Reckons it will be tough for the batsmen. |
| HEADS is the call from the Sri Lankan skipper... and heads it is! Sri Lanka win the toss and chose to BAT first. Interesting choice. |
| DINESH CHANDIMAL, the Sri Lankan captain, says that they will bat as it looks like a very good pitch. Opines although there is a grass cover, it is pretty dry underneath. States that apart from the last session in the previous game, they did well and would look to keep up the good work. That has given them the confidence he adds. Ends saying that they are playing the same side as the last game. |
| VIRAT KOHLI, the Indian skipper, feels that the first session should offer something for the quicks as there is grass on the good length area. States that even they would have batted first as they wanted to challenge themselves. Opines that the surface is pretty hard and would tend to slow down as the game progresses. He says that if the batters apply themselves, they will get runs while if the bowlers prolong bowling on consistent lengths, they'll get success. On the team changes, he states tha |
| Blue and green are the colours on show at the venue. The clear skies wear a blue drape while the playing surface has a tinge of green. All are pointers to the making of a good game of cricket. In this backdrop, the players stride out for the national anthems. Sri Lanka's anthem would play first, followed by India's. |
| The anthems are completed now. After a small huddle near the fence, the Indians rush out to the centre. Looks like the comeback man ISHANT SHARMA, minus his big long mane, will steam in with the ball to bowl the first over of the game. He's been in decent form in the Ranji Trophy and would love to emulate that run here. SADEERA SAMARAWICKRAMA and DIMUTH KARUNARATNE will open the batting. Looks like a good combo as one is a natural attacking player while the other is known for his stoic defense. |
| 0.1 : I Sharma to Samarawickrama, Good carry on that one. Sharma bowls it on a length wide outside off, Samarawickrama doesn't put bat to that and lets it be. |
| Already a pause! Samarawickrama isn't happy with the movement near the sightscreen and is getting it adjusted. The spectators in that area need to be careful. |
| 0.2 : I Sharma to Samarawickrama, This one is closer to the stumps yet outside off. Sadeera shoulders arms to let that pass. |
| 0.3 : I Sharma to S Samarawickrama, FOUR! First runs on the board, courtesy a boundary! Samarawickrama would breathe a bit more easy after getting that away as openers generally love to get off the mark as soon as they can. This is bowled on a fuller length outside off, Samarawickrama strides forward and drives it through covers. Jadeja dives to his right yet is unable to prevent the ball from running away to the fence. |
| 0.4 : I Sharma to Samarawickrama, A stifled appeal dies down on its own. Fuller delivery angling down leg, Sadeera misses his flick and gets hit low on the pads. Indians realise this and curtail their appeal. |
| 0.5 : I Sharma to Samarawickrama, Samarawickrama taps it in front of mid on and hares to the other end for a quick run. |
| 0.6 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Landed around middle, Karunaratne offers a straight bat in defending that. Decent start for Sri Lanka. |
| The local lad, UMESH YADAV, will share the new ball from the other end. It's his first Test at this venue and he would want to have an immediate impact. He too will run in with three slips and a gully who is slightly closer, making it seem like almost a fourth slip. |
| 1.1 : U Yadav to Samarawickrama, Umesh angles this down the leg side on a length. Sadeera helps it to fine leg for a run. |
| 1.2 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, FOUR! Magnificent shot that. The balance that Karunaratne maintained there was just perfect. Yadav hurls in a very full inswinger around off and middle, Dimuth had to get his bat down quickly. Does so and times the flick through mid-wicket perfectly. The ball speeds away to the fence in not time. |
| 1.3 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, This is much wider outside off. Dimuth refuses to put bat to that. |
| 1.4 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Fuller on the stumps, pushed back towards the bowler. |
| 1.5 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 1.6 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, This ball is blocked solidly from the crease. 5 runs off this one as well. |
| Ishant Sharma isn't happy with the ball and has thrown it to Richard Kettleborough. So soon in the game? The umpires check it with the help of the 8-shaped gauge and deem it alright to continue. |
| 2.1 : I Sharma to Samarawickrama, Bowled outside off, Sadeera shoulders arms to let it go. |
| 2.2 : I Sharma to Samarawickrama, Fuller around middle and leg, Samarawickrama looks to flick hurriedly and ends up getting it off the inner half of his bat. The ball runs through mid-wicket. Vijay hares after it, slides and saves a couple of runs for the side. |
| 2.3 : I Sharma to Samarawickrama, Around off and middle, the batsman blocks it solidly. |
| 2.4 : I Sharma to S Samarawickrama, This ball is played towards mid on. |
| 2.5 : I Sharma to Samarawickrama, Length outside off, Samarawickrama plays it towards backward point. Jadeja stationed there dives to his left and stops it partially. He cannot prevent the single though. |
| Extra cover goes to fine leg. |
| 2.6 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Ishant lands it on a length just outside off, Karunaratne has a feel for that but misses. |
| 3.1 : U Yadav to Samarawickrama, Bowled outside off, Samarawickrama points his bat skywards and leaves it alone. |
| 3.2 : U Yadav to S Samarawickrama, Running race between the fielders! Yadav serves it on a length outside off, the ball swings away. Samarawickrama drives it on the up away from the body through covers. Even as Vijay from the position chases that, Rohit seems to rush quicker from point, overtakes Vijay, slides and parries it to the former. All this helps the batsmen take three. |
| 3.3 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Fuller around middle, driven back. Yadav stops it in his followthrough. |
| 3.4 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Ishant Sharma fielding at point! Karunaratne stays in his crease and plays it to him. |
| 3.5 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Outside off, left alone. |
| The ball is checked again. It is again passed through the loop and the umpire says it is good to play with. Strange this, as only two boundaries have been struck so far and yet the Indians seem to be unhappy with the cherry. |
| 3.6 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Beauty! Yadav lands it just outside off, Karunaratne expects it to come in and has a push at that. But the ball holds its line and flies to the keeper, past the edge of the bat. |
| Down to two slips now. |
| 4.1 : I Sharma to Samarawickrama, Short delivery around off, pulled away in front of square on the leg side for a run. |
| 4.2 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Around off, driven towards mid off. |
| 4.3 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Collision in mid-pitch! Sharma bowls it on the pads, Dimuth flicks it through mid-wicket. The other Sharma, Rohit, chases it down. Both the batsmen are ball watching and hence dash against each other in the middle. The brace is completed though. |
| 4.4 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Dimuth works it down the leg side. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| Samarawickrama is a goner! The on-field umpire wants to be 100 percent sure and hence refers it upstairs. The soft signal is OUT. |
| 4.5 : I Sharma to Samarawickrama, OUT! Excellent catch by Pujara at first slip! Samarawickrama doesn't stop playing away from the body and pays the price yet again. In the previous game it resulted in him playing on, and now, he offers a catch to the slip cordon. Ishant bowls it on a driving length outside off, Sadeera is lured into the shot. Plays at it with minimal feet movement and gets a thicks outside edge. The ball goes low to the left of Cheteshwar at first slip who gets low and grabs it |
| LAHIRU THIRIMANNE makes his way out next. The half century in the previous game would make him feel confident enough to face the Indian attack on this surface. Two slips to welcome him. |
| 4.6 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Bouncer! The batsman ducks under the bouncer at the last moment. |
| 5.1 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 5.2 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Outside off, left alone. |
| 5.3 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Landed around off, pushed back towards the bowler. |
| 5.4 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 5.5 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 5.6 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, This ball is kept out from the crease. |
| 6.1 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 6.2 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, This ball is defended off the back foot. |
| 6.3 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Dimuth gets his front foot ahead and blocks it watchfully. |
| And again... India aren't entirely happy with the ball and take the issue to the umpires yet again. This time they call for the change of ball and it is changed. Would you change a ball that has just got you a wicket? |
| 6.4 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, This delivery is too wide for Dimuth to play at that. |
| 6.5 : I Sharma to D Karunaratne, Length delivery outside off, Karunaratne gets an edge towards gully. Rahane dives to his left but is unable to get a hand to it. Jadeja from backward point chases it and keeps the batsmen down to two. |
| Sunil Gavaskar and Russel Arnold analyze Samarawickrama's wicket on-air. Earlier, he got a boundary through covers when he took a good stride forward to drive the ball. There was no movement on that delivery. But on the one that got the wicket, the ball had some movement. That ended up being the opener's undoing. When the shots come off, they look glorious. But when the ball moves, the technique gets questioned. |
| 6.6 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 7.1 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Yadav continues round the wicket and hurls it outside off. Thirimanne just shoulders arms. |
| 7.2 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Lahiru has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 7.3 : U Yadav to L Thirimanne, Back of a length ball outside off, Thirimanne hangs his bat at that to defend. But the inward angle of the delivery means that he ends up getting an inside edge onto his back pad. |
| 7.4 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Fuller than the previous ball, Lahiru shows the full face of the bat to defend that. |
| 7.5 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Well outside off, left alone by Thirimanne. |
| 7.6 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. A maiden over from Umesh Yadav. |
| 8.1 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Fuller around off, driven straight to the man at mid off. |
| 8.2 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Hurled outside off, it is a harmless one and the opener leaves it unharmed. |
| What that early fall of wicket has done is that it has eased the work for the Indian bowlers. Both the batters at the crease now are lefties and that makes it slightly easy in terms of the lines to bowl. A right-left combination is always hard to contend with. |
| 8.3 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, FOUR! Shot! The straight drives is one of the glorious shots to watch in the sport and here it is. Sharma lands it on a fuller length around off, Karunaratne gets his front foot forward a bit and just times his push down the ground perfectly. Ishant tries to stop it in his followthrough but is unable to do so. A boundary results. |
| 8.4 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Dimuth stays in his crease and blocks this. |
| 8.5 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, The Ishant Sharma stare is here! Bowls a bouncer which is swayed away from Karunaratne. Gets a stare from the bowler in reply. |
| 8.6 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, On a length around off, defended off the back foot. |
| 9.1 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Beaten on the inside! Length delivery around off, Thirimanne once again looks to keep it out by hanging his bat away from the body. The ball passes from the inside, not far away from the edge. |
| 9.2 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, What has that come off? Length delivery angling down the leg side, Lahiru looks to flick and the ball goes off something to the right of Saha. He dives full stretch to his right but is unable to catch that as the ball was always dipping on him. The batsmen get a brace. Leg byes signaled and the replays show that it came off his thigh pad. |
| 9.3 : U Yadav to L Thirimanne, Thirimanne strides forward and drives it through covers. Rahul dives to his left and gets some hand to it to take the pace off the ball. Ashwin from mid off jogs after it, puts in a lousy slide to save a couple of runs. |
| 9.4 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Bouncer! The batsman does well to evade it. |
| 9.5 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Another bouncer around off. Lahiru ducks to let the keeper do the rest. |
| 9.6 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 10.1 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Outside off, left alone. |
| 10.2 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Bowled in line of the stumps, Dimuth pushes it defensively back towards the bowler. |
| 10.3 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Back of a length delivery on the pads, Dimuth jumps up to flick but ends up getting it off his thigh pads towards the vacant short leg region. |
| 10.4 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Karunaratne gets a small stride forward and he presents a straight bat to block that. |
| 10.5 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Some more chin music for Karunaratne. He realizes that early and ducks in response. |
| 10.6 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Around middle and leg, flicked defensively towards mid-wicket. |
| Rohit Sharma seems to be having some fun! The spider camera that gives us wonderful close up pictures of the players, had come low. Rohit's love for the cam seems evident as he just doesn't want to let go off it even as the camera is taken up for an aerial view. |
| 11.1 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 0.0 : Umesh aborts his run up. As he runs in to bowl, Thirimanne signals that there is some movement behind the bowler's arm. Yadav has to go back to his run up and steam in again. The people in that stand need to realise how crucial their every movement is. |
| 11.2 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Bowled outside off, shouldered arms to. |
| 11.3 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Another delivery outside off is left alone. |
| 11.4 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Driven towards the mid off region. One run added to the total. |
| 11.5 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, This delivery is defended off the front foot with a straight bat. |
| 11.6 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Bowled outside off, Karunaratne continues his leave-alone game as he lets the keeper do the rest. |
| Drinks are on the field! Just 12 overs have been bowled in this hour. Although it is understandable as seamers have bowled from both the ends, it isn't an excusable thing. The hosts would be happy picking up an early wicket. But the visitors will be confident as both Karunaratne and Thirimanne are amidst a grafting stand. |
| Spin time! RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN is into the attack. He had a wicketless game in the previous game, not often do you see that from him in India. A slip and a short leg in place. |
| 12.1 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Ashwin starts off from around the wicket and loops it up around off, Thirimanne drives it with a stride froward towards Pujara at short extra cover. |
| 12.2 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Drifting in from around off, blocked gently off the front foot. |
| 12.3 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Tosses it up wider on off, stabbed off the front foot again. |
| 12.4 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, A bit flatter through the air around middle and off, Lahiru goes back and offers a straight willow. |
| 12.5 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Floats it up outside off, driven straight to the cover fielder. |
| 12.6 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Around off, a bit fuller, pushed off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 13.1 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Umesh bowls a pacy delivery, touch fuller outside off, Karunaratne defends it down off the front foot. |
| 13.2 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Attacks the stumps this time, keeping it full, worked off the inner half towards mid on. |
| 13.3 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Hits the back of a length area outside off, Dimuth opens the bat face and dabs it towards point. |
| 13.4 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Hurls it fuller on off, driven towards Ashwin at mid off. |
| 13.5 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Back of a length outside off, crunched off the back foot towards the cover fielder. |
| 13.6 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, A maiden from Umesh Yadav! His second of the game! Good length delivery around the off stump channel, DK is happy to lunge forward and block it down. |
| 14.1 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Floats it up outside off, Thirimanne drives it towards cover. Vijay there dives to his left but the batsmen run one. |
| 14.2 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Gives it nice air and lands it full on off, defended watchfully. |
| 14.3 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, A lot of loop on this one, still Karunaratne is happy to defend it down calmly. |
| 14.4 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Fuller on middle and off, jammed back towards the bowler. |
| 14.5 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Flighted delivery, served outside off, Karunaratne takes his left foot across and pads it away towards first slip. |
| 14.6 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Tossed up on the stumps, Dimuth prods forward in defense. |
| 15.1 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Yadav sticks to around the wicket and lands it on a length outside off, pretty harmless that. Thirimanne leaves it alone. |
| 15.2 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, In the corridor outside off, Lahiru lets it be. |
| 15.3 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Ahead of a length outside off, Thirimanne leans forward, opens the bat face and pushes it towards the fielder at gully. |
| 15.4 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Hits the deck hard, the batsman is quick to duck under it. |
| 15.5 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Tries to bring in from outside off, LT knows where his off stump is and carefully shoulders his arms to that one. |
| 15.6 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, This one holds its line, bowled in the corridor on off. Left alone. Should be the last over for the pacer, this. He has been bowling on the trot. |
| 16.1 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Flighted delivery around off, Dimuth works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 16.2 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Tossed up on off, Karunaratne comes down the track and works it off the inner half towards the leg side. |
| 16.3 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Some turn there for Ash but the length is short. It gives ample time for Dimuth to go back and push it towards point. |
| 16.4 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Gets behind the line and defends. |
| 16.5 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Sees the flight and Dimuth's eyes lit up. He drives hard but finds the man at cover. |
| 16.6 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Drifting in from around off, DK lunges ahead to defend but gets an inside edge as the ball rolls towards square leg. Another maiden! |
| As expected Umesh Yadav is given some rest and ISHANT SHARMA is called back into the attack. He found good rhythm in his first spell and has already opened his account. Can he get one more? |
| 17.1 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Starts off the spell from around the wicket and dishes out a length ball outside off. Thirimanne watches it till the last moment before letting it be. |
| 17.2 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Good length delivery around off, blocked off the front foot gently. |
| 17.3 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, On a good length and around middle and off, defended towards the on side. |
| 17.4 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Once again the ball is holding its line. Lahiru defends it off the front foot towards cover. |
| 17.5 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 17.6 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Good length ball outside off, Thirimanne is happy to block that one out. The runs seem to have dried up completely. Maiden after maiden is what the Indians are bowling! |
| 18.1 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Tossed up outside off, defended in front of silly point. |
| 18.2 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Flatter outside off, defended off the back foot. |
| 18.3 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Takes a stride forward and buries it into the ground. |
| Direct hit from Pujara now. He has been in the thick of things. He believes he has got his man and so do his teammates. The umpire refers it upstairs... |
| 18.4 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, NOT OUT! Karunaratne is safe! But lovely fielding from Pujara, this. Simply outstanding! Ashwin drops it a bit short on middle, Dimuth goes back and punches it towards mid on. He takes Pujara on and sets off for a single. Cheteshwar quickly charges towards the ball, picks it up and scores a direct hit at the bowler's end. They all appeal and it's taken upstairs. Replays show DK did well to drag his bat. A brisk single picked up. |
| 18.5 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 18.6 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Slows it through the air, keeps it full on middle and off, kept out safely. |
| 19.1 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Good length ball outside off, the batsman presses forward and defends it down on the off side. |
| 19.2 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Fuller in length this time, driven nicely but couldn't get it past the fielder at mid off. |
| 19.3 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Angles it in on middle and leg, Dimuth gets across to clip it away but misses and wears it on the pads. No appeal as it was going down leg. |
| 19.4 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Harmless delivery outside off, left alone without much fuss. |
| 19.5 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Keeps it on a fuller length on middle and off, Karunaratne brings his bat down quickly and bunts it back to the bowler. |
| Vijay Shankar is on the field not sure for whom though. |
| 19.6 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Persists with his length, which is outside off. Not going after that says the batsman. |
| 20.1 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Bowls it quicker through the air but it is well outside off, Thirimanne cuts it straight to the point fielder. |
| 20.2 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Bowls it around middle and leg, worked in front of square on the leg side for a single. |
| 20.3 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 20.4 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, In the air... dropped! It's that man, Pujara once again in the picture. Seems like the cherry loves him today. He took a great catch early today, scored a direct hit but to no avail and now drops one but a good effort nonetheless. Ashwin floats it up outside off, Karunaratne says enough of blocking it out. He steps down the track and tries to go big. Gets it off the inner half but aerially towards mid on. Pujara stationed there waits for the ball and tries to leap |
| 20.5 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Gets a bit forward and blocks it down. |
| 20.6 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Yes... No... and there is a chance of run out now! Karunaratne gets away again. Dimuth clips it through short leg and calls for the single. Thirimanne responds but the striker stutters. They eventually take off as Saha chases the ball to his right and fires a weird throw at the bowler's end. A better throw could have made things interesting here. An eventful over comes to an end. |
| 21.1 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Good length around middle and off, defended towards the on side. |
| 21.2 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Stays back to this length ball and defends again. |
| 21.3 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Tad fuller on off, driven on the up back to Sharma. |
| 21.4 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Outside off, left alone. |
| 21.5 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Fuller in length delivery outside off, Dimuth drives it back down the ground. Sharma in his followthrough tries to stop it but fails to do so. The ball rolls towards mid on and a single is picked up. |
| 21.6 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, A shout for an LBW but nothing from the umpire. Sharma bangs in a short ball on middle and leg, Thirimanne takes evasive action but this one doesn'r rise than he expected it to be. Wears it on the right side of the shoulder. Replays show it would have gone over the stumps. So a good call from the umpire. |
| 22.1 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, 1 run. |
| 22.2 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 22.3 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Slower one on off, defended by keeping bat and pad together. |
| 22.4 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Flatter one around the pads, clipped fine down the leg side for a brace. |
| 22.5 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Ashwin bowls it down leg, Lahiru gets down and sweeps it towards fine leg for a single this time. |
| 22.6 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Full on middle, driven towards the fielder at mid on. |
| UMESH YADAV is back into the attack. Two catching fielders are stationed in the cover region. |
| 23.1 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Shortish outside off, punched off the back foot towards cover. |
| 23.2 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Back of a length outside off, crunched once again off the back foot towards the same region. |
| 23.3 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Good length delivery outside off, dabbed with soft hands towards the off side. |
| 23.4 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Fuller and angling in, blocked out by the batsman. |
| 23.5 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Shortish in length outside off, punched off the back foot again. Finds the man at the catching position. |
| 23.6 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Stays back and runs it wide of the man at point to keep strike. |
| 24.1 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Flighted delivery around off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 24.2 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Flatter outside off, cracked off the back foot towards the point fielder. |
| 24.3 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Slower one around off, Thirimanne makes a bit of room and pushes it towards the right of the bowler. |
| 24.4 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Flatter on middle, punched off the back foot towards cover. |
| 24.5 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Tossed up on off, dipping in, bunted back to Ashwin. |
| 24.6 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, OUT! Bowled 'em! Ashwin strikes for the first time in the series. The Indians have broken the stubborn stand at last. Ashwin tosses it up outside off, Thirimanne sinks low to sweep this one but the ball doesn't turn. It skids off the surface, beats the outside part of the bat and crashes into the timber behind. Lahiru wasn't looking comfortable and now has to walk back without troubling the scorers much. |
| ANGELO MATHEWS steps out to bat next, replacing Thirimanne. Also, there is a bowling change as RAVINDRA JADEJA is asked to roll his arm over. Let's see how he goes about with his thing. With 6 minutes to go for lunch, it'll be interesting to see how Sri Lanka will take care of him. |
| 25.1 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Flighted delivery from over the wicket, worked in front of square on the leg side for a single. |
| 25.2 : R Jadeja to Mathews, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 25.3 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Flat and short on the stumps, punched past cover for a single. |
| 25.4 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, This one comes in from outside off, Dimuth tries to flick it away but misses and is hit on the thigh pad. |
| 25.5 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Gets forward and defends it down the track. |
| Drama again in the middle. Saha has whipped the bails off quickly and he feels that Karunaratne was well outside the crease. Let's wait and see as the umpire has gone upstairs... |
| 25.6 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, STUMPED OFF A NO BALL! Would you believe it? Ravindra Jadeja has overstepped and a spinner doing this is a crime. Karunaratne survives another scare here and the Indians can't believe this. Jadeja bowls it slower through the air outside off, Dimuth Karunaratne takes a good stride forward to defend but fails to put bat on ball as he expected the ball to turn in and hence played for that. However, the ball goes straight on to the keeper, who collects it and takes the |
| R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Gets a bit forward and blocks it down. |
| Last over before lunch. |
| 26.1 : R Ashwin to Mathews, Flighted ball on the stumps, driven towards mid on. |
| 26.2 : R Ashwin to Mathews, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 26.3 : R Ashwin to Mathews, Tossed on the stumps, flicked towards short mid-wicket where Rahul makes a tumbling stop. |
| 26.4 : R Ashwin to Mathews, More flight around off, defended down watchfully. |
| 26.5 : R Ashwin to Mathews, Slower one on off, defended back to the bowler. |
| 26.6 : R Ashwin to Mathews, Lovely delivery to end the session! Ashwin tosses it up outside off, Mathews goes back to play for the turn but the ball zips through to beat the outside edge. Saha fails to collect it cleanly and that's also LUNCH ON DAY 1! |
| An eventful first session comes to an end. The Indians lost the toss but they wouldn't be complaining with their efforts so far. They haven't let Sri Lanka off the hook and mind you, they have done that in the absence of their two strike bowlers. Ishant Sharma, set the tone up by removing Samarawickrama first while Umesh Yadav kept the dot ball pressure from the other end. Both bowled on the trot till the drinks break and then Kohli brought Ashwin into the attack. The offie was very disciplined. |
| Sri Lanka could have lost another wicket had Jadeja not overstepped in the only over he bowled before lunch. Karunaratne is lucky to be still out there, as he was dropped by Pujara before going on to survive a stumping scare. His side would be hoping that he makes the most of the reprieves once the play resumes. The Indian spinners are getting some purchase off the deck and it would be a task in front of the batsmen to counter them. They were kept quiet at the Eden Gardens but it won't be the sa |
| ... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ... |
| We're back! After a sumptuous meal, the players will have that added vigor to put up a good show. Well, as cricket enthusiasts, we can hope for a delicious passage of play to pan out. Sri Lanka have been moving at a slow pace and they would look to increase their pace now. KARUNARATNE and MATHEWS will resume their battle. RAVINDRA JADEJA will start off with the ball. |
| 27.1 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Begins with a straighter delivery outside off, Dimuth plays for the turn that's not there. Misses the ball. |
| 27.2 : R Jadeja to D Karunaratne, Edged but safe! Karunaratne looks to defend but gets an outside edge that goes on the bounce to Rahane at slip. Jadeja has began on the money here! |
| 27.3 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Flatter outside off, Karunaratne goes for the reverse sweep. Misses the ball and gets rapped on the front pad. A stifled appeal from the Indians dies down. The impact was well outside off. |
| 27.4 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 27.5 : R Jadeja to D Karunaratne, FOUR! Well played. Why look for unconventional shots when the orthodox ones fetch you runs? Jadeja offers it outside off, Karunaratne drives it through wide mid off. Vijay runs after it and puts in the slide but takes the ball with him on the other side of the ropes. |
| 27.6 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN to bowl from the other end. |
| 28.1 : R Ashwin to Mathews, Around off, Mathews blocks it with a straight bat. |
| 28.2 : R Ashwin to Mathews, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 28.3 : R Ashwin to Mathews, FOUR! Lucky, very lucky is Mathews here! Ashwin bowls it flatter outside off, Angelo looks to play the cut. Gets an under edge that bounces just short of Rahane's left hand and runs away to the third man fence. Could have easily chopped it on. |
| 28.4 : R Ashwin to Mathews, FOUR! Much better and very much in control. Mathews is a good player of spin and he takes the aerial route on this occasion. Takes it on the up and hits it over mid on. Almost goes the distance. The umpire on-field isn't sure and hence goes upstairs to check whether it is a four or a six. Replays shows that it bounces just in front of the ropes. |
| 28.5 : R Ashwin to Mathews, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 28.6 : R Ashwin to Mathews, This ball is flicked away off his pads for a run. 9 runs off this over. |
| 29.1 : R Jadeja to Mathews, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 29.2 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 29.3 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 29.4 : R Jadeja to Mathews, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 29.5 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Mathews blocks this off his front foot. |
| Mathews is gone! He has been ruled out LBW by the on-field umpire. However, he has a chat with his partner and uses the DRS. Looks to be in trouble. |
| 29.6 : Jadeja to Mathews, OUT! Mathews departs! Jadeja bowls it from round the wicket and lands it around off. Mathews strides forward and looks to block. But the ball goes straight on and strikes him on the front pad. The Indians appeal and the umpire signals in affirmative. Mathews has a chat with Karunaratne and then signals a 'T'. Snicko doesn't show the presence of an edge as the bat and the pad are well away from each other and the ball was far from the inside edge too. Hawk eye shows that |
| Skipper DINESH CHANDIMAL walks in to the middle next. He has this knack of playing counter-attacking innings from such situations. Will he do so? Or is his grafting game coming to the fore today? |
| 30.1 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, This ball is pushed towards mid on. |
| 30.2 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 30.3 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, The batsman works it down the leg side. One run added to the total. |
| 30.4 : R Ashwin to D Chandimal, Chandimal drives it through mid off for a single. |
| There is a stumping appeal against Karunaratne. Will he be lucky once more or has he run out of that? His expressions show he is safe. We'll find out... |
| 30.5 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, The relative silence in the crowd shows that the decision is NOT OUT! |
| It's all happening! The Indians appeal ecstatically for an LBW against Karunaratne. Will he survive again? |
| 30.6 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, No run. |
| 31.1 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, No run. |
| 31.2 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, No run. |
| 31.3 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, No run. |
| 31.4 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, No run. |
| 31.5 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, No run. |
| 31.6 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, 1 run. |
| 32.1 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, No run. |
| 32.2 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, SIX. |
| 32.3 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, No run. |
| 32.4 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, 1 run. |
| 32.5 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, No run. |
| 32.6 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, 1 run. |
| 33.1 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, No run. |
| 33.2 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 33.3 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, 1 run. |
| 33.4 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, No run. |
| 33.5 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, No run. |
| 33.6 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, No run. |
| 34.1 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, No run. |
| 34.2 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, The batsman has driven it straight down the ground. They pick up a single. |
| Catching mid-wicket in place... |
| 34.3 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 34.4 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Floated around off, driven through mid on for a single. |
| 34.5 : R Ashwin to D Karunaratne, Now Karunaratne rotates the strike by playing this towards long on. |
| 34.6 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, 1 run. |
| 35.1 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, No run. |
| 35.2 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Flatter outside off, slapped to the man at covers. |
| 35.3 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Chandimal covers his stumps and shoulders arms. |
| 35.4 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 35.5 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Chandimal shows a straight bat to defend this. |
| 35.6 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, A maiden from Jadeja as the Lankan skipper pushes it towards covers. |
| 36.1 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 36.2 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Karunaratne strides forward and defends it with a full bat face. |
| 36.3 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 36.4 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, A forward defense displayed by Dimuth to this delivery on the stumps. |
| 36.5 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Karunaratne flicks it through square leg and crosses over to the other end. |
| 36.6 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Hit straight to the mid on fielder. |
| 37.1 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Landed around off, blocked solidly from the crease. |
| 37.2 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Good running. Karunaratne taps it towards mid on and sets off for a quick run. He completes it with ease. |
| 37.3 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, A yes-no call... All's well eventually! Chandimal gets an inside edge through square leg and wants a run. But Karunaratne spots Ashwin there and denies the run. The fielder does well to prevent the run there. Dinesh is back in safely. |
| 37.4 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, DC lunges forward and bunts it. |
| 37.5 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 37.6 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, A straight bat face shown in defending this one from the crease. |
| Rohit's love affair with the spider cam continues! He's having fun with it when it is lowered down. Meanwhile, UMESH YADAV is back into the attack. Will the change in pace help? |
| 38.1 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Yadav steams in from round the wicket and bowls a back of a length delivery outside off. Karunaratne punches it straight to the fielder in the cover region. |
| 38.2 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Short delivery around off and middle, Dimuth pulls it away confidently through backward square leg. Vijay runs to his right from fine leg and keeps them down to one. |
| 38.3 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Yadav comes over the wicket to the right hander and bowls it on the pads. Chandimal tickles it away towards fine leg for one run. |
| 38.4 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Continues round the wicket to the southpaw and bowls it around off. DK shows a straight willow and blocks it. |
| 38.5 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Length delivery on the shorter side outside off, Karunaratne finds the real estate through cover-point with his punch. Jadeja runs after it from point before which the batsmen get a brace. |
| 38.6 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 39.1 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Dropped around off, Chandimal lunges forward in defense. |
| 39.2 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, DC gets really low and blocks it solidly. |
| 39.3 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Straighter outside off, Chandimal points his bat skywards as he leaves it alone. |
| 39.4 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Floated around off, driven back towards the bowler. |
| 39.5 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Tossed up outside off, Chandimal plays it with the turn through cover-point. Huge cheers fill the ground as Ishant chases it from point. The batters get a brace. |
| 39.6 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, This ball is blocked watchfully from the crease. Jadeja is playing the controlling role perfectly. He had conceded 7 runs off his first two overs and now his figures read 8-2-12-1. He's creating the pressure from one end. |
| 40.1 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Umesh now runs in from over the wicket to the left hander and serves it on a length just outside off. Karunaratne feels for it but gets beaten. Wasn't far from the outside edge. |
| 40.2 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Sprayed down the leg side, Dimuth just lets it be. |
| 40.3 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Outside off, left alone. |
| 40.4 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Yadav changes his angle and comes round the wicket. Bowls it outside off, Karunaratne shoulders arms to that. |
| 40.5 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Another ball outside the line of the stumps, left alone. |
| 40.6 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, On a length around off, punched towards mid-wicket from the crease. |
| 41.1 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Well bowled. Jadeja fires this at 90 kmph just outside off. Chandimal had to get his bat down hurriedly to keep that out. |
| 41.2 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, On the pads, flicked away to fine leg for one. |
| 41.3 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Floated outside off, Karunaratne plays it with soft hands towards covers. Wants a run but Pujara gets to the ball quickly to deny any such chance. |
| 41.4 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, This ball is wristed towards mid-wicket. |
| 41.5 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, FOUR! Commanding shot that! Jadeja serves it fuller around off, Karunaratne moves across the stumps and chips it aerially over mid-wicket for a boundary. He has got a couple of lives and has also survived some close calls but he's making the most of them and playing well here. |
| 41.6 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| 42.1 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Yadav lands it around off, Chandimal shows a full bat face and blocks it. |
| 0.0 : A short mid on and a catching mid-wicket in place. Perhaps to curb the flick that Chandimal tends to play. |
| 42.2 : U Yadav to Chandimal, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 42.3 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Chandimal flicks it off his pads through the gap between the short mid on and mid-wicket. Gets a single. |
| 42.4 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Yadav continues over the wicket and lands it full around off, Dimuth knocks it towards covers. |
| 42.5 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 42.6 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, FOUR! Karunaratne is looking in good touch and now moves into the 40s. Fuller outside off, Dimuth strides forward and drives it with pristine timing through covers for a boundary. |
| 43.1 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, The batsman dances down the track and does well to block the ball. |
| 43.2 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, This ball is flicked off his pads towards square leg. |
| 43.3 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Driven towards the mid on region. |
| 43.4 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, A yorker from Jadeja! Chandimal does well to dig it back. |
| 43.5 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, FOUR! Chandimal does what he does best - attack. Jadeja loops it up around leg, the batsman gets down and dishes out the sweep shot. Gets it through backward square leg for a boundary. On first look, it seemed as if he missed the ball with that shot. |
| 43.6 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. |
| 44.1 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Yadav runs in from round the wicket and bowls it on a length around off. Dimuth plays it from the crease. |
| 44.2 : U Yadav to Karunaratne, Shorter around off, pulled towards the man at fine leg for a single. |
| 44.3 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Outside off, left alone. |
| 44.4 : U Yadav to Chandimal, FOUR! 3000 Test runs for Chandimal! What an authoritative stroke to get there. Length delivery outside off, Chandimal dishes out the cover drive. Ashwin from mid off runs after it but stands no chance of cutting it off with his speed. |
| 44.5 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 44.6 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Length outside off, Chandimal opens the face of the bat to guide it through backward point for a brace. |
| After an hour of play after Lunch, DRINKS are on the field! Sri Lanka are crawling ahead with the game. The run flow can well be credited to Chandimal as he has looked to score from the outset. From the time he has walked out, he hasn't been afraid to attack the spinners. The 45-run stand between him and Karunaratne, who is close to his fifty, is flourishing and India will look to end it as soon as they can. |
| 45.1 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Darts it on middle and leg, Dimuth gets across and flicks it straight towards short mid-wicket. |
| 45.2 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Once again gets across and works it in front of square on the leg side for a single. |
| 45.3 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Quicker and fuller on off, blocked off the front foot gently. |
| 45.4 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Tosses it up outside off, driven straight to the cover fielder. |
| 45.5 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Quicker one on middle and leg, jammed out towards mid-wicket. |
| 45.6 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, On middle and off, defended by getting forward. |
| ISHANT SHARMA is recalled into the attack. |
| 46.1 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, FOUR! Shot! And the 50-run stand comes up between the two! Sri Lankan innings coming back on track? Ishant goes around the wicket and offers ample with outside off. Dimuth stands tall and cuts it exquisitely through backward point for a boundary. Moves to 49 now! |
| 46.2 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, 14th Test fifty for Dimuth Karunaratne! He continues his good run in the calendar year! But if his side needs to post a good total, he needs to get a big one here. Back of a length delivery outside off, tapped in front of point for a single. Gets a hug from his skipper as well. Agreed, he has got reprieves but then you need to play well. |
| 46.3 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Flicked through square leg for a single. |
| 46.4 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, On a length outside off, DK shoulders his arms. |
| 46.5 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, A bit fuller on off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 46.6 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, On a length and outside off, Dimuth covers the line and offers a straight blade. |
| ASHWIN to replace Jadeja now. |
| 47.1 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Floated delivery on middle, Chandimal digs it out towards mid on. |
| 47.2 : R Ashwin to D Chandimal, Gives it loop outside off, Dinesh leans into it and drives it through covers for a couple of runs. |
| 47.3 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Crouches low and clips it past short leg for a single. |
| 47.4 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Keeps it nice and full on middle and off, DK prods forward in defense. |
| 47.5 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Loopy ball, pitched around middle and off, pushed towards the man at mid on. |
| 47.6 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Drops it around off, skids a bit off the surface. Dimuth looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. Karunaratne still stays on 999 runs in the calendar year. |
| 48.1 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Ishant serves it full outside off, the Lankan skipper drives it towards cover. |
| 48.2 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Good length delivery, angling in, Dinesh clips it towards mid-wicket. |
| 48.3 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Sloppy from Rohit! Sharma angles it full and on the pads, Chandimal wrists it towards short mid-wicket where Rohit fumbles and lets the ball through. But then he quickly gets up and gives it a chase. The ball stops near the rope and Rohit shows good presence of mind to pick the ball when he didn't touch the rope. Saves a run for his side. |
| 48.4 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Stays behind the line and blocks it with a straight bat. |
| 48.5 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Bangs in a short ball on middle, Karunaratne is quick to duck under it as the ball sails over him to the keeper. |
| 48.6 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, A bit fuller on middle and leg, nudged towards the mid-wicket fielder. |
| 49.1 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Tosses it up on the stumps, clipped behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 49.2 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Slider around middle and off, the batsman presses forward in defense. |
| 49.3 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, There he gets to the milestone but not in a convincing manner! Who cares as long as you are safe out there. 1K runs for the southpaw in the calendar year. Becomes only the second Lankan to do after the great, Sanath Jayasuriya. Flighted delivery, dipping in, DK looks to work it away but gets and inside edge past short leg. He didn't know the ball has gone fine and Chandimal asks him to cross over. |
| 49.4 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman works it down the leg side. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 49.5 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Fuller on the stumps, kept out nicely. |
| 49.6 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Pushes off the front foot towards the cover fielder. |
| 50.1 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Bangs in a short ball on middle, Chandimal ducks under it. |
| 50.2 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Good length delivery on middle and off, defended towards the cover fielder. |
| 50.3 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Back of a length delivery outside off, Dinesh stands tall and defends. |
| 50.4 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Chandimal taps it in front of cover-point and calls through for a quick single. There is a shy at the striker's end but no harm done. |
| 50.5 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| A loud shout for an LBW against Karunaratne and umpire Kettleborough has given it OUT. Where is it pitching? Is it pitching outside leg? Dimuth walks to his partner and takes the DRS... |
| 50.6 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, OUT lbw b Ishant Sharma. Sri Lanka have lost their fourth wicket. |
| NIROSHAN DICKWELLA is the new man in. Remember, he got into the nerves of the Indians on the final day of the first Test. Can he do the same by giving support to his skipper? |
| 51.1 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, No run. |
| 51.2 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, A bit short on off, driven square of the wicket by Chandimal. |
| 51.3 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Works it with the spin towards mid-wicket. |
| 51.4 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 51.5 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Waits for the ball to come and then turns it towards square leg. |
| 51.6 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Loops it on the stumps, nudged towards the leg side. A maiden from Ashwin! |
| 52.1 : I Sharma to Dickwella, Short of a length outside off, cut off the back foot to point. |
| 52.2 : I Sharma to Dickwella, FOUR! Nicely done! Short of a length delivery outside off, Dickwella stands tall and packs a punch behind point for a boundary. No protection in the deep and he gets going now! |
| 52.3 : I Sharma to Dickwella, Fuller on off, strokes into the hands of the short extra cover fielder. |
| 52.4 : I Sharma to Dickwella, Good stop, Rahane! Back of a length outside off, Niroshan stays back, opens the bat face and tries to run it down towards third man. But Rahane at gully is very alert as he quickly sticks his left hand out and stops the ball. |
| 52.5 : I Sharma to Dickwella, Ahead of a length outside off, poked off the front foot towards point. |
| 52.6 : I Sharma to Dickwella, Fuller in length outside off, left alone with ease. |
| 53.1 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, In the air... safe! Ashwin tosses it up around middle and off, dipping in on the batsman. Chandimal tries nudging it away but gets it aerially off the inner half towards leg slip. The ball falls short of KL Rahul there and runs further away. A single taken. |
| 53.2 : R Ashwin to Dickwella, Around middle and leg, Dickwella paddles it fine down the leg side. Ishant in the deep does well to stop the ball but then he falls after doing so. In the meanwhile, the batsmen are aware of this and they take three. |
| 53.3 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Wrists it with the turn towards mid on. |
| 53.4 : R Ashwin to D Chandimal, Comes down the track and flicks it to Kohli at short mid-wicket. The ball bursts off Kohli's fingers and rolls away towards long on. A run taken. |
| 53.5 : R Ashwin to Dickwella, The batsman plays it with an angled bat and guides it to third man. |
| 53.6 : R Ashwin to Dickwella, Ashwin sees Dickwella dancing down the track and hence drops it short on the stumps. The Lankan keeper still manages to keep it out. |
| UMESH YADAV is back on! |
| 54.1 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Back of a length outside off, punched towards mid off. |
| 54.2 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Length delivery, angling in, tucked towards mid-wicket. |
| 54.3 : U Yadav to Chandimal, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 54.4 : U Yadav to N Dickwella, Direct hit and Dickwella would have been sent packing here! Not a good option to take one of the best fielders in the opposition camp - Jadeja! Length ball outside off, Chandimal taps it in front of covers and calls for the single. Jadeja is quick to the ball, picks it up and fires it at the striker's end with his throwing arm, the left one. He misses the target but replays show had that hit, Dickwella would have been a goner. A single taken. |
| 54.5 : U Yadav to Dickwella, Back of a length on middle, worked away towards the mid-wicket region. |
| 54.6 : U Yadav to Dickwella, On a length and outside off, the ball seems to have stopped a bit off the deck. Dickwella is early into the drive and nearly spoons one towards extra cover. |
| 55.1 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Shimmies down the track and clips it towards Jaddu at mid-wicket. |
| 55.2 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Flatter through the air on middle, punched towards Jadeja again. |
| 55.3 : R Ashwin to D Chandimal, Flicks it with the turn towards mid-wicket. |
| 55.4 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Loops delivery on middle and leg, tucked uppishly towards square leg. |
| 55.5 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Dances down the track and drives it back to the bowler. |
| 55.6 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Ashwin pitches it outside leg, Chandimal pads it away. |
| 56.1 : U Yadav to Dickwella, FOUR! How effortless was that? Yadav bowls a length delivery outside off, Niroshan reaches out to that one and drives it square of the wicket on the off side. Connects it off the meat and is able to split the gap through point to pick up another boundary. |
| 56.2 : U Yadav to Dickwella, Good length delivery on middle, defended off the back foot towards mid off. |
| 56.3 : U Yadav to Dickwella, Harmless delivery outside off, blocked off the back foot. |
| 56.4 : U Yadav to Dickwella, Fuller on off, pushed towards Ishant at mid off. |
| 56.5 : U Yadav to Dickwella, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 56.6 : U Yadav to Dickwella, Back of a length but going down leg, Dickwella helps it towards fine leg for a single. |
| RAVINDRA JADEJA is back on! |
| 57.1 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, Bowls it quicker through the air from over the wicket, Dickwella seems to be undone by the pace on it. The ball hits the the portion near the sticker on the bat and rolls back towards the bowler. |
| 57.2 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, FOUR! Slapped powerfully! Jadeja drops it short outside off, Dickwella makes room and flays it through covers. Pujara gives it a chase but never for a moment it seemed like he would cut that one off. |
| 57.3 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, Quicker delivery outside off, Dickwella takes his front foot across and pads it away. Jadeja appeals but the impact was outside the line. Although it doesn't matter in this case, it wouldn't have come in sufficiently. |
| 57.4 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 57.5 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, Dances down the track and drives it towards the man at mid off. |
| 57.6 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, Under edged and through! Flatter one outside off, Dickwella once again makes room and tries to go hard at it. Gets an under edge which jams Rahane on his right foot and rolls further. They take a couple of runs. |
| 58.1 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Fuller in length on off, driven towards mid off. |
| 58.2 : U Yadav to Chandimal, FOUR! Classical from Dinesh! Umesh serves a half-volley on off, Chandimal takes a little stride forward and drives it neatly off the middle of the bat. Has enough to beat mid off and race away to the fence down the ground. Moves into the 40s now. |
| 58.3 : U Yadav to Chandimal, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 58.4 : U Yadav to D Chandimal, FOUR! What a fabulous shot that is! Yadav once again ends up bowling it a bit too full outside off. The Lankan skipper leans into it and drills it through the covers. No need to run for those. |
| 58.5 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Short of a length delivery outside off, Chandimal ducks under it. |
| 58.6 : U Yadav to Chandimal, A bit short and outside off, Chandimal stands tall and punches it towards Pujara at cover-point. TEA ON DAY 1! |
| This session - 32 Overs, 104 Runs and 2 Wickets! A session shared by both the sides. The Indian spinners, Jadeja and Ashwin started the session right on the money. The former removed Mathews early and the visitors were in a spot of bother. Skipper Chandimal and Karunaratne then got together, saw off a few nervy moments and stringed a 50-plus stand. The latter scored a fifty and departed soon after courtesy Ishant Sharma's disciplined lines and lengths. |
| Niroshan Dickwella then arrived at the crease and he is someone who doesn't sit back and play the waiting game. He started to score runs at a good rate and just towards the end of the session we saw the Lankan skipper getting in the mix. He is about to reach his fifty and it it would be interesting to see if he can get a big one under his belt. The Indians, on the other hand will be looking to come out and keep picking wickets. Who will take the honors in the final session? Remains to be seen. J |
| ... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ... |
| Welcome back for the final session. We have 31 overs left in the day's play. If Kohli persists with Ashwin and Jadeja for most parts of this session, there's no reason why they won't be bowled today. |
| CHANDIMAL and DICKWELLA walk out with the bat. Both have looked positive so far and will look to carry on in the same vein. Both are good players of spin and hence pose a sterner task for the Indian spin twins. ASHWIN will begin the proceedings for the session. A slip and a leg slip in place. Let's roll... |
| 59.1 : R Ashwin to Dickwella, Floated around off, Dickwella lunges forward and defends. |
| 59.2 : R Ashwin to Dickwella, Dickwella goes inside out and hits it towards covers. The batsman cross over for a very quick run. |
| 59.3 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Ashwin serves it fuller around middle and leg, Chandimal flicks it through mid-wicket to rotate strike. |
| 59.4 : R Ashwin to N Dickwella, FOUR! Not expected from Jadeja - a misfield. Dickwella smashes it towards him at covers, he gets to his right but fails to stop it despite the dive. Before he can recover and retrieve the ball, it makes contact with the fence. |
| 59.5 : R Ashwin to Dickwella, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 59.6 : R Ashwin to Dickwella, Arm delivery around off and middle, defended with a straight blade. |
| RAVINDRA JADEJA to bowl from the other end. |
| 60.1 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Tossed up around off, eased through covers for one. |
| 60.2 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, Dickwella wrists it through mid-wicket and crosses over to the other end. |
| 60.3 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 60.4 : R Jadeja to D Chandimal, Chandimal smashes it but straight to the cover fielder. |
| 60.5 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, 14th Test fifty for Dinesh Chandimal. Came in when Sri Lanka had lost an experienced Mathews and steadied the ship with some clean hitting and smart batting. He needs to make it big here. He goes back and punches it towards long off for a run to bring up the milestone. |
| 60.6 : Jadeja to N Dickwella, OUT! Dickwella commits a blunder! Tries to take Jadeja on but the move doesn't pay off. He floats it around off, the wicketkeeper-batsman charges down the track and looks to go big on the on side. Ends up getting a leading edge which makes the ball go a long way up in the air. Ishant settles under it at mid off and pouches it safely. Once more Niroshan has failed to make his start count. Sri Lanka lose half their side now. |
| DASUN SHANAKA comes in at the fall of the fifth wicket. He had a game to forget with the bat in the previous game. Will he able to make amends now? |
| 61.1 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman dances down the track and does well to block the ball. |
| 61.2 : Ashwin to Chandimal, A stifled appeal, not upheld. Ashwin bowls it flatter on the stumps, Chandimal looks to flick it away but misses to get hit on the front pad. The appeal is turned down as it seems to be sliding down leg. |
| 61.3 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Played to mid-wicket region by the batsman. |
| 61.4 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 61.5 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Chandimal drives it down to long on for a single. |
| 61.6 : R Ashwin to Shanaka, Shanaka gets down on his knee and sweeps it through backward square leg. Gets off the mark with that. |
| 62.1 : R Jadeja to D Shanaka, Driven towards the mid-off region. |
| 62.2 : R Jadeja to Shanaka, Shanaka presents a solid forward defense to this one. |
| 62.3 : R Jadeja to Shanaka, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 62.4 : R Jadeja to Shanaka, Shanaka presents a straight bat face as he defends that. |
| 62.5 : R Jadeja to Shanaka, The batsman dances down the track and does well to block the ball. |
| 62.6 : R Jadeja to Shanaka, Dasun stays in the crease to defend it watchfully. A maiden for Jaddu. |
| 63.1 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Ashwin comes round the wicket and bowls it outside off. Dinesh eases it towards covers. |
| 63.2 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 63.3 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman has played it to the point region. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 63.4 : R Ashwin to Shanaka, Shanaka gets an inside edge agonizingly past the leg gully fielder for a run. The extra bounce on that occasion made him edge that. |
| 63.5 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 63.6 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 64.1 : R Jadeja to Shanaka, No run. |
| 64.2 : R Jadeja to Shanaka, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 64.3 : R Jadeja to Shanaka, The batsman gets to the pitch of the ball and connects. |
| 64.4 : R Jadeja to Shanaka, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| Sanjay Manjrekar observes that when Ashwin bowls the arm delivery, it is easier to pick. When Jadeja bowls the arm delivery, it isn't easy to pick as it creates the impression that it will spin away. This is what caught Mathews off guard. He played for the non-existent turn to get out LBW. |
| 64.5 : R Jadeja to Shanaka, No run. |
| 64.6 : R Jadeja to D Shanaka, No run. |
| 65.1 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, 1 run. |
| 65.2 : Ashwin to D Shanaka, OUT! Timber! Shanaka's forgetful outing with the bat continues. Just a while back Sanjay Manjrekar was comparing the non-turning deliveries of Ashwin and Jadeja and here is the former striking with the one that doesn't spin. Continues round the wicket to Dasun and lands it around off. Shanaka goes back to play for the turn that is absent. Finds that the off stump is pegged back. Looks like a darts session where the bull's eye has been hit through the only visible area, |
| DILRUWAN PERERA replaces Shanaka at the crease. |
| 65.3 : R Ashwin to Perera, The batsman has offered no stroke to an incoming delivery. |
| 65.4 : R Ashwin to Perera, Perera stays in the crease and bunts it. |
| 65.5 : R Ashwin to Perera, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 65.6 : R Ashwin to Perera, Perera watchfully clips it to mid-wicket. A good successful over for Ashwin. |
| 66.1 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Flatter around off, buried on the ground off the front foot. |
| 66.2 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, This ball is punched to the cover fielder. |
| 66.3 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Dinesh eases it to long on for one run. |
| Silly point, short leg and a slip for Perera. |
| 66.4 : R Jadeja to Perera, Perera gets off the mark with a gentle push through covers. |
| 66.5 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Finds the mid off fielder with this push from the crease. |
| 66.6 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 67.1 : R Ashwin to Perera, Floated around off, Perera hits it towards the point region. |
| 67.2 : R Ashwin to Perera, This ball is flicked towards short leg. |
| 67.3 : R Ashwin to Perera, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 67.4 : R Ashwin to Perera, Technically a DROPPED! Ashwin serves it around middle and leg, Perera goes back to flick it. Gets a thick edge to short leg. Pujara gets a hand onto that but fails to cling on. Such is his reputation, this will go down as a drop. These aren't easy ones, if they stick, they are applaudable. |
| 67.5 : R Ashwin to Perera, This ball is eased through covers for one run. |
| 67.6 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 68.1 : R Jadeja to Perera, Bowled around off, defended watchfully from the crease. |
| 0.0 : Time for the review! Perera seems to have been caught adjacent in front of the stumps. Indians' appeal is upheld by Richard Ketleborough. Perera, however, takes the DRS immediately. Only getting a bat can save him. |
| 68.2 : Jadeja to Perera, Not Out! Perera makes a good use of the review. The DRS is in place to avoid howlers like these. It looked out to the naked eye though. Jadeja fires it around off, Perera goes back to cut it but misses to get hit on the back pad. The hosts put in a celebratory appeal as he was in line of the stumps. The umpire ruled that out. Perera immediately used the DRS. It is seen that he ended up chopping the ball on his back pad as confirmed by Snicko. He is saved and will continue |
| 68.3 : R Jadeja to Perera, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. |
| 68.4 : R Jadeja to Perera, SIX! Hello, oh hello! Forgetting what happened a delivery ago, Dilruwan decides to take on the bowler. Jadeja floats it around off, Perera slinks down the wicket and hits it straight over the bowler's head. Clean as a whistle. This is his 12th six this year, second in the list of most biggies hit. |
| Mid off goes back a bit. He is midway between a long off and mid off. |
| 68.5 : R Jadeja to Perera, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 68.6 : R Jadeja to Perera, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 69.1 : R Ashwin to D Chandimal, No run. |
| 69.2 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman dances down the track. They pick up a single. |
| 69.3 : R Ashwin to Perera, Perera crosses over to the other end by playing it to long on. |
| 69.4 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman dances down the track. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 69.5 : R Ashwin to D Perera, Perera gets an outside edge past slip and gets three runs. |
| 69.6 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. |
| 70.1 : R Jadeja to D Perera, The ball has found the edge of the bat. Two runs added to the total. |
| 70.2 : R Jadeja to Perera, Turns it through mid-wicket and ambles to the other end for a single. |
| 70.3 : R Jadeja to D Chandimal, Chandimal plays it with the turn and hits it through mid off. One run is the result. |
| This is as plumb as it gets! Only an inside edge can save Perera this time as he opts to review an LBW decision against him. |
| 70.4 : R Jadeja to Perera, OUT! Jadeja gets his man! This is as easy a decision can get. Jadeja fires this at 90kmph on a length around off. Perera goes back to clip it away to the leg side but gets beaten for pace. The ball hits him on the front pad which is right in front of the stumps. The umpire gives him marching orders. Yet he has a talk with his skipper and opts for the UDRS. Ball tracker returns three reds to end Perera's stay at the crease. He takes a review with him, too. |
| The veteran RANGANA HERATH makes his way out to the middle. |
| 70.5 : R Jadeja to Herath, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 70.6 : R Jadeja to Herath, That ball has taken the inside edge onto the pads. |
| 71.1 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, No run. |
| 71.2 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. |
| Another review! This time India opt for it. It is for an LBW decision against Chandimal. Ashwin insisted for it as he felt it was 'very close'. |
| 71.3 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, OUT! India use the review system to their advantage now to see the back of the Sri Lankan skipper. Chandimal falls for an atrocious shot, which he would be rueing in the dressing room. Ashwin loops it up around off, Dinesh gets down and misses his reverse sweep attempt. The ball strikes him on the right pad. India appeal but the umpire doesn't think that's out. Ashwin knows he has his man. Asks about the impact to Saha and then says that he himself feels it's very cl |
| SURANGA LAKMAL is the next man in. |
| 71.4 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Flicked away off his pads to get off the mark. |
| 71.5 : R Ashwin to Herath, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 71.6 : R Ashwin to Herath, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 72.1 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Floated around off, Lakmal blocks it with a straight bat. |
| 72.2 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, FOUR! Of all the ways and areas to get runs, this is one! Jadeja serves it around middle and leg, Lakmal looks to go inside out. Gets a thick inner edge and the ball rolls through his legs into the fine leg fence for a boundary. |
| 72.3 : R Jadeja to S Lakmal, Lakmal hits it straight to the cover fielder. |
| 72.4 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 72.5 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, That ball has taken the inside edge onto the pads. |
| 72.6 : R Jadeja to S Lakmal, This delivery is hit to the fielder at mid off. |
| 73.1 : R Ashwin to Herath, Herath lunges forward and defends it stoutly. |
| 73.2 : R Ashwin to Herath, Looped outside off, Herath has a feel for it but misses. |
| 73.3 : R Ashwin to Herath, Herath reverse sweeps it towards deep backward point for one run. |
| 73.4 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Ashwin comes round the wicket and bowls it around leg. Lakmal offers his pad for that. |
| 73.5 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Flicked towards short leg from the crease. |
| 73.6 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Floated in line of the stumps, watchfully kept out. |
| Drinks are on the field. India has continued to make further inroads into the Lankan line up. India have managed to bowl 15 overs in this hour and have picked up 4/39. Partly the shot selection is to be blamed like in Chandimal's case. He had a big score for the taking. But instead of shepherding the tail, he fell to a poor shot. Can the tourists see the day off? |
| 74.1 : R Jadeja to Herath, Jadeja bowls it on the stumps, Herath presents a straight bat in defending that. |
| 74.2 : R Jadeja to Herath, Another delivery in line of the stumps, watchfully kept out by Rangana. |
| 74.3 : R Jadeja to Herath, Flatter around leg, Herath cheekily sweeps it to fine leg for one. |
| 74.4 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Lakmal camps back and defends it from the crease. |
| 74.5 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Quicker around off and middle, Suranga defends with his bat and pad close to each other. |
| 74.6 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, FOUR! Lakmal decides to use the long handle and it comes off in this instance. Clears his front leg and smashes it through wide mid on. Ishant runs to his right but fails to prevent the boundary. Maybe had he dived, things could have been different. |
| 75.1 : R Ashwin to Herath, Loopy ball around off and middle, defended watchfully off the front foot. |
| 75.2 : R Ashwin to Herath, On the pads, Herath misses the flick and wears it on the thigh pad. |
| 75.3 : R Ashwin to Herath, Floated around off, Herath lunges forward in defense but gets it off the higher part of his bat towards silly point. |
| 75.4 : R Ashwin to Herath, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 75.5 : R Ashwin to Herath, Herath has a wild slog at that it misses. Needs to play a tad responsibly. |
| 75.6 : R Ashwin to Herath, Now Herath presents a straight bat in blocking that solidly. |
| 76.1 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, FOUR! Takes the aerial route and it nearly goes the distance! Jadeja serves it full around middle, Lakmal clears the front leg and goes bang over wide mid on. The ball just bounced before going into the boundary rope. |
| 76.2 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Darted on the stumps, kept out off the front foot. |
| 76.3 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Tossed up outside off, driven towards the mid off fielder. |
| 76.4 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Quicker through the air, skidding a bit, Lakmal comes forward to defend but misses and is hit on the pads. They appeal but it was going down leg. |
| 76.5 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Suranga comes down the track and drives it back to Jadeja. |
| 76.6 : R Jadeja to S Lakmal, Loopy outside off, driven off the front foot towards mid off. |
| 77.1 : R Ashwin to R Herath, Flattish outside off, Herath goes back to defend but gets an inside edge on the pads. |
| 77.2 : R Ashwin to Herath, Ashwin bowls a carrom ball around off, Herath gets down and paddle sweeps it behind square on the leg side. Ishant in the deep does well to moves across to his right and stop it. Two added to the total. 200 comes up for Sri Lanka. |
| 77.3 : R Ashwin to Herath, Quicker one on off, blocked watchfully. |
| 77.4 : R Ashwin to Herath, This one skids a bit off the surface, Rangana lunges forward to defend but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 77.5 : R Ashwin to Herath, Around middle and off, defended into the ground. |
| 77.6 : R Ashwin to Herath, Flat and quicker outside off, Herath lets it be. |
| ISHANT SHARMA is called back into the attack. With the second new ball due in 2 overs, Kohli has asked his pacer to come and have a warm-up before having a go at the new cherry. |
| 78.1 : I Sharma to Lakmal, Angles in a length delivery from around the wicket, Lakmal stands behind the line and defends. |
| 78.2 : I Sharma to Lakmal, Fuller and once again angling in on middle, Suranga drives it towards silly mid on. |
| 78.3 : I Sharma to Lakmal, Good stop from Ishant Sharma! Keeps it full on off, Lakmal backs away and tries to hit it down the ground. But gets it off the toe end of the bat and Sharma in his followthrough does well to get low and stop it with his left hand. |
| 78.4 : I Sharma to Lakmal, FOUR! Lakmal is playing handy innings. Back of a length delivery on middle, Lakmal stands tall and pulls it over mid-wicket for a boundary. How long can he throw his bat around? |
| 78.5 : I Sharma to Lakmal, Fuller on middle, clipped towards the leg side. |
| 78.6 : I Sharma to Lakmal, OUT! Yes, there's and edge and Lakmal starts to walk back. Brilliant bowling this from Ishant Sharma. It's his third of the match. He hurls a length delivery outside off, Lakmal stays back to defend but the ball straightens a touch, takes a faint outside edge and settles into the mitts of Saha behind. India are on course to bowl the Lanka out today itself. |
| LAHIRU GAMAGE is the last man in. |
| 79.1 : R Ashwin to R Herath, OUT! And Ashwin wraps it up! 4-fer to him and a much satisfying performance from him, considering that he went wicket-less in the last game. Sticks to around the wicket and nicely loops it up outside off. Herath comes forward to run it down but ends up guiding it straight into the hands of Rahane at first slip. SRI LANAK BOWLED OUT FOR 205! |
| A brilliant bowling performance from India has seen them bundling out the Lankans for a paltry, 205. They lost an important toss but have done exceedingly well to restrict the visitors. They were without their two strike bowlers and haven't let their team miss their absence. Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav bowled with a lot of heart with the former being in terrific rhythm. Then the spin duo of Ashwin and Jadeja took over then reins and Sri Lanka found it really tough to counter them. |
| 0.1 : S Lakmal to Rahul, FOUR! Fine start to the innings! A half volley dished up to the batsman, Rahul comes forward, covers the outswing nicely and drives it through mid off. As seen in the last game, there is no man in that position and it is a boundary! |
| 0.2 : S Lakmal to Rahul, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 0.3 : S Lakmal to Vijay, On a length but no real movement off the deck, Vijay is happy to shoulder his arms. |
| 0.4 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Drops it on a length and angles it in on middle, Vijay covers the line and offers a straight blade. |
| 0.5 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Fuller and angling in, clipped towards the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 0.6 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Lakmal serves a length delivery outside off, Murali has got nothing to do with that one. |
| LAHIRU GAMAGE to share the new ball from the other end. He had a tough outing in the previous game. Can he come up with a better plan this time? |
| 1.1 : L Gamage to Rahul, Gamage begins from around the wicket and sprays a bit wide outside off. Rahul goes fishing after it but the ball moves away and he gets beaten comprehensively. |
| 1.2 : L Gamage to Rahul, Shot! Touch fuller outside off, Rahul leans ahead and drives it square of the wicket on the off side. Gets it through the gap which allows him to come back for the second. |
| 1.3 : L Gamage to Rahul, Hits the deck hard, but the line is well outside off. Rahul drops his wrists. |
| 1.4 : L Gamage to Rahul, Once again it's bowled in the same channel, the ball isn't doing anything. Lokesh doesn't even bother looking at it. |
| 1.5 : L Gamage to Rahul, Ahhh... Rahul looks a bit tentative! He's itching to hit everything it seems. It's on a length and outside off, Rahul tries poking at it but the ball holds its line and nearly takes the outside edge of the bat. |
| 1.6 : L Gamage to Rahul, Sprayed wider outside off, KL Rahul is happy to leave it alone. A decent start from Gamage! |
| 2.1 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Fuller and swinging away after pitching, Vijay watches it pass through to the keeper. |
| 2.2 : S Lakmal to Vijay, It's pitched on a good length, in the corridor of uncertainty, Murali lifts his bat and lets it go. |
| 2.3 : S Lakmal to Vijay, This one shoots off the deck but it's well outside off which means Vijay leaves it alone. |
| 2.4 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Once again Lakmal gets good carry. He drops it on a length and outside off, Murali Vijay has got nothing to offer on that one. |
| 2.5 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Back of a length outside off, a bit of width on offer as well. Vijay goes back to cut but mistimes it towards point. |
| 2.6 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Touch fuller outside off, Murali Vijay doesn't even bother looking at that one. |
| 3.1 : L Gamage to Rahul, Good ball from Gamage! Pitches it right up there, curling back in a shade, Rahul brings his bat down at the angle and bunts it back to the bowler. |
| 3.2 : L Gamage to Rahul, Excellent from Lahiru again! He hurls a length ball outside off, it holds its line too. KL Rahul has a poke inside the line and hence gets beaten all ends up. |
| 3.3 : L Gamage to Rahul, Fuller and coming in with the angle, Rahul works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 3.4 : L Gamage to Rahul, Touch short and outside off, the batsman punches it towards Samarawickrama at backward point. |
| 3.5 : L Gamage to Rahul, OUT! Dragged on! Lahiru Gamage strikes! He bowled exceedingly well in the U.A.E but looked out of sorts in the first Test. And now he draws first blood today. Serves a length delivery, a bit wide outside off. KL Rahul could have left it alone but for some reason tries to play it away from the body. Like the way Sadeera Samarawickrama did in the second innings of the first Test. Gets a thick inside edge and the middle stump is disturbed. Rahul is guilty for playing it away |
| CHETESHWAR PUJARA arrives at no. 3, replacing Rahul. The crowd gives him a warm welcome by chanting his name at the top of their voices. |
| 3.6 : L Gamage to Pujara, On a length and outside off, defended gently by covering the line. A successful over from Gamage! |
| 4.1 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Landed outside off, nice curve away from the batsman, Vijay watches it carefully and lets it go. Sri Lanka are making the new ball talk so far. |
| 4.2 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Closer to the off stump again, Vijay defends it back down the ground. |
| 4.3 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Landed outside off, watchfully defended. |
| 4.4 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Lakmal bangs in a short ball on middle, Vijay arches back to evade it. |
| 4.5 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Length delivery on middle, tucked towards mid-wicket. |
| 4.6 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Sprays a bit on the hips, clipped behind square on the leg side for a single. Vijay gets off the mark with that one. |
| 5.1 : L Gamage to Vijay, Fuller in length on off, Vijay lunges forward and drives it straight to the cover fielder who stops it partially but doesn't concede a run. |
| 5.2 : L Gamage to Vijay, On a length and bowled in the channel on off, Vijay leaves it alone. |
| 5.3 : L Gamage to Vijay, Outside off, it's once again on a length. Murali doesn't play at it. |
| 5.4 : L Gamage to Vijay, Continues to keep it outside off, MV lifts his bat and allows it to go through to the keeper. |
| 5.5 : L Gamage to Vijay, Back of a length outside off, Vijay punches it towards cover. |
| 5.6 : L Gamage to Vijay, Gets right behind the line and defends it down gently. A maiden from Gamage, he is not giving anything away. |
| 6.1 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Fuller and sprayed on the pads, Pujara shuffles across and flicks it towards the man at short mid-wicket. The fielder there dives to his right but half-stops it. He then gets up and does well to keep them down to just a single. |
| 6.2 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Stays behind the line and offers a straight blade. |
| 6.3 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Gets across and clips it towards the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| Wow. Matthew Hayden at his poetic best. Perhaps he must have been observing this when the likes of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee would have been bowling during his hay days. He studies Lakmal and Gamage and opines that the outswinger should be pitched outside off and then swing away in a curve. This should be done repeatedly, almost like a spider makes its web. Wow. Guess that can be done by the likes of those great bowlers but not quite sure everyone can get that right. |
| 6.4 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Lakmal sprays one down the leg side, MV tries to clip it away but fails to get any wood on it. |
| 6.5 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Length ball outside off, Murali Vijay shoulders his arms to it. |
| 6.6 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Back of a length outside off, defended comfortably off the back foot. |
| 7.1 : L Gamage to Pujara, Pitches it up on off, Pujara leans forward and pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 7.2 : L Gamage to Pujara, Bouncer which isn't well-directed! Short but the angle is down the leg side. Easy for the batsman to sway away from the line. |
| 7.3 : L Gamage to Pujara, Fuller around middle and leg, Pujara wrists it through mid-wicket and scampers through for a quick single. |
| 7.4 : L Gamage to Vijay, That stayed low but played well in the end! Length delivery outside off, Vijay crouches low and punches it in front of point for a quick single. Sadeera tries to have a shy but he takes his eyes off the ball. |
| 7.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, Goes around the wicket and bowls a length ball on middle, Cheteshwar covers the line and blocks it out. |
| Last ball of the day coming up... |
| 7.6 : L Gamage to Pujara, Switches the angle again, goes back to over the wicket. Drops it on a back of a length outside off, Pujara pushes it away from the crease towards point. He wanted a single but Vijay asks him to stay right there. THAT'S STUMPS ON DAY 1! |
| India's day, by a distance. They would have liked to go in without losing a wicket but will not be too unhappy with the proceedings. 11 runs have been knocked off Sri Lanka's 205 and the Lankans already look deflated. |
| Things were not looking so bad for the Lankans when they were 160/4. But they were blown away by Ashwin and Jadeja. Dickwella's wicket just triggered a collapse and then it was just one-way traffic. |
| Chandimal and Karunaratne were the only ones to cross 50 but in reality, as many as 5 batsmen got starts. Cannot waste those, especially having won the toss. |
| Do Sri Lanka have a chance tomorrow? Well, perhaps a score around 300 might have kept them in the game. But as far as this game is concerned, one good partnership for India and one solid knock should give India a handy lead. |
| Meanwhile, Ishant Sharma is ready for a chat. He says he is really satisfied with the way he bowled today. Informs he was in good rhythm in the domestic circuit and that has helped him today. Further says keeping it fuller on the stumps is his stock ball and is working really hard to bowl it consistently there. States that the wicket seems to be two-paced and that batting on this pitch wouldn't be an easy task. Ends by saying, he didn't mind bowling an extended spell but his skipper asked him to |
| Right then! The pitch is already showing signs of being up and down. Batting is certainly not going to be easy on this track and the Indians will hope to bat ONCE and bat big. Do join us at 0930 LOCAL (0400 GMT) for all the action from Day 2. In the meanwhile, you can also check what is going on in the mother of all contests as Australia and England battle for supremacy at the 'Gabba in the first Ashes Test. Adios! Take Care! |
| ... DAY 2, SESSION 1 ... |
| Hello and a warm welcome for day 2 of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka. After winning the toss and electing to bat, the visitors once again threw it away and eventually were restricted to a scanty 205 just towards the end of the day. They had to come out and bowl for 8 overs and will be happy with the fact that they removed Rahul. However, India's mainstay, Pujara and the comeback man Vijay saw off the remainder of the day. It was quite evident that the pitch isn't a true one which me |
| For all the stat lovers - On 10 occasions in India, has a team gone on to win a Test match after scoring 205 or less in the first innings. 3 of those have been by visiting teams. The last time we had a Test match at this venue India defeated South Africa in spite of posting only 215 in the first innings. Sri Lanka can take a leaf out of this and come out with a mindset of chipping away at the wickets. What do we have in store? Will the Lankans be made to toil hard under the sun or will it be the |
| PITCH REPORT - Sunil Gavaskar says there is a bit of grass on the wicket which will keep the pacers interested in the first hour. Further adds the cracks might start to open up as the game progresses. He adds the best way will be to use your feet, get to the pitch of the ball and counter whatever is thrown at you. Simon Doull agrees and states that it's a beautiful day for batting and the batters need to take full advantage of it as the pitch will start to take more and more turn later on. |
| We are all set to get underway. The umpires and players have made their way out to the middle. CHETESHWAR PUJARA AND MURALI VIJAY will continue from where they left off. It shall be SURANGA LAKMAL to start off with the bowling proceedings. Two slips and a gully in place... |
| 8.1 : S Lakmal to M Vijay, FOUR! Vijay doesn't need second invitation. Such a confident looking shot that is. My colleague just reminded me that, KL Rahul began the Indian innings with a boundary and today Vijay does the same off the first ball of the day. Lakmal offers it full and a bit wide outside off, Murali leans ahead and presents full face of the bat to pierce it through covers. It races away to the fence in a jiffy. |
| 8.2 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Now a gentle line outside off, Murali Vijay doesn't go after this one. Leaves it alone. |
| 8.3 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Angles it in by going wide of the crease, wristed away through square leg for a single. |
| 8.4 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Touch fuller and angled in again on middle, Cheteshwar tucks it towards the man at short mid-wicket. |
| 8.5 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Stays back and plays it close to the body. A push back to the bowler. |
| 8.6 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Short and aiming in at the body, Pujara arches back and leaves it alone. |
| LAHIRU GAMAGE to continue from the other end. Same field placement for him as well. Vijay is unhappy with some movement behind the bowler's arm and hence a bit of a delay... |
| 9.1 : L Gamage to Vijay, Begins with a fuller length delivery on off, Murali drives it back to the bowler who stops it with his right hand. |
| 9.2 : L Gamage to Vijay, Fuller again on off, Vijay presses forward and defends it towards cover. |
| 9.3 : L Gamage to Vijay, Back of a length on middle, defended by covering the line of the ball. |
| The commentators on air discuss about Murali Vijay's role as an opener in the team. He is someone who can adjust in any format of the game. He has played some aggressive T20 innings, he has shown immense patience when it comes to traditional form cricket. So, to sum it up he is someone a team can rely on... |
| 9.4 : L Gamage to Vijay, Gets forward, keeps his head straight and blocks it out towards cover. |
| 9.5 : L Gamage to Vijay, Angles it in on middle, but there is a bit of extra bounce on this occasion. Vijay tries to clip but gets a leading edge through covers. It's gone through the gap and that allows them to take a couple. |
| 9.6 : L Gamage to Vijay, Sprays it around the pads, Vijay loves to have it there. Works it beautifully through mid-wicket and picks up another couple of runs. |
| 10.1 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Back of a length delivery outside off, stabbed off the back foot towards point. |
| 10.2 : S Lakmal to Pujara, In the channel outside off, Pujara shoulders his arms to it. |
| Some dirt has been stuck in the spikes of Vijay. He takes some object from the umpire and is seen clearing it out. It's very risky as if you don't clean it, you might slip. Another delay... |
| 10.3 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Touch short and served outside off, a back foot punch on offer but straight to the cover fielder. |
| 10.4 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Length delivery outside the off stump line, Che resists and leaves it alone. |
| 10.5 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Short of a length delivery on middle, comes slowly off the deck, Pujara gets surprised by that. He tries to defend but takes his bottom hand off. The ball hits the splice of the bat and dies down safely in the vacant short leg region. |
| After the last ball, Chandimal brings in a short leg fielder. So chin music coming up? |
| 10.6 : S Lakmal to Pujara, As expected, Lakmal bangs in a short ball but the line should be on middle. He bowls it outside off, easily kept out towards gully. |
| 11.1 : L Gamage to Vijay, Vijay is looking really confident. He has quickly moved on to 13. Fuller and on the pads worked delicately behind square on the leg side. Calls for two, puts pressure on the fielder in the deep and gets the desired result in the end. |
| 11.2 : L Gamage to Vijay, Good ball! This one holds its line, it's outside off. Vijay tries dabbing it away but gets beaten. |
| 11.3 : L Gamage to Vijay, Good stop! Gamage drifts one again on the pads, it's flicked towards mid-wicket where Karunaratne quickly dives to his left and stops it. |
| 11.4 : L Gamage to Vijay, Covers the line and offers a straight bat. |
| 11.5 : L Gamage to Vijay, FOUR! Glorious! Touch fuller outside off, Vijay sees this as another opportunity to score. Presses forward a tad and caresses it through the gap in the covers for a boundary. |
| 11.6 : L Gamage to Vijay, Back of a length outside off, pushed off the back foot towards gully. |
| 12.1 : S Lakmal to Pujara, That took off! What a ball from Lakmal. He lands it right on the seam and gets that extra bounce which he wants. Pujara is taken aback as he tries to fend it away. The ball wasn't far away from kissing the gloves. He was dismissed off a similar delivery in the second innings of the first Test. |
| 12.2 : S Lakmal to Pujara, A brisk single! Punches this length ball wide of Chandimal at mid off and scampers through for a run. The Lankan skipper fumbles and then has a shy at the bowler's end but misses. First run for Pujara today. |
| 12.3 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Back of a length delivery on middle, defended off the back foot showing the full face of the bat. |
| 12.4 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 12.5 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Outside off, left alone with ease. |
| 12.6 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Shortish on middle, clipped through mid-wicket for a single. |
| Enough of pace this morning says Chandimal. And as a result he brings RANGANA HERATH into the attack. A slip and a short leg in place. |
| 13.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Tossed up delivery around middle, stays a touch low as well. Vijay tries to flick but misses. The ball goes off the pads past short leg and a leg bye is taken. |
| 13.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Gets forward and blocks it down on the ground. |
| 13.3 : R Herath to Pujara, Floats it up outside off, pushed towards mid off. |
| 13.4 : R Herath to Pujara, FOUR! Good use of the feet. Gavaskar on-air wants to see more of that. While doing the pitch report this morning he emphasized on the same thing. The more you use the feet, the more successful you will be. Herath tosses it on the stumps, it dips in as well. Pujara dances down the track, takes it on the full and flicks it neatly through square leg for a boundary. |
| 13.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 13.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Presses forward and defends it down watchfully. |
| 14.1 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Shortish on middle and off, Vijay sways away from the line quickly. |
| 0.0 : Russel Arnold on air feels that Herath will be the key for the Lankans. Yesterday he observed that Jadeja was continuously varying his pace. He bowled a couple of deliveries at 90 kmph and then all of a sudden slowed it down and reaped huge dividends for doing so... |
| 14.2 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Length delivery outside off, Vijay has got nothing to do with that one. |
| 14.3 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Takes a stride forward and strokes it towards cover. |
| 14.4 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Bangs in a short ball outside off, Vijay leaves it alone. |
| 14.5 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Back of a length delivery outside off, Vijay looks to defend from the crease but gets an inside edge towards short leg. |
| 14.6 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Fullish on the pads, nudged in front of square on the leg side for a single. |
| 15.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Slower through the air outside off, Vijay comes forward to drive it away but gets an inside edge on the pads. Here Vijay needs to be careful. Either you come fully forward or stay back. If you are half committed, you might be in trouble. |
| 15.2 : R Herath to Vijay, Flighted ball around off, driven towards mid off. |
| 15.3 : R Herath to Vijay, Darted on middle and leg, worked towards mid-wicket for nothing. |
| 15.4 : R Herath to Vijay, MV has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 15.5 : R Herath to Vijay, Slower again around middle, bunted back to the bowler. |
| 15.6 : R Herath to Vijay, This one dips into the batsman, it's flicked straight into the hands of short mid-wicket. A maiden for the veteran. |
| 16.1 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Hits the deck hard, it holds it line too. Pujara drops his wrists to let it be. |
| 16.2 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Shortish on middle and off, punched off the back foot towards the bowler. |
| 16.3 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Sprays a tad wider outside off, Pujara ignores. |
| 16.4 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Drops it on a back of a length outside off, Pujara makes room and taps it towards the point fielder. |
| 16.5 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Bangs in a short ball on middle and leg, the batsman ducks under it as the ball swirls over Pujara and settles into the keeper's gloves. |
| 16.6 : S Lakmal to Pujara, FOUR! Nicely done! Fuller in length, angling in on the pads, Pujara flicks it towards mid on. Herath the man there tries to stop it with a dive but by the time he did the ball already went past him. A boundary results. 27 runs have already been scored this morning off the 9 overs bowled. |
| 17.1 : R Herath to Vijay, In the air... dropped. Chance of a run out too! In the end Vijay survives! Two opportunities there. Herath tosses it up on the stumps, Vijay comes down the track to flick but gets an inside edge on the pads as the ball lobs towards short leg at Sadeera Samarawickrama. |
| 17.2 : R Herath to Vijay, Driven towards the mid on region. One run added to the total. |
| 17.3 : R Herath to Pujara, Floated on the stumps, defended down. |
| 17.4 : R Herath to Pujara, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 17.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara drives it towards mid on for a single. |
| 17.6 : R Herath to Vijay, On middle and leg, driven once again towards mid on. |
| LAHIRU GAMAGE is brought back into the attack. |
| 18.1 : L Gamage to Pujara, Bangs in a short ball outside off, left alone. |
| 18.2 : L Gamage to Pujara, Another short ball on middle, Pujara is right behind the line to keep it out. |
| 18.3 : L Gamage to Pujara, Fuller on middle and leg, flicked past Herath at mid on for a single. |
| 18.4 : L Gamage to Vijay, Shortish on middle, Vijay looks to pull but gets an inside edge on the thigh pad as the ball lobs wide of Sadeera at short leg. A single taken. |
| 18.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, Some chin music for the batsman, he lets that bouncer through to the wicket-keeper. |
| 18.6 : L Gamage to Pujara, Back of a length delivery on middle, defended towards the off side off the back foot. |
| 19.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Flighted on middle, driven back to the bowler. |
| 19.2 : R Herath to Vijay, Loopy delivery outside off, defended into the ground. |
| 19.3 : R Herath to Vijay, Loopy ball outside off, pushed towards mid off. |
| 19.4 : R Herath to Vijay, Quicker one on middle, Vijay comes down the track to jam it out but gets an inside edge towards short leg. |
| 19.5 : R Herath to Vijay, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 19.6 : R Herath to Vijay, Slows it through the air outside off, the batsman lunges forward in defense. |
| 20.1 : L Gamage to Pujara, Back of a length delivery outside off, Pujara hops a bit and defends it towards point. |
| 20.2 : L Gamage to Pujara, Bangs in a short ball on middle, not much pace behind it and as a result it's kept out safely by Che. |
| 20.3 : L Gamage to Pujara, Another short delivery on middle, Pujara rides the bounce and defends it down the track. |
| 20.4 : L Gamage to Pujara, Sprays fuller but down the leg side, Cheteshwar looks to flick but fails to get any wood on it. |
| 20.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, Back of a length delivery outside off, punched towards mid off. |
| 20.6 : L Gamage to Pujara, Drops it on a back of a length outside off, CP stays back and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 21.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Flighted delivery around middle, clipped towards the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 21.2 : R Herath to Vijay, A bit short, it's the slider, Vijay goes back to flick but misses and it goes off the pads towards the leg side. |
| 21.3 : R Herath to Vijay, Beaten! Gives it nice air, lands it outside off, Vijay prods forward to defend but the ball grips off the surface and beats the outside edge. Vijay is looking a bit fidgety now. |
| 21.4 : R Herath to Vijay, Comes down the track to flick but gets an inside edge past a diving Sadeera Samarawickrama at short leg. |
| 21.5 : R Herath to Vijay, Vijay lunges forward and drives it back to the bowler. |
| 21.6 : R Herath to Vijay, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. Third maiden on the trot for Sri Lanka. |
| 22.1 : L Gamage to Pujara, Shortish in length, bowled outside off, tucked towards mid-wicket. |
| 22.2 : L Gamage to Pujara, Back of a length on middle, Cheteshwar stands tall to keep that one out. |
| 22.3 : L Gamage to Pujara, Hits the deck hard outside off, Pujara drops the wrists and lets it be. |
| 22.4 : L Gamage to Pujara, Bangs in a short ball outside off, Cheteshwar rides the bounce and keeps it out. |
| 22.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, Short and angling in on middle, Pujara gets across to tuck but the ball goes off the thigh pad towards Dickwella. |
| 22.6 : L Gamage to Pujara, Lands it on a length outside off, Pujara lunges forward to defend but the ball bounces off the deck and nearly takes the outside edge of the bat to the keeper. Another maiden. This has been a good passage of play for the Lankans. |
| 23.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Quicker one on the stumps, jammed out towards mid on. |
| 23.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Slower through the air outside off, defended by lunging forward. |
| 23.3 : R Herath to Pujara, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 23.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Loopy delivery outside off, Vijay prods forward in defense. |
| 23.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Flatter on the stumps, kept out off the back foot. |
| 23.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Fuller and outside off, Pujara drives it hard by coming down the track but finds the man at cover. |
| Drinks are on the field. Vijay and Pujara started off the day on a good note, scoring runs freely but the in last half an hour the Lankans came back well. They bowled maidens after maidens and that has left the batsmen itching to get off strike. Herath is getting good purchase as he is getting the ball to grip. He has troubled Vijay on quite a few occasions already. Can Lanka strike early after the break? Or will the duo of Pujara and Vijay break the shackles? |
| 24.1 : L Gamage to Vijay, Gamage continues from over the wicket and bowls it on a length well outside off. Vijay covers his stumps and shoulders arms to that one. |
| 24.2 : L Gamage to Vijay, On a length closer to the off pole, Vijay stays in his crease and presents a straight bat to block that. |
| 24.3 : L Gamage to Vijay, There is the pitch playing its trick occasionally. Back of a length delivery around off, it jumps up more than Vijay expects. He ends up getting an outer edge that falls down safely in front of point. |
| 24.4 : L Gamage to Vijay, Played back towards the bowler defensively. |
| 24.5 : L Gamage to Vijay, MV stays in the crease and blocks it out. |
| 24.6 : L Gamage to Vijay, The nataraja shot fetches Vijay a single through square leg. |
| 25.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Flatter on the pads, Vijay goes back and clips it through backward square leg for a brace. |
| 25.2 : R Herath to Vijay, Vijay pushes it defensively back towards the bowler. |
| 25.3 : R Herath to Vijay, Quick run, safely completed. Vijay pushes it towards mid off and sets off for a run. The fielder gets to the ball and hurls a throw to the keeper's end and knocks the stumps down. Pujara was well in though. MV moves to 26. |
| 25.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 25.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Che lunges forward to block it solidly. |
| 25.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Use of the feet by Pujara once again. Normally he doesn't play this way but of late, this is a tweak in his game that we are seeing. He is not afraid to skip down the track occasionally. Does so again and hits it straight to the man at covers. |
| Bowling change. DASUN SHANAKA is handed the ball now. He had the happy knack of snaffling up wickets in the previous game. This is a lesser helpful track though. Encore? |
| 26.1 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Starts off with a delivery around off, the Indian opener opens the face of the bat to guide it through the gully region. A good diving effort there denies the chance to score a run. |
| 26.2 : D Shanaka to M Vijay, FOUR! Width outside off - tick. A stride forward - tick. Drive - tick. Glorious shot - tick. Vijay has looked gracious and confident today with his front foot drives and does so yet again. Length ball outside off, driven confidently through covers for a boundary. |
| 26.3 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 26.4 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Down the leg side, Vijay misses the flick. |
| 26.5 : D Shanaka to Vijay, FOUR! Once again! Vijay and the wonderful drives is a wonderful love story. Shanaka delivers a full ball outside off, Vijay leans forward and strokes it through covers for another boundary. Moves to 34 now. |
| 26.6 : D Shanaka to Vijay, The batsman defends it from within the crease. 8-run over from Shanaka to begin. |
| 27.1 : R Herath to Pujara, Floated on the stumps, Che prods forward and blocks. |
| 27.2 : R Herath to Pujara, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 27.3 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara drives it through covers for a single. |
| 27.4 : R Herath to Vijay, 50-run partnership between Vijay and Pujara! How good and comfortable have these two looked. Vijay eases it through covers and jogs to the other end. |
| 27.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Bowled around off, solidly defended by Pujara. |
| 27.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Che negotiates this one by presenting a straight bat in defense. |
| Spin from both ends now. DILRUWAN PERERA to roll his arm over replacing Shanaka after just one over for the latter. |
| 28.1 : D Perera to Vijay, FOUR! Change the bowler, Vijay will still play the drive to get the desired results. Often a sign of how comfortable a batsman is, is evident from how his feet moves. Perera tosses this wide outside off, Vijay gets his stride out and drives it graciously through covers for a boundary. |
| 28.2 : D Perera to Vijay, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 28.3 : D Perera to Vijay, Vijay paddles this fine down the leg side for a brace. |
| 28.4 : D Perera to Vijay, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 28.5 : D Perera to Vijay, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 28.6 : D Perera to Vijay, This ball is flicked away off the pads for a run. |
| 29.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Vijay punches it through cover-point for a single. |
| 29.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara uses his feet and drives it towards long on to keep the scorecard ticking. |
| 29.3 : R Herath to Vijay, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 29.4 : R Herath to Vijay, Vijay drives the ball straight down the ground. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 29.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Forward defense in display from the blade of Che. |
| There is a comparison of the bowling action of Ravindra Jadeja and Rangana Herath done by the on-air commentators. Jadeja has a high-arm action while Herath's is more round armish. This means that the former imparts more revolutions on the ball than the latter who undercuts the ball more. |
| 29.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara gets to the pitch of the ball and connects. |
| 30.1 : D Perera to Vijay, Bowled on the pads, flicked away through square leg for one. |
| 30.2 : D Perera to Pujara, FOUR! The aim of both these batters is to not let the spinners settle down. They arent't shy of using their feet to the spinners. Pujara does so and clips it through mid-wicket for a boundary. That went all along the ground to the fence. |
| 30.3 : D Perera to Pujara, Flatter on the stumps, Pujara goes back and turns it to deep mid-wicket for a run. |
| 30.4 : D Perera to Vijay, Vijay gets forward and blocks it watchfully. |
| 30.5 : D Perera to Vijay, Vijay miscues it high up in the air and such has been India's fortunes, that the ball falls in no man's land. Seeing the tossed up delivery outside off by Perera, Vijay slinks down the track and looks to go big over mid off. Since he plays against the turn, he ends up hitting it high than long. Chandimal hares back from the position but is unable to get there for the catch. A brace results. |
| 30.6 : D Perera to Vijay, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. 32 runs have come off the 7 overs after drinks! |
| DASUN SHANAKA back on. |
| 31.1 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Shanaka bowls it outside off, Pujara lets it go unharmed. |
| 31.2 : D Shanaka to Pujara, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 31.3 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Pujara stays put and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 31.4 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Pujara taps it towards covers and crosses over to the other end. |
| 31.5 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Vijay pushes it back down the ground. Dasun gets down to his right in his followthrough and gets some hand onto it. Deflects it onto the bat of the non-striker. |
| 31.6 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Vijay has pushed it to the cover region. One run added to the total. |
| Pujara and Vijay have the best partnership average among the Indian pairs to have scored over 2000 runs. They average 70.24 and the next best is 62.69 between the Kohli-Rahane duo. |
| 32.1 : D Perera to Vijay, Vijay clips it towards square leg. |
| 32.2 : D Perera to Vijay, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 32.3 : D Perera to Vijay, Vijay moves to 49 with this drive to long on. |
| 32.4 : D Perera to Pujara, FOUR! Good use of the depth of the crease. Pujara goes deep and punches it through covers off the back foot. It is so well timed that it speeds away to the fence. |
| 32.5 : D Perera to Pujara, Pujara gets forward and blocks it showing the full face of the bat. |
| 32.6 : D Perera to Pujara, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 33.1 : D Shanaka to M Vijay, FOUR! 16th Test half century for Murali Vijay! He hit the first delivery of the day to the fence and gets to his milestone now with another. Shanaka bowls it fuller outside off. Vijay's wrists come into play as he plays the on drive to take the ball past mid on. The next destination of the cherry is the fence. The monk has played a good knock. Typical. Watchful at the start, free-flowing as he progresses. |
| 33.2 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Vijay shows the full bat face in defending this delivery from the crease. |
| 33.3 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Dasun hurls it around off, MV defends it solidly. |
| 33.4 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 33.5 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Yet again Vijay negotiates this by keeping it out watchfully. |
| 33.6 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Landed around off, defended back towards the bowler. |
| 34.1 : D Perera to Pujara, Perera changes his angle and comes round the wicket. |
| 34.2 : D Perera to Pujara, Edged and almost gone! Perera lands it around off, Pujara guides it towards slip like the way Herath was dismissed. The ball lands just short of Mathews who takes it with a dive to his right. |
| 34.3 : D Perera to Pujara, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 34.4 : D Perera to Pujara, FOUR! Doesn't matter what has happened the previous day, you've to live every day afresh. This philosophy of life equally applies to sport. Even though he was in trouble a ball before, Pujara uses his feet to shimmy down the track. Gets to the pitch of the delivery and punch-drives it through mid off for a boundary. |
| 34.5 : D Perera to Pujara, Around middle and leg, clipped past short leg for one. |
| 34.6 : D Perera to Vijay, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 35.1 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Yet another glorious cover drive. Fetches Vijay just one owing to a man positioned in the deep there. |
| 35.2 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Pujara gets his front foot forward and defends it solidly. |
| 35.3 : D Shanaka to Pujara, On first look, this off drive had a look of Vijay to it. Pujara drives it towards the left of Chandimal at mid off and takes off for a run. The player gets to his left and stops it partially yet is unable to prevent the run. |
| 35.4 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Vijay stands tall and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 35.5 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Fuller around off, flicked to mid on. |
| 35.6 : D Shanaka to Vijay, A good solid front foot defense on display from MV. |
| 36.1 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Around off, Pujara defends it watchfully from the crease. |
| SURANGA LAKMAL back into the attack. The batting duo is looking at ease against spin and hence this option by the Lankan skip! |
| 36.2 : S Lakmal to Pujara, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 36.3 : S Lakmal to Pujara, On the pads, flicked away wristily for a single. |
| 36.4 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Lakmal sprays it down the leg side, Vijay doesn't bother putting bat to that. Dickwella has to dive full stretch to his left to stop that. |
| 36.5 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Outside off, left alone. |
| 36.6 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Bowled around middle and off, Vijay defends it from the crease. This stand is worth 88 off 199 balls. |
| 37.1 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Fuller around off, pushed back defensively to the bowler. |
| 37.2 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Outside off, pushed towards point. |
| 37.3 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Fuller delivery around off, eased towards covers. |
| 37.4 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Shanaka hurls it outside off, Che hits it towards cover-point. |
| 37.5 : D Shanaka to Pujara, That one stayed low! Fuller outside off, Pujara gets his front foot forward to shoulder arms. It stays a touch low and goes on the bounce to Dickwella. |
| 37.6 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Similar delivery outside off, Pujara just lets it be. It again bounces just in front of Niroshan. |
| Last over before lunch! |
| 38.1 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Lakmal bends his back and bangs it short on the stumps. Vijay ducks and lets the keeper do the rest. |
| 38.2 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Fuller outside off, pushed towards covers. |
| 38.3 : S Lakmal to Vijay, On the pads, flicked away to fine leg for one. |
| Hayden says that the batsmen look so much at ease picking up singles through off side. He says that blocking that area and persisting with a line outside off could be of help. Drying the run would help in his opinion. Gavaskar says contrarily that patience is the key. |
| 38.4 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Pujara stays in the crease and defends it watchfully. |
| 38.5 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Pujara hops a touch and clips it through backward square leg for a single. |
| Last delivery before the players can have a sumptuous meal... |
| 38.6 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Vijay taps this length delivery in front of cover-point to see off the last ball before LUNCH, DAY 2! |
| India's session in its entirety! Vijay and Pujara are known for many a patient and grafty knocks but this isn't one of them. Yes, they have negotiated well but they were hardly tested by the Lankan bowlers. Vijay survived a tough chance, well, two in a single delivery. After a catch went down, the missed run-out attempt meant that he could get to his 16th Test fifty. Pujara has come into his own towards the end, being swift-footed against spin and sly against pacers. |
| The only positive for Sri Lanka this session was a period of play before drinks where they made Vijay appear fidgety. Credit to Herath for that. But post that, the bowlers failed to exert any control. That Perera couldn't settle in because both the batters attacked him, didn't help Sri Lanka's cause. They have bowled 15 overs an hour, a good over-rate. But absence of wickets just nullifies that goodness. See you at 1214 local time (0644 GMT) for the resumption. Will the story be any different th |
| ... DAY 2, SESSION 2 ... |
| Hello folks, we are back! It's time to get rolling. Usually when the sun is out in all its glory, the pitch seems to flatten out thereby making batting a bit more easy. These are good signs for India but not for the Lankans. They need to come up with plans and for that they need wickets in heaps. Let's see if they can do so. PUJARA and VIJAY are set to resume. The fielders take their positions. GAMAGE to kickoff with the ball. Here we go... |
| 39.1 : L Gamage to Pujara, Starts off with a fuller length delivery, landed on off, a tight solid defense from Pujara. |
| 39.2 : L Gamage to Pujara, On a length again, outside off, little bit of bounce off the deck. No shot offered. |
| 39.3 : L Gamage to Pujara, Hits it on the back of a length now, Pujara leaves it alone. |
| 39.4 : L Gamage to Pujara, Back of a length ball on middle, the batsman shuffles a bit and works it towards mid on. |
| 39.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, Touch short and outside off, dabbed towards the point fielder off the back foot. |
| 39.6 : L Gamage to Pujara, Fuller outside off, an uppish drive but finds Chandimal at mid off. A maiden to start off with. |
| RANGANA HERATH, with figures of 9-3-15-0 to bowl from the other end! A slip and bat-pad in place... |
| 40.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Bowls a slider, it comes in with the arm, pushed off the front foot towards cover by Vijay. |
| 40.2 : R Herath to Vijay, Floats it up around middle and off, the batsman lunges forward in defense. |
| 40.3 : R Herath to Vijay, Gets forward and across and nudges it towards short mid-wicket. |
| 40.4 : R Herath to Vijay, Shimmies down the track and eases it towards mid off for a single. |
| 40.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Loops it up outside off, driven straight to the fielder at cover. |
| 40.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Takes a stride ahead and buries it into the ground. Tidy over from the veteran again. |
| The ball seems to have gone out of shape. Joel Wilson takes it to his partner, Kettleborough who passes it through the loop and deems it good enough to continue... |
| 41.1 : L Gamage to Vijay, Back of a length delivery outside off, Vijay hangs back and defends it towards the cover region. |
| 41.2 : L Gamage to M Vijay, Offers bit, it's full and Vijay tries to go after it. But gets it off the toe end of the bat towards mid off. |
| 41.3 : L Gamage to Vijay, Beaten! Gamage bowls a length delivery outside off, seeing this Vijay once again decides to cash in on it. But there is an extra bounce which denies the batsman to carry on with the shot. |
| 41.4 : L Gamage to Vijay, FOUR! Down the ground! Even the 100 is up for the hosts! Pitched up outside off, Vijay drills it back down the track. Was in the air but safely races away past mid on for a boundary. |
| 41.5 : L Gamage to Vijay, Shortish outside off, punched towards cover. |
| 41.6 : L Gamage to Vijay, Good length delivery on middle and off, Vijay looks to push but gets it off the inner half back to the bowler. |
| 42.1 : R Herath to Pujara, Tossed up outside off, Pujara takes his front foot across and kicks it away. |
| 42.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Slider on middle and leg, worked towards mid-wicket. |
| 42.3 : R Herath to Pujara, Quicker through the air around middle, Cheteshwar prods forward in defense. |
| 42.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Slightly slower, fuller in length on off, defended into the ground. |
| 42.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara gets to the pitch of the ball and drives it wide of mid off. The fielder there makes a diving stop and denies them a run. |
| 42.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Defended off the inner half towards mid-wicket. Another maiden from Herath! |
| 43.1 : L Gamage to Vijay, Fuller and slanted in on middle, jammed out towards mid on. |
| 43.2 : L Gamage to Vijay, Back of a length delivery outside off, tapped in front of cover. |
| 43.3 : L Gamage to Vijay, Bangs in a short ball on middle, the batsman ducks under it. |
| 43.4 : L Gamage to Vijay, Touch fuller outside off, driven straight to the cover fielder. |
| 43.5 : L Gamage to Vijay, Dropped! The move to have silly mid on nealry paid off for Chandimal here. Vijay played a similar shot in the previous over of Gamage and fetched a boundary then, this time survives a scare. Fuller in length outside off, Vijay clears the front leg and chips it uppishly down the track. Perera at silly mid on reacts quickly as he moves to his left but the ball bursts out off his palms and he nearly takes Pujara down as well. Another big moment in the game this could be. Vi |
| 43.6 : L Gamage to Vijay, Fuller on off, driven towards the cover fielder. |
| 44.1 : R Herath to Pujara, Tossed up delivery outside off, driven towards cover. |
| 44.2 : R Herath to Pujara, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 44.3 : R Herath to Pujara, Gets forward and blocks it out. |
| 44.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Flatter one on the stumps, defended from deep within the crease. |
| 44.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Skips down the track and drives it towards mid off. |
| 44.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Once again takes the charge, drives but finds the man at cover. Back-to-back maidens for Herath! |
| 45.1 : L Gamage to M Vijay, Fuller and a bit wide on off, stroked nicely but couldn't get it past mid off. |
| 0.0 : Good to see that! After dropping the catch, Perera asked Pujara to move aside and run out of the pitch. The latter immediately did that. |
| 45.2 : L Gamage to Vijay, Short of a length delivery outside off, Vijay drops his wrists and lets it be. |
| 45.3 : L Gamage to Vijay, Good length on middle, defended from within the crease. |
| 45.4 : L Gamage to Vijay, Sees the width on off, Vijay slashes hard but finds the man at backward point. |
| 45.5 : L Gamage to Vijay, Outside off, left alone by the batsman. It's been 25 balls since the last run has been scored. Lanka keeping a lid on the scoring rate here. |
| 45.6 : L Gamage to Vijay, Make it 26 now! Another superb fielding effort, this! Length delivery outside off, pushed towards the right side of Samarawickrama at backward point. Vijay wanted a single but Sadeera dives full length and then immediately releases the ball towards the bowler. |
| 46.1 : R Herath to Pujara, Goes back and flicks it towards the leg side. |
| 46.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Finally a run is scored, precisely after 27 balls. Flattish outside off, tapped towards cover for a quick single. |
| 46.3 : R Herath to Vijay, Floats it up outside off, Vijay drives it towards mid off for another single. |
| 46.4 : R Herath to Pujara, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 46.5 : R Herath to Pujara, On middle and leg, quicker in pace, dug out comfortably. |
| 46.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Good stop from Herath! Fuller on off, Che comes down the track and drives it back towards the bowler who sticks his left hand out and takes the pace off. The ball rolls towards mid off. |
| SURANGA LAKMAL is brought back into the attack. Silly mid on still in place. Vijay needs to be careful. |
| 47.1 : S Lakmal to M Vijay, 100-run stand comes up between the two now! The crowd likes it, they are right behind them now. Lakmal begins his spell with a loosener, bowls it short and wide outside off, Vijay places it between cover and point. Two fielders hare after it and manage to save a run for their side. |
| 47.2 : S Lakmal to Pujara, FOUR! Shot! Looks good when the batsman rides the bounce! Lakmal once again shortens his length, Pujara stands tall and nails the back foot punch through point and picks up a boundary. |
| 47.3 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Same ball, same shot but the only difference is that there is a deep point in place now. Only a single this time. |
| 47.4 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Angles it in on a length on middle, clipped towards mid on for a single. |
| 47.5 : S Lakmal to Pujara, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 47.6 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Shortish and outside of,f Pujara looks to cut it hard but gets it off the outer half of the bat. The man at widish slip does well to get a hand to it. The ball rolls towards third man and Pujara will keep strike. 10 off the over. |
| 48.1 : R Herath to C Pujara, Dances down the track and drills it towards the cover fielder. |
| 48.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Flatter through the air on middle, punched back to Rangi. |
| 48.3 : R Herath to Pujara, Slows it through the air, landed full outside off, driven into the cover region. |
| 48.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 48.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Flat and dropped short outside off, slapped hard by Che but finds the man at point. It's Sadeera Samarawickrama who makes another good stop. |
| 48.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Quicker and flatter on the stumps, it stays a touch low as well. Punched somehow towards mid on. Pujara thinks about the single which wasn't on. |
| 49.1 : S Lakmal to M Vijay, Tad fuller in length and outside off, Vijay drives it towards the man at mid off. |
| 49.2 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Angles it in on middle, defended with a straight bat. |
| 49.3 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Back of a length delivery outside off, Vijay just opens the bat face and glides it down to third man for one. |
| 49.4 : S Lakmal to Pujara, In the channel outside off, Pujara has got nothing to do with that one. |
| 49.5 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Shortish and outside off, Cheteshwar doesn't offer any shot. |
| 49.6 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Outside off, the batsman shoulders his arms to that one. |
| 50.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Floats it up around middle, Vijay lunges forward and drives it back to the bowler. |
| 50.2 : Herath to Vijay, Slider around middle, skidding a bit, Murali Vijay goes back and tries to clip it away but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 50.3 : R Herath to Vijay, SIX! Down the track and away she goes! High and handsome! Herath gives it loop, lands it outside off, Vijay dances down the track, gets to the pitch of the ball and lofts it cleanly over long off for the first maximum of this innings. |
| 50.4 : R Herath to Vijay, Fuller and dipping in on middle, driven down to long on for an easy single. |
| 50.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Tosses it up on the stumps does Rangana, Pujara comes down the track and works it towards mid on. |
| 50.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Touch short, flatter on the pads, clipped behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 51.1 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Shortish and bowled well outside off, seeing the line and with Pujara having settled in, doesn't go after it. |
| 51.2 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Back of a length delivery outside off, Cheteshwar dabs it towards backward point where once again Samarawickrama makes a diving stop. This lad has been too good in that area. He's patrolling it really well. |
| 51.3 : S Lakmal to Pujara, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 51.4 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Short of a length delivery on middle, Pujara is hurried by the pace and bounce on this one. Looks to pull but isn't in any control of it. Mistimes it towards short mid-wicket. |
| 51.5 : S Lakmal to Pujara, It's on the back of a length outside off, dabbed wide of Sadeera at backward point for a single. |
| 51.6 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Hint of reverse now! Fuller and nipping back in on middle, Vijay gets across and clips it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| DILRUWAN PERERA is asked to roll his arm over now. These two played him out easily earlier this morning. Can he create some impact and provide a breakthrough? |
| 52.1 : D Perera to Vijay, This is not what Chandimal would have asked for. Perera bowls a juicy full toss on middle, Vijay heaves it towards deep mid-wicket. There is protection in the deep and so only a single is taken. |
| 52.2 : D Perera to Pujara, Flighted delivery around off, Cheteshwar prods forward and keeps it out. |
| 52.3 : D Perera to Pujara, This time he dances down the track and flicks it wide of mid on for a single. |
| 52.4 : D Perera to Vijay, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 52.5 : D Perera to Vijay, Quicker one on middle and leg, Murali Vijay nudges it towards the leg side and takes the single. |
| 52.6 : D Perera to Pujara, Fuller and dipping in on middle, Pujara flicks it back to the bowler. Perera dives to his right in his followthrough and stops some runs for his side. |
| 53.1 : S Lakmal to Vijay, Lakmal once again gets some reverse swing but the line is not threatening enough. Flicked in front of square on the leg side for a single. |
| 0.0 : Two catching fielders on the leg side now... |
| 53.2 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Lovely stop in the deep from Gamage! Drifting on the pads, it's clipped behind square on the leg side. It seemed like it will race away but Gamage in the deep moves quickly to his right, slides and saves a couple for his side. |
| 53.3 : S Lakmal to Pujara, FOUR! Boom! It's struck powerfully by Pujara! Lakmal serves a gently half-volley outside off, Pujara leans a bit and bashes it right through cover-point for a boundary. On 49 now! |
| 53.4 : S Lakmal to Pujara, The change in angle almost did the trick for Lakmal! He goes around the wicket, angles away a short of a length delivery outside off, Pujara tries to run this one down but the ball zips through. Beats the outside edge by a small margin there. |
| 53.5 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Short again, angling away once more, it's left alone this time. |
| 53.6 : S Lakmal to Pujara, 17th Test fifty for Cheteshwar Pujara! No stopping him, he will take his time and continue to score. Well played, Che! Shortish on middle and leg, tucked through mid-wicket for a single. Just a raise of a bat from him and Vijay gives him a pat on the back. |
| Time for refreshments. The Indians continue to boss this game. They have scored runs at a good rate and it seems like another wicketless session is on the cards. Perera put down Vijay at silly mid on and that was the only chance that was given in this hour of play. Pujara has just reached his fifty and is set to get a big one. Can Sri Lanka strike before the tea break? |
| 54.1 : D Perera to Pujara, Perera continues round the wicket and bowls it around leg. Pujara plays it with an angled bat towards square leg and takes off for a run. The fielder there gets to his left and returns a throw to the bowler who whips off the bails. Che is in safely though. |
| 54.2 : D Perera to Vijay, Vijay gets down on a knee and paddles it fine on the leg side. The fielder runs to his left to stop that. One run is the result. |
| 54.3 : D Perera to Pujara, Pujara lunges forward and keeps it out safely. |
| 54.4 : D Perera to Pujara, Pujara stays in the crease and flicks it towards the man in front of square deep on the leg side for a single. |
| 54.5 : D Perera to Vijay, FOUR! Wow! Vijay didn't look in control of that shot yet gets a boundary. Perera drops it just outside leg. Vijay gets down and pulls out the reverse paddle. Seems like he got it off the top edge of the bat as the ball rolls over Mathews at slip and rolls away to the third man fence. |
| 54.6 : D Perera to Vijay, Driven through the covers by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| DASUN SHANAKA is brought back to have a bowl. He hasn't been too effective with his dibbly-dobblies as of now. Will he change it? |
| 55.1 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Length ball outside off, Vijay slaps it through cover-point for a brace. |
| 55.2 : D Shanaka to Vijay, FOUR! Shot! 150 up for India, trail down to 55! Length delivery outside off, the opener got the width that he wanted. Guides it past backward point for a boundary. Vijay moves into the 90s with this. |
| 55.3 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Finds point with this defensive push. |
| 55.4 : D Shanaka to Vijay, A touch fuller outside off, Vijay brings his wrists into play and takes a single towards long on. |
| 55.5 : D Shanaka to Pujara, On a length outside off, left alone by Che. |
| 55.6 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Length around off, Pujara taps it in front of mid on and takes on. |
| 56.1 : D Perera to Pujara, Dropped around leg, Pujara pushes it towards mid-wicket. |
| 56.2 : D Perera to Pujara, Around middle and leg, Cheteshwar lunges forward in defense. |
| 56.3 : D Perera to Pujara, Similar delivery, CP gets forward to block that. |
| 56.4 : D Perera to Pujara, FOUR! Perera isn't going through a nice spell already and this boundary adds salt to his wounds. He fires it flatter down leg, Pujara gets down and paddles it to the fine leg fence. The trail down to 49 now! |
| 56.5 : D Perera to Pujara, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 56.6 : D Perera to Pujara, Pujara prods forward and presents a forward defense to this one. Perera's 7 overs have cost 41. |
| What has happened here? The Sri Lankans seem to have heard something as the ball passes Vijay's bat and goes to the keeper. They want to review the caught behind. |
| 57.1 : D Shanaka to Vijay, What a waste of the DRS from Sri Lanka! It was always a NOT OUT and it still is. Length delivery outside off, Vijay looks to cut it away. The extra bounce on that means that he ends up missing the ball. The keeper collects it and the day goes on... hold on! |
| 57.2 : D Shanaka to Vijay, The partnership keeps rolling on - is worth 150 now! Fuller around middle, Vijay flicks it through mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 57.3 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Driven through mid off by the batsman. |
| 57.4 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Vijay hits it through mid-wicket to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking. |
| 57.5 : D Shanaka to Pujara, The batsman has punched that ball through the offside. |
| 57.6 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Now Pujara flicks this delivery towards deep mid-wicket for another single. |
| 58.1 : D Perera to Pujara, Cheteshwar has been using his feet all day long. Does so again and takes a run towards mid-wicket. |
| 58.2 : D Perera to Vijay, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. One run added to the total. |
| 58.3 : D Perera to Pujara, Served in line of the stumps, turned through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 58.4 : D Perera to Vijay, Vijay finds the mid-wicket fielder with this flick. |
| 58.5 : D Perera to Vijay, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 58.6 : D Perera to M Vijay, Vijay collects an easy single on offer after driving it through mid off. |
| 59.1 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Shanaka bowls it fuller outside off, Vijay for the umpteenth time today, drives it through covers. Gets one for that. |
| 59.2 : D Shanaka to Pujara, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 59.3 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Angling into the batsman, Pujara flicks it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 59.4 : D Shanaka to Vijay, Around off, Vijay keeps his bat and front pad close to each other as he defends this. |
| The fielders come closer now. The visitors are probably thinking on the lines of creating pressure on him by doing so. Remember though, he isn't nicknamed Monk for nothing! |
| 59.5 : D Shanaka to M Vijay, Excellent awareness from Vijay! Drives it to covers, where the fielder dives but only parries it towards mid off. Vijay seizes the chance and scurries to the other end. There is a direct hit at the bowler's end but all's well. |
| 59.6 : D Shanaka to Pujara, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 60.1 : D Perera to Vijay, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 0.0 : Mind games galore! Seeing Vijay, who is on 98, at the crease, Perera comes into the delivery stride and aborts bowling. Probably it is an attempt to see what's going through the batter's mind. |
| 60.2 : D Perera to Vijay, Vijay collects a run by playing it towards mid off. Moves to 99! |
| 60.3 : D Perera to Pujara, On the pads, Pujara flicks it towards backward square leg and crosses over for a quick run. |
| The crowd is behind Vijay. It realises that he is on strike, on 99. |
| 60.4 : D Perera to M Vijay, There it is! 10th Test hundred for Murali 'Monk' Vijay, his 7th at home. This is his comeback game and yet this innings shows that he was always playing with the team and wasn't away from the game. Began watchfully before unleashing his delightful strokes. How did he get to his milestone? Placed it down the ground towards mid off and hared to the other end. Raises his bat and helmet and soaks in the moment. |
| 60.5 : D Perera to Pujara, Pujara takes one by playing it towards point. |
| 60.6 : D Perera to M Vijay, Hello? Hold on, Vijay! The job isn't done. Probably an air of overconfidence engulfs him as Vijay plays this. Perera lands it just outside off, the batter looks to drive it away from his body. The ball rolls past the leg stump, enabling the batsmen to run two. |
| 61.1 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Bowled around off, blocked off the front foot. |
| 61.2 : D Shanaka to Pujara, The batsman has punched that ball through the off side. |
| 61.3 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Pujara lunges forward and presents a straight bat in keeping this out. |
| 61.4 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Length around off, played towards covers. |
| 61.5 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Che presents a straight bat face as he plays this delivery around off defensively. |
| 61.6 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Fuller around off, driven towards mid on. |
| Perera now makes way for LAHIRU GAMAGE to come into the attack. 14-7-21-1 read his current figures. Will he add more numbers in that last column? |
| 62.1 : L Gamage to Vijay, Length ball on the pads, flicked away towards backward square leg for one. Vijay ran the first very quickly but had to settle for one. |
| 62.2 : L Gamage to Pujara, Pujara places this in front of point and sets off for a run. The fielder gets there and has a shy at the striker's end but misses. Vijay is well in. Even though he has been out there for a while, he is still good enough to hare in those 22 yards. |
| 62.3 : L Gamage to Vijay, Vijay opens the face of the bat and guides it towards backward point for one. |
| 62.4 : L Gamage to Pujara, Outside off, Pujara points his bat skywards to let it go. |
| 62.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, Pujara whips it through mid-wicket and that fetches him one run. |
| 62.6 : L Gamage to Vijay, Length outside off, left alone by MV. |
| 63.1 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Fuller outside off, Pujara pushes this back defensively. Shanaka is unable to stop it in his followthrough and the ball rolls to mid on. |
| 63.2 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Full length ball outside off, driven straight to the man stationed in the cover region. |
| 63.3 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Excellent fielding! Not once, not twice, we have seen this quite a few times. Shanaka fielding the ball off his own bowling. Bowls it fuller that evokes a straight drive from Pujara. Dasun quickly gets down to his right and prevents the ball from passing him. Brilliant. |
| 63.4 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Outside off, left alone. |
| 63.5 : D Shanaka to Pujara, On a length outside off, Che stays in the crease and presents a straight bat in defense. 5 dot balls in the over. |
| 63.6 : D Shanaka to C Pujara, And here is the 6th one! A maiden! Fuller outside off, driven straight to covers. |
| 64.1 : L Gamage to Vijay, Length delivery around middle, Vijay clips it off his pads towards deep mid-wicket for one run. |
| 64.2 : L Gamage to Pujara, Cheteshwar Pujara gets past the 6-ball rut by tapping it in front of mid on for a run. |
| 64.3 : L Gamage to Vijay, Length outside off, the Indian opener guides it past point for a run. |
| 64.4 : L Gamage to Pujara, FOUR! A surprise short delivery doesn't catch Pujara by surprise entirely. It is bowled around Pujara's left shoulder, he swivels and tries to pull it. Gets it off his gloves as he didn't seem in control of that. The ball goes down to the fine leg fence on a couple of bounces. The trail comes down to 21 now! |
| 64.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, The batsman has punched that ball through the offside. They pick up a single. |
| 64.6 : L Gamage to Vijay, Comes round the wicket for the last ball before tea and delivers it on a length wide outside off. Vijay still goes after it as he looks to cut that. Misses it. That's TEA, DAY 2! |
| The 178-run partnership between Vijay and Pujara shows to which side this session has belonged. The duo has continued to march on, bringing up their respective milestones - century for the opener and a half for the one-drop. The former had a scare as he was given another life on 61 (by Perera) to add to one that he got in the first session. Sri Lanka, who looked very good in the first game, seemed to have run out of ideas already. Apart from these minor blips, their fielding largely has been goo |
| Unless the tourists come up with a way to separate the 2nd-wicket stand, hard to imagine any other storyline for the last session. Technically, Sri Lanka are still ahead by 20 runs. Hopefully a good hot tea and some refreshing snacks would set the thought machines running in the visitors' dressing room. Will this daily-soap-like proceedings change? Join us soon to know. |
| ... DAY 2, SESSION 3 ... |
| Welcome back for the final session of the day. Still 33 overs to go so one thing is for sure that India will get into the lead by the end of the day. It remains to be seen how much can they stretch it to. Will Sri Lanka manage to pick up a wicket or will the India juggernaut continue to roll on? |
| Out walk both the set batsmen - PUJARA and VIJAY. It will be HERATH to start off with bowling proceedings. A slip and short leg in place... |
| 65.1 : R Herath to Pujara, The veteran starts off with a loopy ball from over the wicket, Pujara comes forward and safely defends it down. |
| 65.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Flatter one on middle, Pujara hangs back in defense but gets an inside edge on the pads as the ball falls just short of the short leg fielder. |
| 65.3 : R Herath to C Pujara, A shout for an LBW! Slower through the air, landed on middle, Cheteshwar comes forward to defend but it hits his pads. Herath appeals long and hard but the umpire shakes his head. Replays show there was a thick inside edge. |
| 65.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Comes down the track and drills it back to the bowler. |
| 65.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Sees the loop and once again dances down the track only to bunt it back to the bowler. |
| 65.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Flighted delivery outside off, blocked off the front foot. A maiden to start off with. |
| Spin from both the ends. DILRUWAN PERERA to have a go from the other end. |
| 66.1 : D Perera to Vijay, Goes back and flicks it off the pads towards the leg side. |
| 66.2 : D Perera to Vijay, Takes a stride forward and defends again. |
| 66.3 : D Perera to Vijay, Quicker one around leg, clipped towards mid-wicket. |
| 66.4 : D Perera to Vijay, Good stop, Sadeera! Full and around leg, Vijay gets down and sweeps. Samarawickrama stationed there is alert. He sticks out his left hand and makes a half-stop. Doesn't concede a run though. |
| 66.5 : D Perera to Vijay, Skips down the track and drives it wide of covers to collect a couple. |
| 66.6 : D Perera to Vijay, On middle and leg, flicked through square leg for a single. |
| 67.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Comes forward to defend but gets an inside edge. |
| 67.2 : R Herath to Vijay, Slower through the air on middle, worked in front of square on the leg side for a single. |
| 67.3 : R Herath to Pujara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 67.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Leans ahead and stonewalls it. |
| 67.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Outside off, pushed towards the left of Herath. |
| 67.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Dances down the track and drives it straight to the mid off fielder. Another maiden for Herath. |
| 68.1 : D Perera to Vijay, Loopy delivery, dipping in on Vijay, driven back to the bowler. |
| 68.2 : D Perera to Vijay, FOUR! Deft! The last time Vijay tried to play the reverse sweep he got a top edge! Angles it away from around the wicket, Murali Vijay gets into the position and deftly connects the reverse sweep. Beats Mathews at first slip and races down to the third man fence for a boundary. |
| 68.3 : D Perera to Vijay, Touch short on middle, crunched past the right side of the bowler down to long on for one. |
| 68.4 : D Perera to Pujara, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 68.5 : D Perera to Pujara, Slows it through the air outside off, Pujara prods forward in defense. |
| 68.6 : D Perera to Pujara, Gets behind the line and blocks it down. |
| 69.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Loopy delivery outside off, driven into the cover region. |
| 69.2 : R Herath to Vijay, Stung! Herath floats it up around middle., Vijay gets down to sweep but it hits Sadeera Samarawickrama right into the ribs. He is immediately down and calls for some help. |
| What happened there? Sadeera Samarawickrama is down in agony. It has struck him flush on the ribs, never easy to field at the bat-pad position. The physio is out and the entire Sri Lankan team encircles him. Vijay looks a worried man too and goes to see if the fielder is okay. That's not good for the visitors, Sadeera is trudging off the field. Hope that he's fine. Dimuth Karunaratne has been asked to replace him at that place... |
| 69.3 : R Herath to Vijay, On middle and leg, wristed towards mid on for a single. |
| 69.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Loopy ball around middle and off, Che comes down the track and drives it towards the mid on fielder. |
| 69.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Loops it up outside off, Pujara leans forward to keep it out. |
| 69.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Makes a bit of room and drives it towards Chandimal at covers. |
| 70.1 : D Perera to Vijay, Flatter through the air on the stumps, punched off the back foot towards mid off for a single. The TRAIL now comes down to single digit. |
| 70.2 : D Perera to Pujara, Pulls is length back again, Pujara turns it towards the square leg fielder. |
| 70.3 : D Perera to C Pujara, Nicely done! Pujara uses the angle, crouches low and places it through the vacant backward point region. Two runs added to the total. |
| 70.4 : D Perera to Pujara, Floats it up around middle and off, blocked into the ground. |
| 70.5 : D Perera to Pujara, Uses the feet and bunts it back to the bowler. |
| 70.6 : D Perera to Pujara, Herath gives a long chase! Pujara makes room and once again places it through backward point. Rangana from backward point hares after it, in fact jogs after it and saves a couple for his side. |
| 71.1 : R Herath to M Vijay, Loopy delivery outside off, driven towards mid off for a single. |
| 71.2 : R Herath to Pujara, The batsman gets to the pitch of the ball and defends it. |
| 71.3 : R Herath to Pujara, Quicker one around middle, defended by covering the line. |
| 71.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Flighted delivery outside off, defended by lunging forward. |
| 71.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Stays back and blocks it out comfortably. |
| 71.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 72.1 : D Perera to Vijay, Vijay gets down and across and paddles it down to fine leg for a single. |
| 72.2 : D Perera to Pujara, Darts it on the stumps, Pujara uses his feet and wrists it through mid on for a single. |
| 72.3 : D Perera to Vijay, Swept hard but straight to the man in the deep! Loopy ball on the stumps, the batsman nails the sweep towards deep mid-wicket for a single. India now trail by 1 run! |
| 72.4 : D Perera to Pujara, SCORERS ARE LEVEL! Huge roar from the crowd! Flattish outside off, Cheteshwar dabs it to deep point for a single. |
| 72.5 : D Perera to Vijay, INDIA INTO THE LEAD NOW! Loopy delivery outside off, eased down to long off for a single. |
| 72.6 : D Perera to Pujara, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Poor Rangana Herath. The ball seems to be following him so the commentators are keeping a close eye on his reactions. A couple of overs before he had to put in the long yards to save a boundary and then he had to bowl an over. In Dilruwan's last over, Pujara had flicked one between the two fielders placed at mid-wicket. He was standing at long leg. The moment he saw the ball was not coming towards him, he immediately turned his back and started to drink water from the 12th man who was standing b |
| 73.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Flighted delivery outside off, pushed towards the cover region. |
| 73.2 : R Herath to Vijay, FOUR! 200-run stand is up between the two now! These two have looked so settled now and it seems like you throw anything at him, they will remain unscathed. A rare blip from Herath, he drops it short and to add to it, it's on the pads. Vijay makes full use of it as he flicks it powerfully through mid-wicket to earn a boundary. |
| 73.3 : R Herath to M Vijay, Now presses ahead and milks a single down to long on for a single. |
| 73.4 : R Herath to Pujara, An arm ball around off, Pujara takes his front foot across and makes a leave. |
| 73.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Uses his feet and pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 73.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 74.1 : D Perera to Vijay, Flatter on the stumps, clipped through the on side for a single. |
| 74.2 : D Perera to Pujara, On middle and leg, flicked towards short mid-wicket where the fielder dives to stop the ball. |
| 74.3 : D Perera to Pujara, The line is outside the off stump, Pujara goes back in defense. |
| 74.4 : D Perera to Pujara, Gets down the track and works it easily through mid-wicket for one. |
| 74.5 : D Perera to Vijay, The batsman works it down the leg side. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 74.6 : D Perera to C Pujara, Edgyyy but Pujara was eyeing to play in that area only. Drifts it outside off, Pujara wants to guide it but gets it off the outer half past Mathews at first slip who reacts late and a couple is picked up. |
| 75.1 : R Herath to Vijay, Loopy delivery outside off, defended off the front foot. |
| 0.0 : The man is sent to deep mid-wicket now... |
| 75.2 : R Herath to Vijay, Slower one on the pads, Vijay looks to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 75.3 : R Herath to Vijay, OUT! Tame, tame dismissal that! Murali Vijay departs on a full toss and he is down on the ground and doesn't want to leave the field. But Sri Lanka rejoice, they have picked up a wicket at least today and who else has provided the breakthrough? It's Herath! He bowls a loopy full toss on middle and leg, Vijay gets down to sweep but gets a top edge instead. The ball goes straight into the hands of Perera at short fine leg who takes the catch this time. The mammoth 209-run |
| VIRAT KOHLI is the next man in. A wicket has fallen and you expect the crowd to go silent but here the scenario is completely different. They are excited to see this lad bat. |
| 75.4 : R Herath to Kohli, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 75.5 : R Herath to Kohli, Flighted ball outside off, defended into the ground. |
| 75.6 : R Herath to Kohli, Loopy delivery outside off, driven towards the cover region. A successful over! |
| 76.1 : D Perera to Pujara, Flatter one on middle, defended off the back foot. |
| 76.2 : D Perera to Pujara, FOUR! Easily done! Fuller on the stumps, Pujara advances down the track and drives it back down the ground through mid on for a boundary. |
| 76.3 : D Perera to Pujara, Flat outside off, chopped through point for another brace. |
| 76.4 : D Perera to Pujara, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. |
| 76.5 : D Perera to Pujara, Perera once again bowls it short outside off, Che punches it off the back foot through covers for another couple. |
| 76.6 : D Perera to Pujara, On middle and leg, worked towards the short mid-wicket fielder. |
| Sri Lanka have referred an LBW appeal against Kohli. There seems to be a thick inside edge but Chandimal doesn't think so. |
| 77.1 : Herath to Kohli, NOT OUT! Inside edge saves the India skipper! Sri Lanka lose both their reviews! |
| 77.2 : R Herath to Kohli, Gets behind the line and blocks. |
| 77.3 : R Herath to V Kohli, FOUR! Kohli is off the mark! Fuller on leg, Virat just uses his powerful wrists and gets it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 77.4 : R Herath to Kohli, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 77.5 : R Herath to Kohli, Eased down to long on for a single. |
| 77.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Takes it on the full and drives it to mid on. |
| LAHIRU GAMAGE is back on. |
| 78.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, Short of a length delviery outside off, fended towards the point fielder. |
| 78.2 : L Gamage to Kohli, Back of a length on middle, tucked off the back foot towards mid-wicket. |
| 78.3 : L Gamage to Kohli, Fuller in length outside off, driven towards the cover fielder. |
| 78.4 : L Gamage to Kohli, Bangs it short outside off, Kohli lets it be. |
| 78.5 : L Gamage to Kohli, Stays back and tucks it towards mid-wicket again. |
| 78.6 : L Gamage to Kohli, Fuller and angling in on the stumps, flicked neatly through square leg to collect a couple. |
| Herath and Chandimal have a talk. The latter was supposed to bowl this over but after discussing something with the skipper, he takes his cap from the umpire and goes to his fielding position. Maybe, he wants a change of ends? Anyway, DILRUWAN PERERA comes back into the attack. |
| 79.1 : D Perera to Pujara, Pujara hangs back and punches it towards cover for a single. |
| 79.2 : D Perera to Kohli, Tossed up on the stumps, defended into the ground. |
| 79.3 : D Perera to Kohli, FOUR! That's sizzled away says Manjrekar on-air! Perera overpitches it on middle, Kohli clears the front leg and smashes it straight down the ground for a boundary. |
| 79.4 : D Perera to Kohli, Driven towards the mid-on region. One run added to the total. |
| 79.5 : D Perera to C Pujara, No run. |
| 79.6 : D Perera to Pujara, No run. |
| The second new ball is available now and Sri Lanka waste no time in tasting the new cherry. Can the change in ball bring about the change in fortunes for them? |
| 80.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, No run. |
| 80.2 : L Gamage to Kohli, Stays on the back foot and shows a straight bat. |
| Russel Arnold on-air informs us that Sadeera Samarawickrama who coped a blow on the ribs earlier has been taken to the hospital for some precautionary x-ray. Let's hope that he's fine... |
| 80.3 : L Gamage to Kohli, Played to the point region by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 80.4 : L Gamage to Pujara, Fuller in length and on the pads, flicked through the leg side for a couple. |
| 80.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, Outside off, left alone. |
| 80.6 : L Gamage to Pujara, Length ball in the channel outside off, no shot offered. |
| Here comes RANGANA HERATH back into the attack. |
| 81.1 : R Herath to Kohli, FOUR! He has drilled that one! Tossed up outside off, Kohli makes room and absolutely nails the drive through covers for a boundary. |
| 81.2 : R Herath to Kohli, Bowls a slider around middle, defended off the front foot. |
| 81.3 : R Herath to Kohli, Kohli taps one in front of covers and takes a quick single. |
| 81.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara dances down the track to whip it away but gets an inside edge on the pads. |
| The commentators on-air discuss about Kohli's love for the left-arm spinners. He averages over 82 and has scored 496 runs against them. So, a right option to bring in Herath against him? |
| 81.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Brings his bat and pad close and keeps it out safely. |
| 81.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Sees the flight and skips down the track. Drives it straight to the mid off fielder. |
| Drinks are on the field. Russel Arnold on air ponders about the tactic of persisting spin against Kohli. It is actually bizarre. Why is Dilruwan bowling to Kohli? The Indian captain averages 44.15 against pace while it is 62.02 against spin. Dissecting further, it is 74 against left-arm spinners while it comes down a touch, 59.03 against offies. Still, that is pretty good. Baffling... |
| 82.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, Kohli has come out with an attacking intent it seems, with his side in a fairly good position. This is on a length outside off, normally we'd expect him to leave it alone and get a hang of the conditions. Here, he looks to cut it and ends up almost chopping it on. The ball rolls towards the keeper. |
| 82.2 : L Gamage to Kohli, This ball is around off, Kohli shows the full bat face and blocks. |
| A second slip and two gullies in place. Maybe for the drive? |
| 82.3 : L Gamage to Kohli, Virat places this towards points and crosses over to the other end. |
| 82.4 : L Gamage to Pujara, Bowled outside off, left alone by Pujara. |
| 82.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, Fuller around off, driven to the fielder at mid on. |
| 82.6 : L Gamage to Pujara, Fuller outside off, Che points his bat skywards and lets it go. There is a hint of movement on that after the ball passes him. |
| Change in bowling. Herath makes way for SURANGA LAKMAL to have a bowl with the newish ball. |
| 83.1 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Lakmal sprays it down the leg side. Kohli misses the flick and the keeper does the rest. |
| 83.2 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Kohli flicks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 83.3 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Lahiru Gamage does well. Kohli uses his wrists to flick this delivery in front of square on the leg side. Gamage runs to his left, puts in an awkward slide and manages to keep the ball in play. He seems to have bruised his right knee as he is seen rubbing that. The umpires check whether a run is saved and it indeed is. Three runs taken. |
| 83.4 : S Lakmal to Pujara, FOUR! Not this time! Pujara doesn't let the fielder come into play here. Fuller delivery around middle and leg, Pujara flicks it away with the angle. The ball rolls towards the deep mid-wicket fence, leaving no chance for Gamage to come close to that. 250 up for India, while Lakmal too concedes 50 runs observed my colleague. |
| 83.5 : S Lakmal to Pujara, The batsman drives the ball straight down the ground. |
| 83.6 : S Lakmal to Pujara, This ball is kept out from the crease. |
| 84.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, Kohli hits it to the fielder at covers. |
| 0.0 : Just a slip and a gully in place now. |
| 84.2 : L Gamage to Kohli, Four runs, not a boundary this! Kohli taps this delivery in front of point and sets off for a run. Spotting a slower Pujara come to that end, the fielder fires a wild throw at the striker's end. The batter was well in and the fielder backing up the throw had over-run a bit, meaning he couldn't stop that. As a result the ball rolls towards the fence on the leg side. Before the ball is retrieved, Pujara and Kohli collect three more. The lead climbs to 52 now! |
| 84.3 : L Gamage to Kohli, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 84.4 : L Gamage to Kohli, This ball is knocked towards covers. |
| 84.5 : L Gamage to Kohli, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 84.6 : L Gamage to Kohli, Kohli again knocks it to the cover region. |
| Gamage is seen walking out of the field. Lakshan Sandakan is the substitute fielder on for him. |
| 85.1 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Around off, Pujara presents a straight bat face to block that. |
| 85.2 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Cheteshwar stays in the crease and defends it. |
| 85.3 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Fuller on the stumps, Pujara flicks it through mid-wicket. Before Sandakan can run to his left and return the throw, a brace is taken. The throw hits Kohli at the bowler's end, who has run in to complete the second run. Che moves to 97! |
| 85.4 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Make that 98! Short ball around middle and leg, pulled away to fine leg for a single. |
| 85.5 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Kohli almost plays on, for the second time today! On a length around off, Kohli looks to guide it to third man but seems to be beaten for pace. Ends up chopping it past the off stump towards the keeper. |
| 85.6 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| DASUN SHANAKA to have a bowl now. He has conceded 31 runs off his 10 overs so far. Would be interesting to see if he can swing the new ball. A deep backward point in place. So swing? Forget it! |
| 86.1 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Kohli collects a single after playing it to the man stationed at deep backward point. |
| 86.2 : D Shanaka to Pujara, 14th Test century for Cheteshwar Pujara, 4th against the Lankans! He continues to wow us with one solid knock after the other. Seldom does he miss out on feasting over attacks and here he is. Raises his helmet to acknowledge the huge round of applause that engulfs the VCA Stadium. He taps it towards gully, where Perera dives and parries it towards covers. Seeing this, the no.3 batter, who was haring across for a single turns back and returns for another to get to the m |
| 86.3 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Outside off, shouldered arms to. |
| 86.4 : D Shanaka to Pujara, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 86.5 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Pujara defends it with a straight bat. |
| 86.6 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Pujara shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 87.1 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Bye! Pujara and Kohli's stand is now worth 50! This is bowled outside off, Pujara plays inside the line and lets it go to the keeper. Dickwella gets a bad bounce. The ball hits his left shoulder and then his neck before falling on his left side. With Kohli at the crease, you often see every run-gathering opportunity seized. He runs for the bye. The keeper gathers the ball and has a wild throw at his end but it ends up seeming like his aim was Pujara. A bye results. |
| 87.2 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Fuller around middle, Kohli clips it towards deep square leg and gets a brace. |
| 87.3 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Outside off, left alone. |
| 87.4 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Kohli punches it through point and jogs to the other end. |
| 87.5 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Now Pujara does the same. Hits it to the man at deep point and ambles across for a run. |
| 87.6 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Harmless delivery outside off, left alone. |
| 88.1 : D Shanaka to C Pujara, Shanaka offers this on a fuller length on the stumps. Pujara looks to flick but gets an inside edge onto his front pad. |
| 88.2 : D Shanaka to Pujara, No run there, Che! Having Kohli at the other end, Pujara feels that every vacant area is a run-snatching area. Not so though. Taps it in front of cover-point and looks for a quick run. Kohli denies him the same spotting a fielder from covers get there. |
| 88.3 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Length ball outside off, cut away through point for one. |
| 88.4 : D Shanaka to Kohli, This is outside off, Kohli shoulders arms to let it go. |
| Change of style? Perhaps. Seems like Rohit Sharma has given up hopes of getting a chance to bat in this Test. The pitch is looking extremely flat and wicket-taking does not seem to be easy. So, Rohit is now practising bowling. According to Kamti here beside us, Rohit seems to be imitating Jasprit Bumrah's bowling action. Must say - Kamti's vision seems to be excellent. |
| 88.5 : D Shanaka to Kohli, On a length outside off, punched towards mid on. |
| 88.6 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Outside off, Kohli hits it towards cover-point and scurries for a run. Wants another but that's not there. |
| DILRUWAN PERERA comes in to bowl with 9 overs left in the day. |
| 89.1 : D Perera to Kohli, Around off, Kohli blocks it from the crease. |
| 89.2 : D Perera to Kohli, Virat drives it through mid on and goes to the other end. |
| 89.3 : D Perera to Pujara, FOUR! What's the point of having so many fielders on the boundary, if you are to concede runs even then. This is wasting the new ball that's about 9 overs old. Perera serves this around off and middle, Pujara gets down and sweeps it to the fine leg fence. |
| 89.4 : D Perera to Pujara, Che lunges forward and stonewalls that. |
| 89.5 : D Perera to Pujara, The batsman gets to the pitch of the ball and connects. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 89.6 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli wrists it through mid-wicket for one run. |
| 90.1 : D Shanaka to Kohli, FOUR! Shot! The balance that Kohli maintained in playing was just perfect. Shanaka bowls it on a length in line of the stumps, Virat hops up and just pushes it through mid-wicket. The timing is so good that the ball goes to the fence. Lead goes to 79! |
| 90.2 : D Shanaka to V Kohli, Kohli pushes it towards covers. |
| 90.3 : D Shanaka to V Kohli, Fortunate Kohli yet again! Length delivery around off and middle, Kohli looks to keep it out towards point. Gets a bottom edge onto that as the ball rolls away to fine leg. A run taken. |
| 90.4 : D Shanaka to C Pujara, Pujara knocks it to the man stationed in the cover region. |
| 90.5 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Pujara defends it from within the crease. One run added to the total. |
| 90.6 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Kohli stands tall and presents a straight bat in defending that. |
| 91.1 : D Perera to Pujara, Fired on the pads, Pujara flicks it towards square leg. |
| 91.2 : D Perera to Pujara, FOUR! In the air but safe! Dilruwan loops it up around off, Pujara skips down the track and flicks it through mid-wicket. It was a touch aerial and not too far from the leaping fielder there. Goes away to the fence in no time. India lead by 84 now. |
| 91.3 : D Perera to Pujara, Floated outside off, Pujara offers his front pad to that. The ball goes of that to Mathews at slip. |
| 91.4 : D Perera to Pujara, This ball is flicked away towards square leg for a single. |
| 91.5 : D Perera to Kohli, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total. |
| 91.6 : D Perera to Pujara, Around off, Pujara pads this away as well. The ball lobs off it to the leg slip fielder. |
| RANGANA HERATH comes into the attack now. A final voodoo? |
| 92.1 : R Herath to Kohli, Kohli eases this down to long on for a single. |
| 92.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara flicks it away off his pads towards mid-wicket. |
| 92.3 : R Herath to Pujara, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 92.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara lunges forward and blocks it watchfully. |
| 92.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Che negotiates this with a straight-bat defense. |
| 92.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Ends the over with another forward defense. |
| 93.1 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli goes back and punches it to the right of the bowler. |
| 93.2 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli drives it down the ground to long on for a single. |
| 93.3 : D Perera to Pujara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 93.4 : D Perera to Pujara, Excellent wristy shot! Tossed up around middle, Pujara slinks down and wrists it towards fine leg. Before the man from deep square leg gets to his right to retrieve the ball, a couple results. |
| 93.5 : D Perera to Pujara, Pujara flicks it away towards deep mid-wicket for a run. |
| 93.6 : D Perera to Kohli, Around off, defended stoutly by Virat. |
| LAHIRU GAMAGE to have another burst. |
| 94.1 : L Gamage to Pujara, Length ball around off, defended back towards the bowler. Kohli wants a run but has to settle without one. Wonder why he is eager to have strike with the day soon to end. |
| 94.2 : L Gamage to Pujara, Bowled outside off, shouldered arms to by Che. |
| 94.3 : L Gamage to Pujara, Pujara drives it through point. The fielder in the deep fumbles yet it doesn't result in an extra run. Just one of this one. |
| 94.4 : L Gamage to Kohli, Beauty! Towards the close of the day! All these while we were ranting about the new ball not moving and here it is. Gamage lands it on a length just outside off, Kohli has a feel for it. The ball moves away to miss the edge of the bat. |
| 94.5 : L Gamage to Kohli, Outside off, left alone. |
| 94.6 : L Gamage to Kohli, Kohli plays this one through the vacant point region to retain strike. |
| 95.1 : D Perera to Kohli, FOUR! 300 up for India! This morning we saw Vijay play such a drive and here is Kohli now. Perera should be bowling it in and around off. But he tosses it up very wide outside off, Kohli reaches out and drives it through covers. Like the office goers rush to go home after work, the ball speeds away to the fence. India lead by 97! |
| 95.2 : D Perera to Kohli, Flicked away off his pads towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 95.3 : D Perera to Pujara, The batsman has attempted to put bat on ball - but fails. |
| 95.4 : D Perera to Pujara, Pujara plays it through cover-point for a run. |
| 95.5 : D Perera to Kohli, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 95.6 : D Perera to Kohli, India's LEAD REACHES 100 and Kohli moves to 49 with this single towards long on. |
| 96.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, A huge 'ooooo' on the ground as Kohli finds the cover fielder with this punch. |
| The crowd is into this now. Reason - Kohli on 49! |
| 96.2 : L Gamage to Kohli, Here it is - 15th Test fifty for Virat Kohli! He has looked attacking today and gets to his landmark in just 66 balls. He hits it through point to raise huge cheers from the crowd. |
| 96.3 : L Gamage to Pujara, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 96.4 : L Gamage to Pujara, Pujara defends it from within the crease. |
| 96.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, Outside off, left alone. |
| 96.6 : L Gamage to Pujara, Pujara pats it to point and crosses over to retain strike. |
| Last over of the day! |
| 97.1 : D Perera to Pujara, Pujara prods forward and presents a straight bat to block. |
| 97.2 : D Perera to Pujara, A touch shorter outside off, Pujara cuts it towards deep backward point for a run. |
| 97.3 : D Perera to Kohli, Virat blocks this solidly off the front foot. |
| 97.4 : D Perera to Kohli, FOUR! Earlier we were talking on the lines of Kohli being in absolute command against spinners. This one drives home the point. Well, it's a full toss and most batters wouldn't miss out on this. Kohli flicks it through mid-wicket and helps himself to a boundary. |
| 97.5 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 97.6 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli negotiates the final delivery of the day by defending it off his front foot. That's STUMPS, DAY 2! |
| The Sri Lankan players' glum faces act as a good indicator as to who this session and hence the day has belonged to. 127 runs for the loss of a wicket off the 33 overs in this session. India have been as commanding as the pundits had expected them to be even before the series began. After the loss of Vijay, which was mainly due to a loss of concentration, Kohli and Pujara have ensured that the momentum stayed where it should. The 96-run stand off 135 deliveries shows the free flowing nature of t |
| Today has been all about runs. Earlier Vijay and Pujara began the day with authority. They didn't let any bad ball go unpunished in their 209-run stand. Notwithstanding the two chances that Vijay got, well three, if you count a drop and a run out off a single delivery as two different ones, he made the tourists pay with a wonderful 10th Test century. The latter is still unbeaten after his well-composed 14th one in the format. Then Kohli came into the picture and smashed a quick fifty to ensure n |
| Sri Lanka would be ruing the chances that they missed. The one that Perera dropped at silly mid on is just not acceptable at this level of the game. Vijay was on 61 then and went on to double his score from there. Their bowlers were good in patches. Those patches were as small as the gaps in a shower. This means that they are far behind the 8-ball game. With the lead now 107, they'd hope for some overnight inspiration to make a game of this. There's still a lot of time in this match left. |
| Simon Doull has a chat with M Vijay on the sidelines. The opener says that it feels great to score runs, especially after coming back to the side from a wrist injury. States that it was tough to start by and then became easier as he spent time in the middle. Admits that he had a tough time with the injury and the rehabs. About his stand with Pujara, he reckons that the way the latter plays, suits his game and helps him a lot as he maintains a good tempo. Ends having a laugh about his hair which |
| After two days of play, the visitors find themselves on the back foot. Will they come up with something inspirational and change the course of the game tomorrow? Can they restrict the hosts within reachable distance? How long will India bat? Only time will reveal that. Join us tomorrow at 0930 local time (0400 GMT) for all the action from Day 3! Till then, adios! |
| ... DAY 3, SESSION 1 ... |
| Hello folks! Rather than we welcoming you, it has been Cheteshwar Pujara who has welcomed us all with the bat on all the 8 days of the series so far. Yes, he has been out there with the bat at some time or the other on each of the days' play. He looks like an adamant child who refuses to let go off the bat. Here he is today, batting on an unbeaten 121. Let's see how far can he extend that on Day 3 of this second game between India and Sri Lanka being played in Nagpur. He has the skipper Virat Ko |
| Sri Lanka seem to be in a quandary. Their batsmen, who should spend more time at the crease are in a hurry to get back to the pavilion while their bowlers have to spend long hours on the field. With India's lead already standing at a decent 107, the visitors have to act fast and establish some hold on the game. For that, they will first have to breach the Pujara wall. Only time will tell if they really do so. Trouble seems to be following the away team though. Dasun Shanaka has been fined 75 per |
| Murali Kartik has a chat with India's fielding coach, Ramakrishnan Sridhar, who feels that it has been a good couple of days in the game so far. Today is the day where India will push harder after consolidating in the first session, he adds. States that each batter is comfortable against a particular bowler and they target the respective ones. On being asked about the Indian skipper, he says that after Kohli walked in, he changed the tempo of the game. Adds further that he never shut shop even t |
| Russel Arnold catches up with Sri Lanka's coach, Nic Pothas. He says that it was a long day yesterday but is an improvement from the last series against India. Feels that the side maintained the intensity over the day. Asserts that improvement is the focus as every side does that. Admits that they couldn't capitalize on some situations like the dropped catch of Vijay. Agrees that their batting is the most disappointing part on a track which hadn't seamed or spun a great deal and hence they were |
| PITCH REPORT - Simon Doull reckons that this pitch, after being in the sun for a couple of days, has developed some cracks. Sunil Gavaskar observes that there are cracks visible on the good length area and the effort should be to land the cherry in those areas. Batting with a positive intent is the key he feels. Both of them agree that from a selection point of view it is good to have a problem of plenty, which India have. Doull ends saying that these are decent batting conditions as of now, but |
| Blue skies keep us company as we are set to get the ball rolling on Day 3! The players and the umpires soak in the sun and make their way out to the middle. PUJARA and KOHLI look all set to resume their stints at the crease. LAHIRU GAMAGE will steam in to bowl the first delivery of the day. Only a gully in position. A short cover and short mid-wicket in position too. Here we go... |
| 98.1 : L Gamage to Pujara, Gamage doesn't bowl it accoring to the field. Bangs it short outside off. All Pujara has to do is cover his stumps and shoulder arms. |
| 98.2 : L Gamage to Pujara, Another harmless delivery well outside off, Pujara withdraws his bat to let the keeper do the collection work. |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama is on the field. He had been hit near the ribs yesterday and is seen wearing a chest guard. Although he isn't at short leg now, he will have to get there soon. |
| 98.3 : L Gamage to Pujara, Around off, Che gets his front foot forward and defends it solidly. |
| 98.4 : L Gamage to Pujara, Very full delivery around off, Pujara digs it back towards the bowler. |
| 98.5 : L Gamage to C Pujara, Pujara drives it towards mid off. |
| Strange! As Russel Arnold rightly points out, this second new ball is just 18 overs old so far. Yet Sri Lanka don't have any slip in place. |
| 98.6 : L Gamage to Pujara, In line of the stumps, Pujara gets forward in defense. A maiden over to begin. |
| RANGANA HERATH will bowl from the other end. Chandimal's logic seems to be to go with the wicket-takers to begin the day. |
| 99.1 : R Herath to Kohli, Flatter on the stumps, Kohli goes back to punch it down the ground to long on for one. First run of the day! |
| 99.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara blocks this towards covers. |
| 99.3 : R Herath to Pujara, A solid front foot defense to this delivery around off. |
| 99.4 : R Herath to Pujara, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 99.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara fails to put bat on ball. |
| Murali Kartik and Harsha Bhogle on air discuss about protection for the close-in fielders. The former says that with so much advancement in technology, it's a surprise that the players are yet to have complete protection from external injury. The latter at his witty best, quips that, whether insurance companies would increase the premium if one says that he fields at short leg. To this, Russel Arnold says that the insurance agent wouldn't know what a short leg position is. Good to hear such witt |
| 99.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Cheteshwar lunges forward in defense. A one-run over to start for the veteran. |
| 100.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, FOUR! Stats show that the cover drive has been Kohli's most productive shot against pacers in Tests since 2014. But if you follow the man though, you won't need the stats to show which his favourite shot is. Gamage serves it fuller outside off, Virat leans forward and drives it gloriously through covers past the diving fielder there for a boundary. |
| 100.2 : L Gamage to Kohli, Outside off, left alone. |
| 100.3 : L Gamage to Kohli, Bowled down the leg side, Kohli lets it go past him. Goes on the bounce to the keeper. |
| 100.4 : L Gamage to Kohli, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 100.5 : L Gamage to Kohli, Landed outside off, left alone. |
| 100.6 : L Gamage to Kohli, Kohli pats it towards point and ambles to the other end to retain strike. |
| 101.1 : R Herath to Kohli, Ahhh! Not good to see early in the day's play. This was a ball that should have just resulted in a run but here is that extra run as the backing-up players were caught napping. Kohli flicks it to long on and jogs to the other end for a run. Lakmal returns the ball to the bowler, who fails to gather it due to the awkward bounce he got there. Nobody backed that up after him and that results in another run. |
| 101.2 : R Herath to Kohli, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 101.3 : R Herath to Kohli, On the pads, Virat flicks it past short leg for one. |
| 101.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara takes a stride forward and blocks it. |
| 101.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Around off, Che presents a straight bat to defend this. |
| 101.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara stonewalls this from the crease. |
| 102.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, On the pads, Kohli flicks it away towards deep mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 102.2 : L Gamage to Kohli, Now Kohli picks up a run after punching this delivery through covers. |
| 102.3 : L Gamage to Pujara, Well outside off, Pujara has nothing to do with that. |
| 102.4 : L Gamage to Pujara, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 102.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, In the line of the stumps, blocked solidly. |
| 102.6 : L Gamage to Pujara, Che has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| A long on and a deep backward square leg in place. |
| 103.1 : R Herath to Kohli, On the stumps, Kohli lunges forward and blocks. |
| 103.2 : R Herath to Kohli, There's the whip. Kohli hits his straight to mid-wicket. |
| Good observation from Chandimal. Kohli is someone who whips most of his deliveries and hence Samarawickrama is stationed at short mid on for him. For Pujara tough, he comes at short covers. |
| 103.3 : R Herath to Kohli, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 103.4 : R Herath to Kohli, Virat negotiates this one from the crease. |
| 103.5 : R Herath to Kohli, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. One run added to the total. |
| 103.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara has defended this off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 104.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, Kohli clips it towards fine leg for a run. |
| 104.2 : L Gamage to Pujara, Pujara stays in the crease and presents a straight bat to defend that. |
| 104.3 : L Gamage to Pujara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 104.4 : L Gamage to Pujara, Outside off, left alone. |
| 104.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, Pujara scores a run after 22 deliveries! That's all the Lankans have managed to do so far - keep Che quiet for some time. He scores a run now by clipping it towards square leg. It's a quick run as Kohli had to stretch to make it in and beat the wild throw from the fielder. |
| 104.6 : L Gamage to Kohli, Fuller around middle and leg, whipped away through mid-wicket for one. |
| 105.1 : R Herath to Kohli, Flatter around off and middle, blocked solidly off the front foot. |
| 105.2 : R Herath to Kohli, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 105.3 : R Herath to Kohli, Lunged forward and blocked. |
| 105.4 : R Herath to Kohli, Served on the stumps, Kohli wrists it through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 105.5 : R Herath to Kohli, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 105.6 : R Herath to Kohli, Virat has flicked the ball off his pads. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 106.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, Played through point, a run taken. |
| 106.2 : L Gamage to Pujara, A touch fuller outside off, Che pushes it through covers and gets to the other end. |
| 106.3 : L Gamage to Kohli, Angled into the batsman, Virat flicks it away in front of square on the leg side for a run. |
| 106.4 : L Gamage to Pujara, Pujara taps it towards covers and shouts a big 'nooo'. |
| 106.5 : L Gamage to Pujara, Around off, blocked off the front foot. |
| Kohli loves batting with Pujara and Rahane it seems. He now has 5 century stands in Tests with both of them which is his most with someone... |
| 106.6 : L Gamage to Pujara, Landed around off, pushed defensively back towards the bowler. |
| 107.1 : R Herath to Kohli, Looped up around off, Kohli drives it to the man at covers. |
| 107.2 : R Herath to Kohli, Kohli gets forward and blocks it watchfully. |
| Sunil Gavaskar observes that Rangana Herath is under cutting most of his deliveries. He opnies that on this surface, the bowler needs to loop it up to extract something from it. |
| 107.3 : R Herath to Kohli, Floated around off, Virat defends it stoutly. |
| 107.4 : R Herath to Kohli, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 107.5 : R Herath to Kohli, Another solid front foot defense displayed by Virat. |
| 107.6 : R Herath to Kohli, Kohli pushes this back towards the bowler again, in defense. He plays out a maiden. |
| SURANGA LAKMAL is brought into the attack for the first time today. The last game witnessed him being the better one among the Lankan seamers yet Chandimal has opted for Gamage first today. Stresses that the skipper goes as per the wickets column in deciding who'll bowl when. |
| 108.1 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 108.2 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Pujara blocks it from within the crease. |
| 108.3 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Pujara rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 108.4 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Kohli looks to flick this delivery down the leg side but fails to do so. |
| The old man of Indian cricket, Sunil Gavaskar, compares generations of cricket. Says that now fitness has taken the front seat to an extent that players strive for that. During his times, as a penalty durning net sessions, players were asked to run certain number of rounds of the ground. so people would avoid getting penalised just to avoid that. Now, that's not the case as the cricketers happily put in more yards of the ground. Ends saying the upbringing matters. |
| 108.5 : S Lakmal to Kohli, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 108.6 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Kohli flicks it off his pads towards deep mid-wicket for a run. |
| 109.1 : R Herath to Kohli, Floated around off, driven back firmly. Herath does well to stop it in his followthrough. |
| 109.2 : R Herath to Kohli, Hit towards mid-wicket from the crease. |
| 109.3 : R Herath to Kohli, Kohli hits this through covers for a single. |
| 109.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 109.5 : R Herath to Pujara, FOUR! Confusion between Perera and Karunaratne results in a boundary for Pujara and India. Pujara drives it through cover-point. The former fielder from covers and the latter from point run after the ball. Both put in the slide but ends up colliding and none manages to stop the ball. Brings up 3000 TEST RUNS FOR PUJARA IN INDIA. He's the 10th Indian to do so, being the quickest to the mark - in 53 innings. |
| 109.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 110.1 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Bouncer! The batsman ducks under the bouncer at the last moment. |
| 110.2 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Kohli flicks it towards fine leg for a run. |
| 110.3 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Pujara hits this one through point and jogs across for a run. |
| 110.4 : S Lakmal to Kohli, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 110.5 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Driven through cover-point by Virat for a run. |
| 110.6 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Pujara has played it to the point region. One run added to the total. |
| After almost every over, Kohli and Pujara are seen having a drink. It could mean that the plan from India is to bat long and hence the batsmen are ensuring that they are hydrated throughout. |
| 111.1 : R Herath to Pujara, Herath comes over the wicket and bowls a low full toss. Pujara flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 111.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Served around leg, Che lunges forward in defense. |
| 111.3 : R Herath to Pujara, Worked away towards square leg for nothing. |
| 111.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Where's short leg? Herath floats it around leg, Pujara looks to sweep. The ball lobs off something towards where short leg would have been. |
| 111.5 : R Herath to Pujara, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 111.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara negotiates this by lunging forward in defense. |
| 112.1 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Almost! Length delivery around off, Kohli gets an inside edge as he looks to play towards point. The ball hits him on the pads. Even yesterday he had almost chopped it on, on a couple of occasions. |
| 112.2 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Oh Herath, why Herath! Sri Lanka cannot afford to give away such easy runs. Kohli pushes it towards mid off and seeing the veteran there, rushes for a run. Rangana fields it and fires a needless throw at the bowler's end. Misses the stumps and results in another run as there's no one backing it up. |
| 112.3 : S Lakmal to Kohli, FOUR! Glorious! Fuller outside off, Kohli takes his front foot to the pitch of the ball and drives it through covers. Finds the real eastate between covers and mid off and gets a boundary. |
| 112.4 : S Lakmal to Kohli, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 112.5 : S Lakmal to V Kohli, FOUR! What happened there? Lakmal bangs it short around middle, Kohli goes for the pull. Gets beaten for pace and before he can complete the shot, the ball goes off something to the fine leg fence. Runs signaled by the umpire. Replays show that it came off the handle of his bat and that's what he was seen pointing to the umpire. |
| 112.6 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Clumsy work yet again! Kohli drives it towards the man at sweeper and gets to he other end. Samarawickrama there, fumbles a bit but keeps them down to one. He returns the throw to Lakmal who bends lazily and fails to collect the ball that rolls towards square leg. Virat spots this and returns for the second. Lakmal isn't one bit amused by all of this. 12 runs have come off this over. |
| 113.1 : R Herath to Pujara, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 113.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara gets down and sweeps it fine on the leg side for a run. |
| 113.3 : R Herath to Kohli, Virat shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 113.4 : R Herath to Kohli, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 113.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara displays a forward defense to this one. |
| 113.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Pujara charges down the wicket. One run added to the total. |
| Drinks are on the field. 48 runs have come in this hour, where 16 overs have been bowled. The Pujara-Pujara duo started defensively and have come into their own towards the end. India lead by 155 runs at the moment. Hard to see things pan out in a different manner unless Sri Lanka are a bit more aware and alive on the field. |
| 114.1 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Starts off with a short of a length delivery on middle, Pujara stands back and defends it with a high part of the bat towards square leg. |
| 114.2 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Back of a length delivery, drifting a bit down leg, easy for Cheteshwar clips it behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 114.3 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Tries to angle it in on middle, worked towards the fielder at mid-wicket. |
| 114.4 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Touch short and outside off, a back foot punch through covers for a single. |
| 114.5 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Fuller in length and angling in on middle, Che covers the line and keeps it out. |
| 114.6 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Hits the length hard on middle, defended confidently off the back foot. |
| 115.1 : R Herath to Kohli, Loops it up outside off, worked through the leg side for a single. |
| 115.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Just a shimmy down the track and worked towards mid on for nothing. |
| 115.3 : R Herath to Pujara, Oh good turn! Tossed up outside off, turning further away, Pujara comes forward to defend but is beaten by the sharp away turn. Dickwella behind the stumps fails to collect and so does Mathews at first slip. The ball lobs behind the keeper off Angelo's fingers but they don't cross. |
| 115.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Gives it nice flight outside off, defended into the ground. |
| 115.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Floats it up outside off, Pujara leans forward in defense. |
| 115.6 : R Herath to Pujara, Darts it on middle, Pujara blocks it out. |
| Dilruwan Perera is seen warming up. Maybe, he might come on to bowl next... |
| 116.1 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Lakmal bowls a length delivery on middle, worked wristly towards the leg side. |
| 116.2 : S Lakmal to Kohli, On a back of a length outside off, dabbed deftly in front of backward point. Chandimal from gully is quick to the ball to deny them the other. |
| 116.3 : S Lakmal to Pujara, On a length and outside off, defended by coming right behind the line of the ball. |
| 116.4 : S Lakmal to Pujara, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 116.5 : S Lakmal to Pujara, How well he has played that! Really good adjustment! The ball is on a length and it stayed a bit low too. Pujara crouches a bit and then turns it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 116.6 : S Lakmal to Kohli, FOUR! Wayward delivery and duly punished! Brings up the 150-run stand as well! Hold on, seems like Gamage has done some damage to his right knee in fielding that. Length delivery on the pads, clipped fine down the leg side. Lahiru runs to his right in the deep, dives but his right knee gets stuck on the ground and the ball rolls away to the fence for a boundary. Kohli moves on to 98! |
| 117.1 : R Herath to Pujara, Loopy delivery outside off, Pujara lunges forward in defense. |
| 117.2 : R Herath to Pujara, Seeing the loop, Pujara comes down the track and drives it back to the bowler. |
| 117.3 : R Herath to Pujara, Tossed up outside off, driven towards the cover fielder. |
| 117.4 : R Herath to Pujara, Lunges forward and buries it into the ground. |
| 117.5 : R Herath to Pujara, Flatter through the air around middle, defended by getting right behind the line. |
| 117.6 : R Herath to Pujara, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. A maiden for Herath and he smiles at Kohli after playing that shot. |
| 118.1 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Back of a length delivery outside off, Kohli is right behind the line and keeps it out towards point. |
| 0.0 : Cheers rise in the crowd has the India skipp is approaching yet another ton... |
| 118.2 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Runs hard but will have to settle for one! Seems like the cramps are getting the better of him. Sprayed on the pads, worked behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 118.3 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Fuller in length and on middle, driven on the up towards mid on. |
| 118.4 : S Lakmal to Pujara, Length ball outside off, dabbed behind point for a single. |
| There is a discussion regarding the field placement. Arnold says, get a leg slip in place, not sure why... Anyway, Kohli is one short of a ton. |
| 118.5 : S Lakmal to Kohli, 19th Test ton for Virat Kohli! 10th this year and back-to-back in consecutive matches! This lad just loves scoring tons, doesn't he? Takes the helmet off and raises the bat to the dressing room well played! Fuller in length on middle, Kohli lunges across and flicks it through mid-wicket for a single. In the last 3 attempts where he has scored a fifty, he has gone on to make it a big one. |
| 118.6 : S Lakmal to Pujara, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| DILRUWAN PERERA to bowl now! |
| 119.1 : D Perera to Pujara, Floats it up outside off, Pujara goes back and taps it in front of point for a single. |
| 119.2 : D Perera to Kohli, Darted on middle and leg, flicked down to long on for a single. |
| 119.3 : D Perera to Pujara, Slows it through the air around middle and leg, Che tries to work it away but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 119.4 : D Perera to Pujara, Uppish but safe! Slows it through the air, Pujara chips it uppishly but in the gap through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 119.5 : D Perera to Kohli, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| Perera has a chat with Chandimal. Perera demands short leg. Oh no, he gets a leg slip in place as Perera is getting some turn... |
| 119.6 : D Perera to Kohli, Gets across and whips it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| DASUN SHANAKA is into the attack. For all those who aren't aware, he was found guilty of tampering the ball yesterday. So, be careful lad. The umpires would be having an eye on you... |
| 120.1 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Fuller in length on middle, Kohli works it towards mid on. |
| 120.2 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Slats it on the pads, worked to deep square leg for one. |
| 120.3 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Shortish on middle stump, clipped behind square for an easy single. |
| 120.4 : D Shanaka to Kohli, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 120.5 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Length delivery outside off, dealt with a straight willow. |
| 120.6 : D Shanaka to Kohli, On a back of a length outside off, patted towards point to keep strike. |
| Hayden on air shifts his interest to the on-going Ashes! He says three English players go to their fifties but none managed to convert it into a big one. The starts aren't of any use if you don't get a big one under your belt... |
| 121.1 : D Perera to Kohli, Flighted delivery around middle and leg, flicked towards mid-wicket. |
| 121.2 : D Perera to Kohli, Drops it short and outside off, Kohli goes back and cuts it through backward point for a single. |
| 121.3 : D Perera to C Pujara, Fuller around middle and leg, worked towards the leg side. |
| 121.4 : D Perera to Pujara, Flicked towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 121.5 : D Perera to Kohli, Loopy delivery outside off, Kohli prods forward in defense. |
| My word! Dickwella whips the bails off quickly much like how Dhoni does. He instantly appeals for a stumping and it's taken upstairs. Kohli's expression suggests that he has his foot grounded... |
| 121.6 : D Perera to Kohli, NOT OUT! Kohli is safe! Tossed up outside off, Kohli leans forward to defend but the ball skids off the surface and he gets beaten. Dickwella collects the ball and whips the bails off quickly. It's taken upstairs and replays find Kohli safe. |
| 122.1 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Length delivery outside off, Pujara dabbed down to third man for a single. |
| 122.2 : D Shanaka to Kohli, FOUR! Easy peasy! Shanaka drifts it fuller on the pads, where Kohli likes. He leans across and flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. No need to run for those. |
| Keeper comes up to the stumps... |
| 122.3 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Shortish outside off, tapped in front of point for one. |
| 122.4 : D Shanaka to Pujara, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 122.5 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Fullish in length on middle and leg, worked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 122.6 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Once again it's on the pads, flicked through the leg side for a single. |
| 123.1 : D Perera to Kohli, FOUR! Beats the dive of the man at mid off! Perera drops it short and outside off, Kohli goes back and punches it down the ground. Not sure who the fielder was, he dives but to no avail. The ball races down towards the long off fence. |
| 123.2 : D Perera to V Kohli, Slows it through the air outside off, Kohli lunges forward to defend but gets an inside edge on the pads. |
| 123.3 : D Perera to Kohli, Flatter through the air around middle, defended from within the crease. |
| 123.4 : D Perera to Kohli, Driven towards the mid-on region. One run added to the total. |
| 123.5 : D Perera to Pujara, Darted on middle and leg, flicked towards the leg side. |
| 123.6 : D Perera to Pujara, Fuller around middle and leg, jammed out towards the leg side. |
| 124.1 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Fuller in length and just outside off, blocked off the front foot gently. |
| 124.2 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Fullish in length and served outside off, driven past covers for a single. |
| 124.3 : D Shanaka to C Pujara, Wide! Too high and rightly called as a wide! Short of a length delivery on middle and leg, it bounces a bit too much as Pujara just lets is swirl over him to the keeper. |
| D Shanaka to Pujara, Short and angling in on the body, pulled through backward square leg for a single. |
| 124.4 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Length delivery outside off, tapped in front of point for a single. |
| 124.5 : D Shanaka to Pujara, OUT! Perfect toe-crusher! What a ball and Shanaka is up and running. He has breached Pujara's defense and has got every reason to smile now. He comes steaming in and fires in a perfect yorker at the base of the stumps and gets it to tail back in a touch. Cheteshwar wasn't expecting this and all of a sudden tries to jam it out but seems to have gotten beaten for pace and sees the woodwork being disturbed. The 183-run stand comes to an end, India lead by 194! |
| AJINKYA RAHANE is the new man in! Where is the other mumbai lad, Rohit Sharma? He should have come and given some batting practice... |
| 124.6 : D Shanaka to Rahane, In the channel outside off, Rahane shoulders his arms. A successful over! |
| 125.1 : D Perera to Kohli, Flattish on middle and off, defended off the back foot. |
| 125.2 : D Perera to Kohli, 400 up for India and they lead by 195 runs! Short and outside off, punched past point for a single. |
| 125.3 : D Perera to Rahane, Loopy delivery around middle and off, defended by coming forward. |
| 125.4 : D Perera to Rahane, Played to the point region by the batsman. |
| 125.5 : D Perera to Rahane, Flighted delivery outside off, Jinx prods forward to keep it out. |
| 125.6 : D Perera to Rahane, Lands it outside off, it turns back in, Rahane leans across to defend but the ball turns him and he wears it on the pads. No real appeal made as the impact was well outside the line. |
| 126.1 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Fuller in length and outside off, Kohli blocks it out of the crease. |
| 126.2 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Slower one bowled a touch outside off, Kohli reaches out to that one and tries to drive. Gets it off the outer half but all along the ground towards gully. |
| 126.3 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Stands right behind the line and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 126.4 : D Shanaka to Kohli, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 126.5 : D Shanaka to Kohli, FOUR! School boy error from Chandimal, this! A loopy full toss, dipping in on middle and off, Kohli drives it towards mid on. Chandimal gets across, bends low but lets the ball through his legs. Herath chases it from mid off but to no avail as the ball goes for a boundary. Agreed, he got a bad bounce but the basic rule of fielding is to get that body behind the ball. Not acceptable at all. |
| 126.6 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Keeps it full on the stumps, Kohli wrists it towards short mid-wicket and sees off the session. LUNCH, DAY 3! |
| Needless to say whom the session belongs! India have piled up 92 runs in 29 overs with the loss of Pujara. Both the overnight batsmen, Kohli and Pujara came out with positive intent, particularly the skipper, who scored the majority of runs this morning. Also, he was helped by some really clumsy fielding by the opposition. He then powered himself to another Test ton, a quick one and is not done yet. The Indians have already stretched the lead to 199 and it would be interesting too see how much m |
| Sri Lanka are down and out to say the least. Their body language on the field is quite evident and seems like they have given up already. Apart from Herath no one really bowled well. Shanaka got the breakthrough but he wasn't the best of the lot. Perera towards the end got some purchase but can he continuously land the ball on good areas? Remains to be seen. Join us after the lunch break to see if Sri Lanka can do something extraordinary... |
| ... DAY 3, SESSION 2 ... |
| We're back for the post-lunch session, hoping Sri Lanka would have had plenty of food for thought. The visitors should pay heed to their coach's pre-match talk today, when he spoke of confidence coming from within. They need to believe in themselves and not let things veer away from their control. They can't expect easy opportunities from Kohli, who seems intent on scoring big. |
| Out walk the players and the umpires to the middle. The Indian skipper and vice-captain will resume the run-scoring spree. If R Sridhar's pre-play chat is something to go by, the pair will be intent on scoring at a good rate. DILRUWAN PERERA will start the proceedings with the ball. Mathews stands in anticipation at first slip and Samarawickrama is at short leg. |
| 127.1 : D Perera to Rahane, Resumes play with a delivery floated outside off. Rahane defends it towards point. |
| 127.2 : D Perera to Rahane, An appeal put up for the sake of it. This one is bowled outside off, Rahane lunges forward and just offers the pad. That draws the appeal. The impact is well outside, though. As the ball pitched there, a puff of dust was seen coming out. |
| 127.3 : D Perera to Rahane, Rahane gets off the mark with a flick through mid-wicket. INDIA LEAD BY 200 now! |
| 127.4 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli finds mid-wicket with the flick. |
| 127.5 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli flicks it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 127.6 : D Perera to Rahane, Rahane looks solid as he negotiates this one with a watchful defense. |
| LAHIRU GAMAGE will run in. |
| 128.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, Length ball outside off, punched through covers for a single. |
| 128.2 : L Gamage to Rahane, Lahiru hurls it outside off, Rahane watches it go by to the keeper. |
| 128.3 : L Gamage to Rahane, Another delivery outside off, Ajinkya shoulders arms to it. |
| 128.4 : L Gamage to Rahane, Pitched further up to the batsman outside off, Rahane leans forward and drives it through cover-point for a single. |
| 128.5 : L Gamage to Kohli, This ball stayed a touch low. Kohli defends it but gets it off the lower part of his bat. |
| 128.6 : L Gamage to Kohli, Kohli drives it through cover-point for one. |
| 129.1 : D Perera to Kohli, Floated around off, Kohli drives it to long on for one. |
| 129.2 : D Perera to Rahane, Rahane charges down but buries this solidly. |
| 129.3 : D Perera to Rahane, A low full toss outside off, Rahane finds the man at cover with the drive. |
| 129.4 : D Perera to Rahane, OUT! Ajinkya Rahane has frittered another opportunity to get among the runs away! In the previous over we saw a puff of dust come off the pitch, meaning it would be conducive to the spinners. Perera offers width outside off, Ajinkya goes back to cut it. The extra bounce makes it difficult for him to control that and ends up offering an easy catch to Karunaratne at backward point who just has to take a couple of steps to his right. The umpires go upstairs to check for t |
| One Mumbai lad replaces the other at the crease. ROHIT SHARMA is the man striding out. He would look to make this chance count to get some batting practise in red-ball cricket. With Rahane not among the runs, the chance is ripe for Rohit to stake a claim for that spot. Remember, he hasn't played a first class game for about 13 months now. |
| 129.5 : D Perera to R Sharma, FOUR! Test cricket is pretty easy, Rohit Sharma would feel. Faces the red ball in a game situation after considerable time and hits it for a boundary immediately. Perera offers it full outside off, Rohit drives it through covers. Karunaratne gives it a valiant chase, puts in the slide as well. It is referred upstairs and is seen that he is in contact with the ropes and the ball simultaneously. |
| 129.6 : D Perera to Sharma, Rohit lunges forward in defense but the ball goes to the keeper past the outer edge of the bat. Dickwella also whips the bails off but the batter is safe. |
| 130.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, Kohli finds the mid-wicket fielder with this clip. |
| 130.2 : L Gamage to Kohli, Played to the point region by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 130.3 : L Gamage to Sharma, Driven through the covers by the batsman. |
| 130.4 : L Gamage to Sharma, Shot! Rohit looks in good touch already. This is on a length outside off, Sharma stands tall and punches it through point. Lakmal hares after it, slides and saves a run for his side. |
| 130.5 : L Gamage to Kohli, Kohli punches it through covers. Before the man from deep point runs to his right and keeps the batters down to two. |
| 130.6 : L Gamage to Kohli, Now Kohli gets a run after playing it to the man stationed at deep point. |
| 131.1 : D Perera to Kohli, No run. |
| 131.2 : D Perera to Kohli, This time Kohli gets it past the fielder at mid-wicket for a run. |
| 131.3 : D Perera to Sharma, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 131.4 : D Perera to Sharma, Sharma lunges forward and blocks it watchfully. |
| 131.5 : D Perera to Sharma, Rohit turns it towards mid-wicket for nothing. |
| 131.6 : D Perera to Sharma, Sharma lunges forward and lets this ball outside off go. |
| 132.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, Outside off, driven through point for one. |
| 132.2 : L Gamage to Sharma, Rohit flicks it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 132.3 : L Gamage to Kohli, Length ball outside off, Kohli gets it off the outer half towards gully. A run results |
| 132.4 : L Gamage to Sharma, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 132.5 : L Gamage to Sharma, Rohit blocks it form the crease. |
| 132.6 : L Gamage to Sharma, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| Change of bats for Kohli. Sign of change in intent? |
| 133.1 : D Perera to Kohli, Hit straight to the mid-wicket fielder. |
| 133.2 : D Perera to Kohli, Floated around off, Kohli looks to turn it to the on side but gets a soft leading edge that falls in front of covers. |
| 133.3 : D Perera to Kohli, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. |
| 133.4 : D Perera to V Kohli, Kohli plays the cover drive and crosses over to the other end. |
| 133.5 : D Perera to Sharma, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| 133.6 : D Perera to Sharma, Floated around off and middle, Rohit drives it back towards mid on. Gamage runs to his left, dives and prevents the ball from passing him. The batsmen don't run and so Kohli retains strike for the next over. However, Gamage looks to be in some pain. It's his right knee again. |
| Oh no! This is not good for anyone, let alone Sri Lanka. As he attempted to stop the previous one, Gamage's right knee again got stuck on the ground. He is seen clutching that and is down in pain. The physio has come out to the middle and he is seen taking the player off the field. He is seen limping. |
| 134.1 : S Lakmal to Kohli, FOUR! Talk about intent, it's written in bold letters all over this one. Lakmal bowls the first delivery of his spell on a length around off. Kohli charges down the track and smashes it over mid off. The ball almost goes the distance. A one-bounce boundary results. Probably he wanted it to go all the way, as his expression suggests. |
| 134.2 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Flicks it off his pads and goes over to the other end. |
| 134.3 : S Lakmal to Sharma, On a length around off, Rohit stays in the crease and defends it. |
| 134.4 : S Lakmal to Sharma, Punched towards covers. |
| 134.5 : S Lakmal to Sharma, Outside off, left alone. |
| 134.6 : S Lakmal to Sharma, Sharma looks to defend this one but it goes off the inner half onto his pads before rolling next to the pitch towards point. |
| 135.1 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli flicks it off his pads to mid-wicket. |
| 135.2 : D Perera to Kohli, Driven through mid-on by the batsman. |
| 135.3 : D Perera to Kohli, Floated around off, Kohli eases it to long on for a single. |
| 135.4 : D Perera to R Sharma, Sharma turns this with the angle towards mid on. |
| 135.5 : D Perera to Sharma, This ball is flicked towards short leg. |
| 135.6 : D Perera to Sharma, SIX! Hello! First game in this format after a long time? Chance of being a bit rusty? Put all those talks to trash just like Rohit has put the ball out of the playing area. Perera floats it around off, the six-hitting machine skips down the track and hits it high and handsome over long on for half a dozen. |
| 136.1 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Kohli flicks it in front of square on the leg side for a run. |
| 136.2 : S Lakmal to R Sharma, Finds the mid on with the on drive. |
| 136.3 : S Lakmal to R Sharma, FOUR! Lucky, very lucky is Rohit with this one! Lakmal angles it on a length around off, the ball comes in a touch after pitching. Rohit looks to push it to the off side away from the body. Gets an inside edge just past the leg stump and into the fine leg fence. |
| 136.4 : S Lakmal to Sharma, Rohit rotates strike after pushing it through covers. |
| 136.5 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Kohli has flicked the ball off his pads. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 136.6 : S Lakmal to Sharma, Outside off, left alone. |
| 137.1 : D Perera to V Kohli, Floated around off, pushed towards mid on. |
| 137.2 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli takes a stride forward and defends. |
| 137.3 : D Perera to V Kohli, Kohli eases this through mid on for one. |
| 137.4 : D Perera to Sharma, Around off, hit towards covers. |
| 137.5 : D Perera to Sharma, Served around off, pushed defensively back towards the bowler. |
| 137.6 : D Perera to Sharma, Sharma lunges forward and blocks it solidly. |
| 138.1 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Length delivery outside off, Kohli stays in the crease and presents a straight bat in defense. |
| 0.0 : Well said! Often in situations India find themselves in, the outsiders or the people who watch the game opine endlessly about the team declaring quickly. All the talks do revolve on the same lines. Hayden says that the right way forward is for the outsiders to stay patient and let the game take its course. This opportunity can well be used for getting some practise for those who are looking to get their feet in the game. |
| 138.2 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Kohli flicks it through mid-wicket and picks up the single that is on offer. |
| 138.3 : S Lakmal to Sharma, Chin music for Rohit! Lakmal bangs it short around middle. Sharma looks to pull then finds that it is getting bigger on him. Ducks in time to let it go. |
| 138.4 : S Lakmal to Sharma, Played to mid-wicket region by the batsman. |
| 138.5 : S Lakmal to Sharma, This ball is hit to mid-wicket. |
| 138.6 : S Lakmal to Sharma, Outside off, Sharma strides forward and lets it go. The lead stays at 242! |
| 139.1 : D Perera to V Kohli, The batsman has driven it through mid-off. |
| 139.2 : D Perera to Kohli, SIX! Virat Kohli gets to 150 in style - his 7th score over that mark. He has looked commanding and seems unstoppable as far as the Lankans are concerned. Perera tosses it invitingly around off, Kohli accepts the offer and shimmies down the track to hit it over long on. Shanaka at that position leaps high but is unable to get a hand to that. A biggie results. The shot was all about his wrists. He revels in the occasion with a smile. The crowd cheers to celebrate their fa |
| 139.3 : D Perera to Kohli, This ball is flicked towards mid-wicket. |
| 139.4 : D Perera to Kohli, Turned towards mid-wicket from the crease. |
| 139.5 : D Perera to Kohli, The batsman has driven it through mid-on. They pick up a single. |
| 139.6 : D Perera to Sharma, Sharma picks up a single playing this one through point. India lead by 250 now! |
| Lahiru Gamage is back on the field. Meanwhile, DASUN SHANAKA is given the ball now. |
| 140.1 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Sharma stays in the crease and presents a straight bat to keep it out. |
| 140.2 : D Shanaka to Sharma, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 140.3 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Rohit defends this one from the crease with a full bat face. |
| 140.4 : D Shanaka to Sharma, A tad fuller around off, Rohit gets ahead and knocks it towards covers. |
| 140.5 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Fuller around off and middle, defended back towards the bowler. |
| 140.6 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Around off, Sharma wants a run towards third man but the guide from him finds gully. Results in a maiden over. This stand is worth 45 runs now. |
| 141.1 : D Perera to Kohli, Floated outside off, pushed towards covers. |
| 141.2 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli wrists this with the spin down to long on for one. |
| 141.3 : D Perera to Sharma, Flatter around off, Sharma goes back in defense. |
| 141.4 : D Perera to Sharma, Often a batsman's reaction gives an idea of the behavior of the ball. Sharma crouched low after he went back to keep it out watchfully. Shows that it stayed a bit low. |
| 141.5 : D Perera to Sharma, Here's the extra bounce now. Tossed up outside off, it draws Rohit forward in defense. The ball goes off the inside edge onto the pads and drops in front of short leg. Close. |
| 141.6 : D Perera to Sharma, Sharma negotiates the last ball by defending it from the crease. INDIA LEAD BY 251! |
| An hour done, time for Drinks! It's not about runs anymore. It's turning out to be about milestones. Kohli got to his 6th score of 150 or more as an Indian captain, which is the most. Sri Lanka are failing to exert any control over the proceedings. Wonder how it would be to be in their camp at the moment. Go with the flow? Maybe. |
| 142.1 : D Shanaka to V Kohli, Spears in a fuller length delivery on middle, driven with a straight blade down to long on for a single. |
| 142.2 : D Shanaka to Sharma, On a length and angling in on middle, defended by getting right behind the line. |
| 142.3 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Shanaka keeps it on a fuller length, bunted back to the bowler. |
| 142.4 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Short but miles down leg, Sharma doesn't even bother going after it. |
| 142.5 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Slower one, it's the cutter served outside off, Rohit crouches low, opens the bat face but finds the fielder at gully as he dabs it away. |
| 142.6 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Full toss and veering on the pads, put away to deep mid-wicket for an easy single. |
| RANGANA HERATH is called back into the attack. |
| 143.1 : R Herath to Sharma, Starts off from over the wicket and loops it up outside off, driven towards the cover fielder. |
| 143.2 : R Herath to Sharma, FOUR! Kaboom! 50-run stand comes up in no time! Herath flights it up outside off, seeing this Rohit decides to go after it. Skips down the track, gets to the pitch of the ball and goes bang down the ground for a one bounce boundary. Such a good player for spin he is. |
| 143.3 : R Herath to Sharma, Lunges ahead and keeps it out solidly. |
| 143.4 : R Herath to Sharma, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 143.5 : R Herath to Sharma, FOUR! And again! Effortless is the correct term if you ask me to describe this shot! More flight around middle and leg, Sharma dances down the track and just chips it nonchalantly over mid-wicket for another boundary. Signs of declaration? |
| 143.6 : R Herath to Sharma, Quicker one around middle, Rohit hangs back in defense. 8 from the over. |
| 144.1 : D Shanaka to Kohli, On a length and outside off, dabbed nicely but couldn't get it past gully. |
| 144.2 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Shortish in length, punched down to long on for a single. |
| 144.3 : D Shanaka to Sharma, A bit fuller and angling in, Sharma tries to flick but the bat turns in his hands it seems. Mistimes it towards mid on. |
| 144.4 : D Shanaka to R Sharma, Short and down leg, helped towards fine leg for a single. |
| 144.5 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Back of a length outside off, punched square of the wicket on the off side for an easy single. |
| 144.6 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Bowls a slower delivery on middle and leg, Rohit reads it well. Waits for the ball to come and then turns it with soft hands through backward square leg. The call is for two and with Kohli at the other end, it's always on. |
| 145.1 : R Herath to Kohli, Fuller and sliding in on middle, Kohli dinks down the track and milks a single towards long off. |
| 145.2 : R Herath to Sharma, Slower one around off, Rohit prods forward to defend but gets it off the inner half as the ball rolls towards the square leg fielder. |
| 145.3 : R Herath to Sharma, Chance of a run out? Virat Kohli runs out of patience and wants a run but Rohit isn't interested. Remember, they aren't the best when it comes to running between the wickets. But the format was different and if you don't know, twice Rohit ran Kohli out and the former went on to get something in the ODIs that his skipper is on the verge to get. Ball - fuller around leg, worked towards mid-wicket. Kohli sets off but the fielder there dives to his left, stops and returns |
| 145.4 : R Herath to Sharma, The batsman fails to get bat on that one and is hit on the pad. |
| 145.5 : R Herath to Sharma, FOUR! Why to run and sweat out when you can hit a boundary, says Rohit Sharma! Fuller and around the pads, Sharma chips it over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 145.6 : R Herath to Sharma, Darted on the stumps, worked towards mid on for nothing. |
| 146.1 : D Shanaka to V Kohli, Fuller and at the base of the off pole, squeezed out to cover. |
| 146.2 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Fullish in length but once again on the pads, flicked towards Dananjaya de Silva at short mid-wicket. The substitute fielder fumbles and concedes a single. |
| 146.3 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Short ball on middle and leg, Sharma moves inside the line and allows Dickwella to do the rest. |
| 146.4 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Short of a length delivery on middle, tucked towards square leg for a single. |
| 146.5 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Fuller in length and angling in, driven hard towards mid on. Chandimal there dives and stops the ball. Meanwhile, Kohli is near the bowler's end while Rohit is busy ball-watching. He then scampers through as the Lankan skipper half-stopped it. |
| 146.6 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Bangs in a short ball on middle, just a tad swivel from RS as he pulls it behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 147.1 : R Herath to Sharma, Fires it down leg, Sharma moves inside the line and leaves it alone. |
| 147.2 : R Herath to Sharma, Stays leg side and works it towards short mid-wicket. |
| 147.3 : R Herath to Sharma, A bit of turn here! Herath loops it up outside off, Rohit makes room to drive but there is a bit of turn here. The ball takes the outer part and rolls behind point for a couple. |
| 147.4 : R Herath to Sharma, An arm ball, stays low around off, Rohit does well to adjust and keep it out. |
| 147.5 : R Herath to Sharma, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 147.6 : R Herath to Sharma, Sharma sinks low and brooms it down to fine leg to keep strike. Rohit wanted another one but surprisingly, his skipper yells a big NO! and sends him back. |
| 148.1 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Fuller on off, driven towards mid off for a single. |
| 148.2 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Length ball outside off, glided down to third man for a couple of runs. |
| 148.3 : D Shanaka to Kohli, On a length and outside off, dabbed a bit squarer this time on the off side. A single taken. |
| Good observation from the commentators here. They say Rohit Sharma is really good against the spinners and the fact that the way he made use of the feet has really put the spinners out of rhythm. He has scored freely and in no time is about to reach his fifty. Not being a philosopher here, but as the saying goes - opportunities comes through to door and goes through the window, if you don't grab it, it's your loss. |
| 148.4 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Stays behind the line and defends it down safely. |
| 148.5 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Length ball outside off, tapped in front of point. |
| 148.6 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Flicked through the leg side for a single. |
| 149.1 : R Herath to R Sharma, Slider around middle, Sharma comes forward to defend but gets an inside edge on the pads. |
| 149.2 : R Herath to Sharma, Darted around middle and leg, worked towards mid-wicket. |
| 149.3 : R Herath to Sharma, Comes down the track and pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 149.4 : R Herath to Sharma, Eases it through covers for a single. |
| 149.5 : R Herath to Kohli, Tossed up outside off, pushed into the off side. |
| 149.6 : R Herath to Kohli, Flatter around middle and off, defended off the back foot. |
| DIMUTH KARUNARATNE is given a chance to bowl now. |
| 150.1 : D Karunaratne to Sharma, Not an ideal way to start! Fuller and sprayed on the pads, Sharma looks to sweep it away but misses. The ball brushed the pads and goes down to the fine leg fence. They take three runs. |
| 150.2 : D Karunaratne to Kohli, On middle and leg, flicked towards short mid-wicket. |
| 150.3 : D Karunaratne to Kohli, On middle and leg, driven down to mid on for a single. |
| 150.4 : D Karunaratne to Sharma, Played to mid-wicket region by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 150.5 : D Karunaratne to Kohli, Goes back and turns it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 150.6 : D Karunaratne to Sharma, Too straight in line, Sharma clips it behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 151.1 : R Herath to Sharma, Floats it up around middle and off, blocked into the ground. |
| 151.2 : R Herath to Sharma, Gets down the track but yorks himself completely. Jammed out back to Herath. |
| 151.3 : R Herath to R Sharma, Flighted delivery outside off, driven through covers for a single. |
| 151.4 : R Herath to V Kohli, Kohli this time drives towards cover but the man there dives and stops some runs. |
| 151.5 : R Herath to Kohli, Fires it in on middle and leg, Kohli looks to flick it away but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 151.6 : R Herath to Kohli, Eases it down to long on for a single to keep strike. |
| 152.1 : D Karunaratne to Kohli, On a length and outside off, punched through covers for a single. |
| 152.2 : D Karunaratne to Sharma, Back of a length delivery outside off, cracked through cover-point for a single. |
| 152.3 : D Karunaratne to Kohli, Taps it in front of point and calls for another single. |
| 152.4 : D Karunaratne to Sharma, Angles it in on middle, clipped through backward square leg for a single. |
| 152.5 : D Karunaratne to Kohli, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 152.6 : D Karunaratne to Kohli, Touch fuller outside off, Kohli presses forward and keeps it out. |
| DILRUWAN PERERA is back! |
| 153.1 : D Perera to Sharma, Floated ball around off, Sharma lunges forward in defense. |
| 153.2 : D Perera to Sharma, Floated delivery around middle and leg, worked with soft hands towards the leg side. |
| 153.3 : D Perera to Sharma, Tries to get across and flick but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 153.4 : D Perera to R Sharma, Takes a stride forward and buries it down into the ground. |
| 153.5 : D Perera to Sharma, Floated delivery around off, defended into the ground. |
| 153.6 : D Perera to Sharma, This one stays low but Rohit does well to keep it out. First maiden for Perera in this innings. |
| LAHIRU GAMAGE is back into the attack. |
| 154.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, On a length and outside off, punched towards covers for a single. |
| 154.2 : L Gamage to Sharma, Fuller in length and outside off, pushed towards the cover region. |
| 154.3 : L Gamage to Sharma, Length delivery on middle, angling in, Rohit blocks it out from within the crease. |
| 154.4 : L Gamage to Sharma, Shortish outside off, tapped towards point. |
| 154.5 : L Gamage to Sharma, Covers the line and offers a straight blade. |
| 154.6 : L Gamage to Sharma, Fifty for Rohit Sharma! His 8th in Tests and third consecutive one! Another man who makes the most of the opportunity after Ishant and Vijay! Well played, Rohit! Fuller in length and outside off, driven nicely through covers for a single. India's lead is now one short of 300. |
| 155.1 : D Perera to Sharma, Darted around middle an leg, flicked towards short mid-wicket. |
| 155.2 : D Perera to Sharma, Floats it up outside off, Sharma kicks it away. |
| 155.3 : D Perera to Sharma, On middle and leg, bunted back to the bowler. |
| 155.4 : D Perera to Sharma, Chance of a catch but there is no short leg! Flighted delivery outside off, turning in a bit, Sharma comes forward to defend but gets a thick inside edge. The ball lobs towards the vacant short leg region. |
| Short leg in place... |
| 155.5 : D Perera to Sharma, Fires it fuller around middle, driven back to the bowler. |
| 155.6 : D Perera to Sharma, RS dances down the track but decides to defend it. |
| 156.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, LEAD TOUCHES 300 NOW! Back of a length delivery outside off, Kohli taps it towards cover for a single. |
| 156.2 : L Gamage to Sharma, Good length delivery outside off, defended towards cover but still they take a single. |
| 156.3 : L Gamage to Kohli, Fuller and angling in on the pads, wristed through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 156.4 : L Gamage to Sharma, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 156.5 : L Gamage to Sharma, Short and bounces a bit more off the deck, no pace behind it and hence Rohit keeps it out safely. |
| 156.6 : L Gamage to Sharma, Fuller in length and aimed at the base of off stump, Sharma pushes it off the front foot towards cover. TEA CALLED ON DAY 3! |
| India continue to boss this game! They have scored 103 in 30 overs in this session. Ajinkya Rahane fell early, thereby continuing his dry run but Rohit Sharma walked in and was fluent from ball one. He has registered a breezy fifty of his own. Kohli from the other end was happy to rotate strike and notched his 7th 150-plus score in Tests. Just towards the end, both slowed down a bit. Now the question is, with the lead already over 300, how long will India bat? Will they wait for Kohli to get a d |
| ... DAY 3, LAST SESSION ... |
| Welcome back to the final session of the day. With 31 overs left to be bowled, expect all of them to be completed as the over rate has been good today. And the milestone story might just continue. A double ton for Kohli? A ton for Rohit? Maybe. Both of them walk out to the crease. DILRUWAN PERERA has the ball in hand. He got Rahane soon after the lunch interval. Will he break this stand now? There's a slip and a short leg for him. Let's roll... |
| 157.1 : D Perera to Kohli, Floated outside off, this one goes straight on. Kohli goes back to punch it to long on for one to resume the run-accumulation saga. |
| 157.2 : D Perera to Sharma, Flatter outside off, Rohit goes back and punches it through covers. He sprints for the first and turns around for the second. But seeing the fielder in the deep get quickly to the ball, just one is on offer. |
| 157.3 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli lunges forward to defend it watchfully. |
| 157.4 : D Perera to Kohli, Around off, blocked off the front foot by Virat. |
| 157.5 : D Perera to Kohli, There moves the stand between Kohli and Rohit to 101! How untroubled this pair has looked. They have let the runs flow unhampered. Fuller delivery outside off, Virat drives it past the diving man at covers. The fielder from long off runs to his right but cannot prevent the brace. The lead moves to 306. |
| 157.6 : D Perera to Kohli, This delivery is flicked to the man at mid-wicket and immediately a huge NO is heard. |
| DASUN SHANAKA to run in from the other end. 22-4-78-1 read his current figures. |
| 158.1 : D Shanaka to Sharma, On a length around off coming in with the angle. Rohit Sharma looked to defend but got it off the inner half towards the bowler. |
| 158.2 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Sharma flicks it off his pads and gets a single for that. |
| 158.3 : D Shanaka to V Kohli, FOUR! Kohli has switched on his coloured-clothing cricket mode. Shanaka bowls it a touch fuller around off, Virat stays in the crease and lifts it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 158.4 : D Shanaka to Kohli, BYES! This is what happens when the keeper is upto the stumps. It may keep the batsmen inside the crease but when the delivery is down the leg side, it is tough to stop and prevent runs. Shanaka sprays it down the leg side, Kohli misses the flick. Dickwella only manages a glove onto that and thus, the byes are restricted to just two. |
| 158.5 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Bye! Another one, but this time excellent keeping does it. Confused? Read on. Shanaka again hurls it down the leg side. Kohli misses the flick and Dickwella does extremely well to move swiftly to his left and collect that. In the same motion he back-hands it on the stumps. The ball deflects off the woodwork and rolls towards point. There's no one there and it results in another run. |
| 158.6 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Sharma pushes it through covers for a single. |
| 159.1 : D Perera to Sharma, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 159.2 : D Perera to R Sharma, Rohit flicks it through mid on and gets to the other end. |
| 159.3 : D Perera to Kohli, Floated outside off, Virat hits it towards covers. |
| 159.4 : D Perera to Kohli, Virat works it down the leg side. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 159.5 : D Perera to Sharma, Sharma keeps this out from the crease. |
| 159.6 : D Perera to Sharma, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 160.1 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Driven towards the mid-on region. |
| 160.2 : D Shanaka to Kohli, Kohli drives it towards mid on for a single. |
| 160.3 : D Shanaka to Sharma, This is the 161st over in this innings and that is a real good effort in the deep from Karunaratne. Shanaka hurls it around middle and leg, Sharma looks to smash it away but gets it off the inner half of his bat. There is a misfield at mid-wicket although the player there got a hand to it. Dimuth runs to his left, puts in the slide and saves a couple for his side. |
| 160.4 : D Shanaka to Sharma, FOUR! Authoritative! A short delivery at 125kmph is never going to trouble a set batsman. Rohit hangs on his back foot and pulls it over mid-wicket for a boundary. Probably Dasun is tiring here. |
| 160.5 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Yes he is tiring indeed! Sprays this full and wide outside off, Rohit drives it through covers. There is protection in the deep and so only one run is possible. |
| 160.6 : D Shanaka to Kohli, A slower delivery at 109kmph around off. Kohli watchfully defends it. Yet gets it off the bottom as the ball kept a bit low too. |
| 161.1 : D Perera to Sharma, Played to the point region by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| 161.2 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli goes back and slaps it through cover-point and gets a brace. |
| 161.3 : D Perera to Kohli, Wristed away towards mid-wicket. |
| 161.4 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli flicks it towards fine leg and jogs to the other end for a single. |
| 161.5 : D Perera to Sharma, Flatter around off, played through point for one. |
| 161.6 : D Perera to Kohli, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. India lead by 330! |
| SURANGA LAKMAL back on. |
| 162.1 : S Lakmal to R Sharma, Lakmal bangs it short on the stumps, Rohit hangs back and pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 162.2 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Strays on the pads this time, Virat flicks it in front of square on the leg side for a single. The intent from the skipper is still evident. He always runs the first run hard in anticipation of a misfield, which will allow him to get back. |
| 162.3 : S Lakmal to Sharma, This is angled in to the batsman, he looks to flick it but misses and gets hit on the front pad. |
| 162.4 : S Lakmal to Sharma, The ball strikes the batsman very low on the pads |
| 162.5 : S Lakmal to R Sharma, FOUR! Rohit is very strong with the pull shot and this shot proves why. Lakmal bent his back to deliver this, the Indian batsman picks the length early. Stays on the back foot and hits it through backward square leg. The fielder at fine leg had to rush to his left but had no chance of stopping that. A boundary it is. |
| 162.6 : S Lakmal to Sharma, Sharma gets it off the bottom of his bat towards mid on. Has a look at his willow post that. |
| 163.1 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli brings his wrists into play and eases it down to long on for a single. |
| 163.2 : D Perera to Sharma, Driven through point to get to the other end. |
| 163.3 : D Perera to Kohli, Perera floats it fuller outside off, Kohli leans ahead and drives it square on the off side for a run. |
| 163.4 : D Perera to Sharma, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 163.5 : D Perera to Sharma, Rohit uses his feet to get to the ball and hits it aerially towards long on. The ball goes on the bounce to the fielder there. A run results. |
| 163.6 : D Perera to Kohli, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| The ball seems to have gone out of shape a bit. Understandably so, as this one is 84 overs old. A new box of cherries is brought in and the umpires select one. Wonder if the change in ball will matter for the Lankans. If the inspiration to do something doesn't come from within, wonder how much the external conditions would matter. |
| 164.1 : S Lakmal to Sharma, 1 run. |
| 164.2 : S Lakmal to Kohli, The batsman has played it to the point region. One run added to the total. |
| 164.3 : S Lakmal to R Sharma, Rohit drives it to long on for a single. |
| 164.4 : Lakmal to Kohli, Is he gone? No! Lakmal lands it on a length around off, Kohli gets beaten for pace as he looks to push at it. Gets an inside edge onto the pads and the ball rolls towards the keeper. An appeal follows but is turned down. |
| Sunil Gavaskar and Matthew Hayden, two erstwhile openers are in the commentary box and they throw light more about the role. While Hayden says that he was relieved on most occasions to not face the first ball in a game, Gavaskar was happy to do so he says. He reasons that thisn is because of the good feeling that follows after you get to score your first run then, rather that wait for your partner to give you the strike. |
| 164.5 : S Lakmal to Kohli, Kohli plays the pull-shot. They pick up a single. |
| 164.6 : S Lakmal to Sharma, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 165.1 : D Perera to Kohli, Turn! Perera floats it around middle. |
| 165.2 : D Perera to Kohli, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 165.3 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli gets to the pitch of the ball and connects. One run added to the total. |
| 165.4 : D Perera to Sharma, Rohit guides this one through point to get a single. |
| 165.5 : D Perera to Kohli, SIX! Brilliantly played! Perera tosses this around off and middle, Kohli charges down and whips it over deep mid-wicket for a maximum. The lead goes to 351 now as Kohli moves into 190s! |
| 165.6 : D Perera to Kohli, Flicks it easily through mid-wicket for a single. |
| LAHIRU GAMAGE brought back to bowl. |
| 166.1 : L Gamage to Kohli, Played to the point region by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| 166.2 : L Gamage to Sharma, The 150-run stand between these two is up. As the innings progresses, they have looked inseparable. This ball is played through point for a run. Lead is 355 now! |
| 166.3 : L Gamage to Kohli, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 166.4 : L Gamage to V Kohli, Kohli drives this to long on for one. |
| 166.5 : L Gamage to Sharma, Played to the point region by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 166.6 : L Gamage to Kohli, Kohli flicks it off his pads through square leg for a single that takes him to 198. |
| 167.1 : D Perera to Kohli, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 167.2 : D Perera to Kohli, There it is... oh no, not meant to be! Kohli works it away through backward square leg and wants the two immediately. However, Rohit puts his hand up and denies his skipper the landmark. Kohli on 199! |
| 167.3 : D Perera to Sharma, Sharma lunges forward and blocks it. |
| 167.4 : D Perera to Sharma, Rohit sweeps this one to fine leg for a single. |
| The decibel levels in the ground go up. Virat Kohli is on strike on 199! |
| 167.5 : D Perera to Kohli, There it is! Double hundred no.5 for Virat Kohli. Most by an Indian skipper and equals the mark set by Brian Lara with 5. He drives this delivery down to long on to get him the run that helps him raise his bat and helmet in acknowledgement of the applause. A wonderful innings this is, as 200s are not something that you score every other day. India lead by 361 now. |
| 167.6 : D Perera to Sharma, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. They pick up a single. |
| 168.1 : L Gamage to Sharma, The batsman defends it from within the crease. One run added to the total. |
| 168.2 : L Gamage to V Kohli, FOUR! Never satiated with runs, is he? Gets another bad delivery, doesn't let it go unpunished. Gamage hurls it full outside off, Kohli gets forward and drives it through wide mid off for a boundary. |
| 168.3 : L Gamage to Kohli, Driven through the covers by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 168.4 : L Gamage to Sharma, Rohit hits this through covers and gets a single now. |
| 168.5 : L Gamage to Kohli, Virat pushes this through covers and has enough fuel in him to get back for the couple. |
| 168.6 : L Gamage to Kohli, This delivery is pushed through point for another run that helps him retain strike. |
| 169.1 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli gets to the pitch of the ball and connects. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 169.2 : D Perera to Sharma, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 169.3 : D Perera to Kohli, Kohli flicks it off his pads. |
| 169.4 : D Perera to Kohli, FOUR! Even a lazy shot fetches Kohli a boundary, such has been the day for him today. Perera tosses it around middle and leg, Virat dashes out a lousy-looking reverse sweep. Middles that too and gets it to the third man fence. |
| 169.5 : D Perera to Kohli, OUT! Is it a tired shot? An over-ambitious shot? Over-confident? Neither, maybe it's a shot that was played more to score quickly than any of the above. Who has the wicket? Dilruwan Perera. He tosses it up around off, Virat charges down and looks to go big downtown. Ends up getting more height than distance. Thirimanne at long on has the eyes on the ball like a hawk and pouches it safely. The Indian skipper knew it as soon as he hit it that he hadn't hit it right. Walk |
| RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN walks in at no.7 for India. |
| 169.6 : D Perera to Ashwin, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 170.1 : L Gamage to Sharma, 1 run. |
| 170.2 : L Gamage to Ashwin, Ashwin tries flicking a ball that is down the leg side. |
| 170.3 : L Gamage to Ashwin, Ashwin finds the point fielder with this push. |
| 170.4 : L Gamage to Ashwin, The batsman has played it to the point region. |
| 170.5 : L Gamage to Ashwin, There have been many sagas in this looonnng Indian innings. Gamage and his right knee is one of them. After the first couple of times when he jammed it onto the ground, this time it has come in the firing line of the ball. Ashwin taps it towards mid on and sets off for a quick run. Dhananjaya the sub fielder has a shy at the bowler's end but misses and hits Lahiru's right knee. The bowler first had to avoid the batter who was running in search of a single and hence was |
| 170.6 : L Gamage to Sharma, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| 171.1 : D Perera to R Sharma, Rohit drives it towards long on for a single. |
| 171.2 : D Perera to Ashwin, Ashwin hits it straight to mid-wicket. |
| 171.3 : D Perera to Ashwin, Ashwin flicks it away with a wristy shot. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 171.4 : D Perera to Sharma, The batsman dances down the track. They pick up a single. |
| 171.5 : D Perera to Ashwin, This ball is hit towards mid-wicket from the crease. |
| 171.6 : D Perera to Ashwin, Ashwin drives it through covers for a single. |
| Drinks are on the field. Kohli and Rohit were intent on scoring quickly as the declaration looms now. Kohli got to his maiden ton before he holed out while probably the wait is for Rohit's ton. The Indian players in the dressing room are seen in their whites. Neither of Jadeja or Saha is seen padded up. Also, DASUN SHANAKA has been brought to roll his arm over. |
| 172.1 : D Shanaka to Ashwin, Angles in a length delivery on middle, Ashwin clips it towards mid on. |
| 172.2 : D Shanaka to R Ashwin, Short of a length delivery on middle, Ashwin pulls it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 172.3 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Fuller ball on the pads, Rohit works it through square leg. Runs the first one hard and sees the fielder in the deep is slowly charging and comfortably comes back for the second. |
| 172.4 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Touch overpitched on off, dug out towards cover. |
| 172.5 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Slower delivery outside off, Rohit comes down the track and then tries to dab it away. He does so but off the outer half as Shanaka gave no pace to work with. |
| 172.6 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Back of a length delivery outside off, Rohit punches it through covers for a couple of runs. |
| 173.1 : D Perera to Ashwin, Flighted delivery around off, Ashwin prods forward in defense. |
| 173.2 : D Perera to Ashwin, Darted on middle, eased down to long on for a single. |
| 173.3 : D Perera to Sharma, Floats it up outside off, Sharma taps it towards point. Looks for the single which is not on. |
| 173.4 : D Perera to Sharma, Drops it short outside off, slapped through point for a single. |
| 173.5 : D Perera to R Ashwin, OUT! Bowled 'em! Perera may have given aplenty but he has picked up his third wicket and is one short of picking up 100 wickets in Tests! Fires in a yorker at 83 kph, Ashwin tries to jam it out but it's too good for him. Gets beaten and sees the off stick pegged back. India continue to bat as they now lead by 392 runs! |
| WRIDDHIMAN SAHA walks out to bat next. |
| 173.6 : D Perera to Saha, Gets a touch forward and blocks it out gently into the ground. |
| 174.1 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Slower one outside off, Rohit comes down the track but could only drive it towards mid off for a single. |
| 0.0 : The fielders come in closer as they don't want Saha to bring Rohit on strike... |
| 174.2 : D Shanaka to W Saha, Slower delivery again outside off, Saha tries to tap and run but gets an inside edge towards square leg. Rohit wants the single and gets it. |
| 174.3 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Fuller in length outside off, a free flowing drive from Rohit but finds the cover fielder. |
| 174.4 : D Shanaka to Sharma, Sees Sharma coming down the track, Shanaka fires it full and wide outside off. The batsman reaches out and square drives it through point for a single. 600 up for India! This is the 30th time India have reached 600 and 7th vs Sri Lanka in Tests! Woah. |
| 174.5 : D Shanaka to Saha, Fullish in length and bowled outside off, driven towards the cover fielder. |
| 174.6 : D Shanaka to Saha, Fuller and angling in, Saha walks across a bit and works it straight towards short mid-wicket. |
| 175.1 : D Perera to Sharma, Loopy ball outside off, defended into the ground. |
| 175.2 : D Perera to Sharma, Slows it through the air outside off, Sharma looks to go big but is deceived in the flight, ends up getting it off the inner half back to the bowler. |
| 175.3 : D Perera to Sharma, FOUR! Bang! Perera tosses it up outside off, Sharma advances down the track and goes bang down the ground for a boundary. Moves to 96 now! |
| 175.4 : D Perera to Sharma, This one turns back in, Sharma clips it off the inner half through backward square leg and hares back for a brace. Lead is up to 400 now! |
| 175.5 : D Perera to Sharma, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. They pick up a single. |
| 175.6 : D Perera to Saha, Driven towards mid off. |
| 176.1 : D Shanaka to Sharma, 3rd Test ton for Rohit Sharma! He is a happy man! A century for him after 4 years and something he will cherish for a while now. Superbly done! Length delivery outside off, Rohit punches it through covers. It's through the gap and the fielder gives it a chase. They take three till then and the entire dressing room is up on its feet. |
| As soon as Rohit reached the three-figure mark, the signal from the dressing room comes - INDIA HAVE DECLARED FOR 610/6 AND LEAD BY 405! Fantastic batting performance from the hosts as apart from Rahul and Rahane everyone came in and scored a big one. It all started with Vijay and Pujara laying the foundation. The former had to prove himself and he did that by scoring a ton. The latter took his time and then cashed in when the bowlers were tired out. The duo stitched a mammoth 209-stand before V |
| Virat Kohli then stepped in and looked to score run quickly. Pujara departed this morning but the plot remained the same. Next was Rohit Sharma who made merry on this and offered perfect foil to his skipper. The skipper scored his 5th Test ton and broke a couple of records in the process before perishing in the quest to score more. |
| Sri Lanka, well, what do I say about them. They have been made to toil really hard and have spent over two days on the field already. They must be tried and now have to come out and bat for 10 overs. Perera took 3 wickets but he has an unwanted record under his belt - conceded 200 runs by a bowler in the calendar year! Can the openers see out this tricky period before stumps? Let's wait and find out... |
| 0.1 : I Sharma to Samarawickrama, Ishant Sharma starts off from over the wicket and hurls a length delivery a bit wide outside off, Sadeera Samarawickrama you need not play at those. He looks to drive it away from the body and nearly pays the price for the umpteenth no. of time. A good take from Saha as he dives full length to his right to collect it. |
| 0.2 : I Sharma to Samarawickrama, OUT! Castled! An error in judgement? Maybe! Ishant Sharma drops it on a length outside off and this one nips back in after pitching. Samarawickrama doesn't account for the inward movement. Tries to shoulder his arms as the ball curls back in and goes on to hit the stumps. He can't believe what just happened and slowly walks off. Smiles all around in the Indian camp. Sri Lanka 1 down with no runs on the board. |
| LAHIRU THIRIMANNE walks in next at no. 3, replacing Samarawickrama. Three slips and a gully in place... |
| 0.3 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, A bit too wide this time outside off, left alone by Thirimanne. |
| 0.4 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Length delivery on middle and off, LT covers the line and defends. |
| 0.5 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, FOUR! Sri Lanka are away! Ishant sprays one down the leg side, Lahiru moves inside the line and gets enough bat to send it across the fine leg fence for a boundary. |
| 0.6 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, FOUR! Edged and through! Back of a length delivery, angling away from the southpaw, Thirimanne looks to clip it away but gets a leading edge as the ball flies safely through the gully region for a boundary. 8 from the over and a wicket too! Perfect start for India. |
| RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN to share the new cherry from the other end. Ideal call, as two lefties are out there. |
| 1.1 : Ashwin to Karunaratne, An appeal straightaway! Floats it up from around the wicket and lands it around middle. Karunaratne comes forward to defend but gets hit on the pads. They appeal but the umpire shakes his head. Kohli and his bowler have a chat but then they decide against it. Replays show there was a thick inside edge. |
| 1.2 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Another appeal, this time for bat-pad! Not given! Loopy ball around middle and leg, Dimuth lunges forward to defend but gets it off something towards short leg. They appeal once more but Kettleborough stays put. Replays show it went off the pads. |
| 1.3 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, FOUR! Shot! Loopy delivery outside off, Karunaratne dills it through mid off and gets going. |
| 1.4 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 1.5 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, On middle and leg, driven towards mid on. |
| 1.6 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, The batsman works it down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 2.1 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Good length outside off, pushed towards cover for a single. |
| 2.2 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 2.3 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Stays behind the line and blocks it out. |
| 2.4 : I Sharma to D Karunaratne, FOUR! Fuller and coming back in a bit, Karunaratne flicks it but the bat turns in his hands. Still gets it wide of the man at mid on and picks up a boundary. |
| Short mid-wicket in place. He removes one man from the slip but why? The ball is new and edges can fly in the cordon anytime... |
| 2.5 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Fuller on the stumps, defended towards short mid-wicket. |
| 2.6 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 3.1 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Loopy delivery outside off, Thirimanne leans forward and blocks it out. |
| 3.2 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Goes back and flicks it straight to the short leg fielder. |
| 3.3 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Floats it up on a shorter length outside off, pushed off the back foot towards point. |
| 3.4 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Loops it up outside off, LT prods forward to keep it out. |
| 3.5 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Flatter one around middle, Thirimanne hangs back in defense. |
| 3.6 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Floated delivery outside off, Lahiru digs it out. |
| 4.1 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Outside off, DK shoulders his arms. |
| 4.2 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Hits the length on middle, Karunaratne stays right behind the line and defends. |
| 4.3 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 4.4 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Goes around the wicket does Ishant and serves a length delivery around the hips. Dimuth moves across a bit and clips it fine down to fine leg for a single. |
| 4.5 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Good length outside off, no shot offered. |
| 4.6 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Back of a length delivery on middle and off, Thirimanne blocks it out. |
| 5.1 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Floats it up around middle and off, blocked by coming forward. |
| 5.2 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Flattish on the stumps, Karunaratne digs it out. |
| 5.3 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, That's spun! Ashwin drops it outside off, it hits some of the cracks and turns away towards first slip. Dimuth is surprised seeing that. Rahane at first slip likes it. |
| 5.4 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Flighted delivery outside off, jammed out comfortably. |
| 5.5 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, DK has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 5.6 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Drifting in on off, defended by lunging forward. A maiden from Ashwin! |
| 6.1 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Back of a length delivery on middle, Thirimanne gets behind the line and keeps it out. |
| 6.2 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Shortish outside off, tapped towards point. |
| 6.3 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Good length delivery, close to the off stump line, defended by getting right behind the line. |
| 6.4 : I Sharma to L Thirimanne, Fuller on the stumps, driven towards the mid on fielder. |
| 6.5 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Bangs in a short delivery on middle and leg, Thirimanne quickly ducks under it. |
| 6.6 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Back of a length delivery on middle, it rises a touch as LT looks to defend it off the front foot. The ball hits the higher part of the bat. |
| 7.1 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Floated delivery outside off, Karunaratne leans forward and blocks it out. |
| 7.2 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Flatter delivery around middle and off, Dimuth goes back and defends. |
| 7.3 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Quicker one on leg, the batsman goes back to flick but the ball goes off the pads towards fine leg. A leg bye taken. |
| 7.4 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 7.5 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Floats it up around off, blocked into the ground. |
| 7.6 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Loopy delivery outside off, driven towards cover. |
| RAVINDRA JADEJA to bowl the last over of the day. Can he pick up a wicket? |
| 8.1 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Starts off from around the wicket and bowls it on middle, flicked towards short mid-wicket. |
| 8.2 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Gets forward and buries it into the ground. |
| 8.3 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Flatter one middle, defended watchfully. |
| 8.4 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Gets across and flicks it towards the leg side. |
| 8.5 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Excellent stop from Pujara! Kohli likes it too. Loopy ball outside off, Karunaratne comes down the track and drives it wide of mid on. Seemed to go to a boundary but Pujara there dives full length to his left and stops it. He was outstanding on the field in the first innings as well. |
| 8.6 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, This stays really low! Fuller and fired on off, Dimuth Karunaratne does well to keep it out but gets it off the outer half towards point. STUMPS ON DAY 3! |
| What a day for India! Their domination continues as they walk back to the dressing room with heads held high. They batted with sheer authority and denied Sri Lanka any semblance of joy for most part of the day. Pujara couldn't swell his overnight score to much but it was a day the Indian skipper ain't forgetting any sooner. He stroked a splendid double ton alongside Rohit Sharma who on his comeback, registered a ton of his own. |
| The moment Sharma reached the milestone, his side declared and took a lead of a massive 405 runs over the visitors. They came out to bowl for 9 overs and guess what? They snaffled a wicket too. Ishant Sharma got one to nip back in to send Samarawickrama back and dent the Lankans further. Ashwin bowled tight lines and it seems that a completely different surface is given to the hosts. |
| ROHIT SHARMA is up for a chat. Let's see what he has got to say. Smiles and says that his side was in a good position when he walked out to bat but the ball had started to take some turn. Adds the cherry was soft and the idea was to just rotate strike. States he was nervous as it has been roughly over 500 days he last played a Test match. Is happy that he got to bat when the team wasn't under pressure and made the most of the opportunity given to him. On being out of the side for a while, he fee |
| Right then! 2 days to go and only one team can win from here, unless Sri Lanka pull off something miraculous. They were made to toil hard for over two days and now it's up to their batsmen to save them from the blushes. They trail by a mammoth 384 and it would be interesting to see if they can put up a good fight. Considering their recent batting performances, they must already be dreading with the thought of tomorrow. They have no choice of running away from it. Join us at 0930 LOCAL TIME (0400 |
| ... DAY 4, SESSION 1 ... |
| Greetings one and all! It's the first day of the week and many regard this as the 'Monday Blues.' If this is anything to go by, Sri Lanka will be the one facing it today. Two full days to go and to bat out against a quality spin attack isn't easy by any means. Just a reminder, they are already one wicket down and the pressure lies firmly on them. Agreed, they have a few experienced batsmen in their ranks but who will put up a hand and bail them out or at least stand there and show some resistanc |
| India will be flying high at the moment. They displayed a tremendous batting show to get a lead 405 runs which just shows how impeccable this side has become over the last few years. They will be confident of taking a 1-0 lead but the question is will they be able to wrap things up today or will they get a taste of their own medicine? The wicket isn't that difficult to bat on, it's all about mental strength. The hosts would know that they need to consistently land the ball in the right areas to |
| PITCH REPORT - Sunil Gavasakar starts by saying Sri Lanka need to play for survival. Agrees that they will be low on confidence but they have to come out with a positive mindset. Opines the visitors should go for runs but at the same time need to be patient. Simon Doull adds they need not play rash shots just like they did in the first innings. Reckons this pitch has flattened out completely and the way the Indians batted is a proof of that. All the Lankans need to do is to put up a fight as the |
| Russel Arnold interviews Niroshan Dickwella. The Lankan wicketkeeper says that they are ready for today. Reckons that although they've been on the field for a couple of days, they are prepared mentally to bat out two days. States that his side is planning to take it session by session. Insists there are plans for the team as well as for individuals. Goes on to say that the batsmen can't play their normal game as they have to bat out time. About his style of play, he feels that sometimes he can g |
| The umpires make their way out to the middle, followed by the Indians. The overnight batsmen DIMUTH KARUNARATNE and LAHIRU THIRIMANNE walk out to resume the battle. The hosts begin with RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN first up this morning. Two slips and a silly point in place... |
| 9.1 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, From around the wicket, Ashwin floats it up outside off, Thirimanne leans ahead and defends it solidly back to the bowler. |
| 9.2 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Drifting in around middle and leg, Lahiru tries clipping it away but the ball goes off the pads. |
| 9.3 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Quicker one around middle and off, defended gently off the front foot. |
| Silly point moves out, short leg in place now... |
| 9.4 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Loopy ball outside off, driven towards Kohli at short cover. The Indian skipper is casual in his attempt and lets the ball through. Still they don't risk taking a single. |
| 9.5 : R Ashwin to L Thirimanne, Makes a bit of room and pushes it towards mid off. |
| 9.6 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Floats it up on the stumps, blocked watchfully. A maiden to start off with for Ashwin. |
| Pace from the other end. ISHANT SHARMA to steam in. Two slips and a gully place... |
| 10.1 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, FOUR! Not an ideal way to start the day! But Karunaratne won't mind it at all! Sharma comes from over the wicket and drops it on a length on the pads. Dimuth moves inside the line and clips it fine down the leg side for a boundary. |
| 10.2 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Back of a length delivery on middle, much better this time. Defended with a straight bat. |
| 10.3 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Slants it away on a length outside off, just a deft touch past Rahane at gully. Jadeja from backward point gives it a chase and keeps them down to a couple. |
| 10.4 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Back of a length delivery on the stumps, defended nicely off the back foot. |
| 10.5 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Dabbed towards Rahane at gully. These angled bat shots can always be dangerous especially in the morning when the ball is expected to move around. Should be careful here, Dimuth. |
| 10.6 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Touch fuller and slanted outside off, defended off the front foot towards mid off. |
| 11.1 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Quicker one around middle and leg, Thirimanne plays for the trajectory but gets an inside edge on the pads as the ball goes past the man at short leg. |
| 11.2 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Loops it up outside off, blocked off the front foot. Ashwin has dismissed Thirimanne on 12 occasions across formats. Is he his bunny? |
| 11.3 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, FOUR! Ahh... shot! Thirimanne doesn't care how many times Ashwin has dismissed him. He sees the flight this time and decides to cash in on it. Shimmies down a touch, gets to the pitch of the ball and lofts it over mid off. Nearly goes the distance. Well played! |
| 11.4 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, That's spun a long way! Nothing Thirimanne could do about it. Tossed up outside off, Lahiru lunges forward to defend but the ball turns away sharply and beats the outside edge by a whisker. |
| 11.5 : R Ashwin to L Thirimanne, Full outside off, driven towards cover. |
| 11.6 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 12.1 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Shortish length delivery on off, defended off the back foot. |
| 12.2 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Karunaratne gets across to this length delivery and keeps it out. |
| 12.3 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Fuller delivery on off, Dimuth doesn't offer any shot. |
| The commentators on air analyze about Ashwin here. They have shown clips of the wickets that he has picked in the first innings. All the 4 batters tried to play for the turn but ended up gifting their wickets to the straighter ones. Shows they played Ashwin in their minds rather than in reality. |
| 12.4 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Extra bounce from a full length for the tall lad! Karunaratne comes forward to deal with this but since Ishant hit the deck hard he got the extra bounce and it hits the shoulder of the bat. |
| 12.5 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, Edged but falls just short! This is really good bowling from Ishant! He slants it across Karunaratne, who without any foot movement tries to fiddle with it. Gets a nick but luckily for him it lands just short of Pujara at first slip. |
| 12.6 : I Sharma to Karunaratne, The batsman has nudged the ball fine down the leg side. |
| 13.1 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Flatter one outside off, pushed towards point for a quick single. |
| 13.2 : R Ashwin to Karunaratne, Good running! Fuller on middle, Karunaratne drives it towards mid on and takes Rahul on. The Indian opener is quick to the ball and has a shy at the bowler's end but misses it. A single taken. |
| 13.3 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 13.4 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Straighter one from Ashwin, Thirimanne is well forward to keep it out. |
| 13.5 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Slower through the air, landed outside off, Lahiru defends it down with soft hands. |
| 13.6 : R Ashwin to Thirimanne, Drifting it around middle and off, LT drives it past the cover-point fielder for a single. |
| 14.1 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Ishant is steaming in here! He bangs in a short ball on middle, at 141 kmph. Thirimanne wasn't expecting this as he is late in bringing his bat to the ball. Gets it off the inner half towards square leg. |
| 14.2 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Slanted outside off, left alone. |
| 14.3 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Goes around the wicket and hits it on a length on off, Thirimanne is right behind the line to defend it down. |
| 14.4 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Stands tall and opens the face of the bat to dab it towards backward point. |
| 14.5 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 14.6 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Lovely delivery and nearly gets a wicket! Length delivery on off, it holds its line as well. Thirimanne comes forward to defend but is beaten all ends up. Saha fails to collect it cleanly. |
| RAVINDRA JADEJA is brought to roll his arm over. He bowled only one over yesterday and is called early into the attack today. A slip, leg slip and bat-pad for him. |
| 15.1 : R Jadeja to Karunaratne, Fuller on middle, worked towards mid-wicket. |
| 15.2 : R Jadeja to D Karunaratne, OUT! India have struck early this morning! The bowling change has done the trick for Kohli here but credit to Vijay for being alert here. Jadeja lands it around middle, it spins back in. Karunaratne isn't to the pitch of the ball but still goes on with the clip. Gets it off the inner half and it goes straight to forward short leg who crouches and takes it. In fact, it hits him on the stomach but he manages to cling onto that one. These kind of catches are never e |
| ANGELO MATHEWS is the new man in! |
| 15.3 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Tossed up on off, pushed towards cover. |
| 15.4 : R Jadeja to Mathews, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 15.5 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Drifts one around off, Mathews is well forward and defends it down. |
| 15.6 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Wicket maiden! Mathews takes a stride forward and blocks it down. A successful first over from Jadeja. |
| 16.1 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Short and angling in on the body, turned towards mid-wicket. |
| 16.2 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Good length delivery on middle, defended down. |
| 16.3 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Outside off, on a length, left alone. |
| 16.4 : I Sharma to Thirimanne, Length delivery on middle, clipped towards Rohit at short leg who half-stops but the batsmen take a single. |
| Manjrekar on air has got something to say for Kohli here. He says he likes his captaincy. He doesn't like to attack too much, enjoys playing the waiting game. This can work at home as it guarantees him a wicket here but he needs to think something when he goes overseas. He is keen to see him how he fares about outside home... |
| 16.5 : I Sharma to Mathews, Back of a length outside off, Mathews comes forward to defend but the ball holds it line and he gets beaten. |
| 16.6 : I Sharma to Mathews, Stands back and pushes it with an angled bat towards point. |
| 17.1 : R Jadeja to Thirimanne, Flighted outside off, driven towards cover for a single. |
| 17.2 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Gets forward and kills it into the ground. |
| 17.3 : R Jadeja to Mathews, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 17.4 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Drifting in around off, blocked off the front foot. |
| 17.5 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Fuller and bowled outside off, Mathews presses forward and defends it gently into the ground. |
| 17.6 : R Jadeja to Mathews, An arm ball on middle and off, Mathews leans ahead and defends it watchfully. |
| UMESH YADAV is brought into the attack for the first time in this innings. He was the only bowler who went wicketless in the first innings for India. Can he redeem himself on his home ground? |
| 18.1 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Shortish in length on middle and leg, wristed towards short mid-wicket. |
| 18.2 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Length delivery but once again on the pads, clipped behind square on the leg side for a brace. |
| 18.3 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Length ball on off, tapped in front of cover for a quick single. |
| 18.4 : U Yadav to Mathews, Good ball! On a length and served away outside off, Mathews comes forward to defend but there is a bit of movement that gets the better of Angelo here which beats him. |
| 18.5 : U Yadav to Mathews, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 18.6 : U Yadav to Mathews, Fuller and tailing back in a touch, Mathews looks to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. He nearly falls over. No real appeal as it was going down leg. |
| 19.1 : R Jadeja to Thirimanne, Tossed up outside off, Lahiru prods forward in defense. |
| 19.2 : R Jadeja to Thirimanne, Drifting away outside off, Thirimanne gets forward to defend but gets it off the edge past Rahane at first slip. |
| 19.3 : R Jadeja to Thirimanne, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 19.4 : R Jadeja to Thirimanne, Comes down the track and drives it towards the mid on fielder. |
| 19.5 : R Jadeja to Thirimanne, Tossed up outside off, Lahiru Thirimanne leans ahead and with an open face bat guides it past Rahane at first slip. The fielder gives it a chase and does well to prevent a boundary. Three runs taken. |
| 19.6 : R Jadeja to Mathews, SIX! What a way to get off the mark! This should get him going. Tossed up outside off, Mathews gets down and fetches it from outside off. He has got so much power behind the shot that it easily sails over the long on fence for a biggie all way. |
| 20.1 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Short of a length delivery, just outside off, Thirimanne gets squared up a touch as the ball goes off the edge towards gully. |
| 20.2 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Good length on off, defended by getting across a touch. |
| 20.3 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, Fuller and aiming in on the stumps, Thirimanne brings his bat down at the angle and manages to jam it out towards mid-wicket. |
| 20.4 : U Yadav to Thirimanne, OUT! Straight to Jadeja! That's a poor shot to be honest. Umesh Yadav picks up his first wicket of the Test match. He serves a full ball, sprayed wider outside off. Thirimanne could have left that alone but for some reason he tries to go after it. Looks to drive it away from the body but ends up slicing it straight to Jadeja at backward point who accepts a dolly. There's a reason Lahiru Thirimanne has the WORST batting average amongst top 6 Lankan batsmen in Tests, m |
| DINESH CHANDIMAL steps out to bat. He was amongst runs in the first innings before throwing it away. Can he bail his side out of trouble? |
| 20.5 : U Yadav to Chandimal, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 20.6 : U Yadav to Chandimal, FOUR! Chandimal is off the mark! Fuller and curling back in on middle, Chandimal flicks it uppishly through square leg. Gets away with that one and picks up a boundary to his name. Umesh wouldn't mind this. Excellent over from the pacer. |
| 21.1 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Flighted delivery outside off, defended into the ground. |
| 21.2 : R Jadeja to Mathews, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 21.3 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Tossed up outside off, driven into the cover region. |
| 21.4 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Ripper from Jadeja! He drags his length back, bowls it on the shorter side and gets it to turn away. Mathews plays for the original line and that nearly costs him. |
| 21.5 : R Jadeja to A Mathews, Drives it straight to the mid off fielder. |
| 21.6 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Flatter and shorter in length on middle, punched back to the bowler. |
| 22.1 : U Yadav to Chandimal, FOUR! Edged but safe! Shortish of a length delivery outside off, Chandimal throws his hands at it. Gets it off the outside edge but luckily it flies safely behind square on the off side for a boundary. A streaky one. |
| 22.2 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Touch fuller on off, aiming in on off, pushed towards mid off. |
| 22.3 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Fuller in length and stays a bit low too. Dinesh pushes it towards cover and takes a single. |
| 22.4 : U Yadav to Mathews, AM defends it from within the crease. |
| 22.5 : U Yadav to Mathews, Sprayed on the pads, flicked behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 22.6 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Umesh looks for some reverse swing, goes full but it's too straight. Nudged fine down the leg side for a single. |
| 23.1 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Tossed up outside off, blocked by coming forward. |
| 23.2 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Extra bounce! Jadeja shortens his length and extracts some bounce, Chandimal initially comes forward but seeing the length he goes back. The ball hits the higher portion of the bat and dies down on the pitch. |
| 23.3 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Darted on the pads, clipped behind square on the leg side for one. |
| 23.4 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 23.5 : R Jadeja to Mathews, An arm ball on the stumps, safely kept out. |
| 23.6 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Tossed up on the pads, worked through backward square leg for a single. |
| 24.1 : U Yadav to Mathews, Shortish in length and bowled outside off, Mathews looks to glide it down to third man. He gets an edge which lands well short of Rahane at gully. |
| 24.2 : U Yadav to Mathews, Back of a length outside off, punched in the gap through cover-point for one. |
| 24.3 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Short of a length outside off, Chandimal looks to slash at it. Gets a bottom edge which rolls towards point and a single is picked up. |
| 24.4 : U Yadav to Mathews, Fuller in length, just outside off, AM keeps his willow inside the line and lets it past. |
| Yadav is hiding the ball. This is because he is getting the ball to reverse... |
| 24.5 : U Yadav to Mathews, Direct hit and Chandiaml would have been a goner! Really poor call from Mathews, this! He punches this length ball towards Rahul at cover-point and sets off. The Indian opener attacks the ball and has a shy the striker's end but misses. Replays show Chandimal would have been well short had that it. Risky! |
| 24.6 : U Yadav to Chandimal, FOUR! Umesh Yadav is bowling too straight. I understand he is searching for the reverse swing but at the same time you need to get your line right. It's on the pads, Chandimal shuffles across and flicks it through backward square leg for a boundary to end the over. |
| Drinks are on the field. What an hour it turned out to be for the Indians. They wasted no time in drawing first blood this morning. They were helped by some poor shot selections. Jadeja is getting good amount of purchase, Yadav is getting the ball to reverse and one would feel the batting will only get difficult now. What do we have in store next? Can Sri Lanka survive till lunch? |
| 25.1 : R Jadeja to Mathews, Flatter around off, Mathews stays back watchfully keeps it out. |
| 25.2 : R Jadeja to Mathews, OUT! Irresponsible shot from a senior player, says Simon Doull on-air! Pretty much sums up the scenario. Mathews and Chandimal are the experienced players in the side and everyone would look up to them to help their side to safety. But here is the former doing something he could have avoided. Jadeja tosses this outside off, invites Angelo to drive. The Lankan batsman falls into the bait and plays it aerially straight to Rohit Sharma at mid off, who gleefully accepts th |
| NIROSHAN DICKWELLA is the next man in. The young lad has too much potential to deliver but is found guilty of throwing it away at the same time. |
| 25.3 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, Dickwella looks to sweep this away but misses and gets rapped on the front pad. A stifled appeal follows but dies down on its own. The impact was well outside off. |
| 25.4 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, ND keeps it out watchfully from the crease. |
| 25.5 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 25.6 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, Floated outside off, Dickwella goes for the sweep again but misses. Wears it on the pad again to draw India's appeal. Umpire shakes his head in negation. Kohli ponders about the review but decides against it. |
| 26.1 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Ishant Sharma confronted by a rocket! Chandimal taps this length delivery in front of covers and sets off for a run. Jadeja there, gets ahead and hurls a wild throw at the bowler's end. Sharma backing up stops it cleanly but loses balance due to the force of the throw. A run results. |
| 26.2 : U Yadav to Dickwella, Dickwella gets going with a punch off the back foot through covers. |
| 26.3 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Chandimal defends this towards point. |
| 26.4 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 26.5 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Dinesh gets forward and blocks it solidly. |
| 26.6 : U Yadav to Chandimal, This ball is pushed towards covers. |
| 27.1 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, Dickwella flicks this through square leg for a single. |
| 27.2 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, There's the flatter and quicker one that Jaddu bowls. At 90 kph! Chandimal goes back and hurriedly chops it towards point. |
| 27.3 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 27.4 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Served outside off, left alone by the Lankan skipper. |
| 27.5 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Chandimal rotates strike by flicking it through mid-wicket. He is on 18 off 20 balls. Yet again he has got himself going and needn't do anything weird to get out. Sri Lanka still 333 runs behind. |
| 27.6 : R Jadeja to Dickwella, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| ISHANT SHARMA to run in with the ball now. With Jadeja striking from one end, Kohli wants to create pressure from the other end too. |
| 28.1 : I Sharma to Chandimal, This, this is what I meant a couple of balls ago. These are harmless deliveries outside off that can well be left alone. Yet Chandimal has a slash at that but misses. Wasn't far away from getting the outer edge. |
| 28.2 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 28.3 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Wow! Look at the purchase that Ishant has got here. The lanky pacer lands it on a length around off and middle, Chandimal looks to flick it away. There is some extra bounce on that which means that the ball hits him high on the back part of the bat and hits him on his right bicep. The ball rolls towards the slip cordon. Would be painful for Dinesh. |
| 28.4 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Sharma strays down the leg side but Chandimal misses the flick. The keeper dives to his left to collect that and prevent runs. |
| Fair point. As Wriddhiman Saha dived full stretch to his left, Sanjay Manjrekar on-air says that this where the diminutive keeper is better than MS Dhoni. Agreed. The latter is known more for his swift hands and clean work than for his diving and throwing-his-body-around abilities. |
| 28.5 : I Sharma to Chandimal, The batsman fails to put bat on ball. |
| 28.6 : I Sharma to Chandimal, DC defends it from within the crease. |
| Double change. RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN is brought in to bowl. Presence of a southpaw has mooted this move? Perhaps. |
| 29.1 : R Ashwin to Dickwella, Floated around off, Dickwella gets down and sweeps it through backward square leg for a run. |
| 29.2 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Chandimal defends it from within the crease. |
| 29.3 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Around off, Dinesh prods forward in defense. |
| 29.4 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Turn and bounce! Ashwin tosses this outside off, Chandimal goes back to keep it out. The ball spins in sharply to beat him all ends up on the inner side. Saha behind gets some glove to that which makes the ball go up. The close-in fielder takes it and a stifled appeal follows. This should keep the spinners interested. |
| 29.5 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Chandimal sweeps it to the man in front of square on the leg side. |
| 29.6 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 30.1 : I Sharma to Dickwella, Sharma steams in from round the wicket and serves it on a length around off. Niroshan stays in the crease and pushes it towards mid on. |
| 30.2 : I Sharma to Dickwella, Gets a run this time as he plays it through point. |
| 30.3 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Length delivery outside off, Chandimal gets it through point for a single. |
| 30.4 : I Sharma to Dickwella, Again ND finds mid on with the flick. |
| 30.5 : I Sharma to N Dickwella, OUT! Kohli fumbles but doesn't let the chance go down. Dickwella, before the start of play today, spoke of playing as per the situation. He did to a certain extent but the pitch and the delivery have got the better of him here. Ishant lands it on a length around off, the ball moves away just a bit after pitching. Dickwella had to play at that and hangs his bat out. The ball takes the edge and goes to Virat at second slip who fumbles but takes it on the second attem |
| DASUN SHANAKA makes his way out at the fall of the 5th Lankan wicket. He has had a pretty ordinary series with the bat so far. Rectification time? |
| 30.6 : I Sharma to D Shanaka, Dasun plays the pull-shot. They pick up a single. Gets off the mark with this. |
| 31.1 : R Ashwin to Shanaka, Flatter around off, Shanaka looks to play the sweep but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 31.2 : R Ashwin to Shanaka, FOUR! Well, well! Facing the spinner is tough, ehh? Shanaka doesn't think so. He uses his feet to get down and hits it over mid-wicket. There is a man back-tracking but he fails to get there. A boundary results. |
| 31.3 : R Ashwin to Shanaka, Dasun looks to turn it away with the spin but ends up getting a leading edge that lands safely towards covers. |
| 31.4 : R Ashwin to Shanaka, SIX! There goes Shanaka again. Gets the desired result too. Ashwin tosses it around off, Dasun gets to the pitch of the ball and hits it all the way over deep mid-wicket. |
| 31.5 : R Ashwin to Shanaka, DS has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 31.6 : R Ashwin to Shanaka, SIX! And another one! Same area, same result. A maximum. Floated around off, Shanaka goes big over deep mid-wicket. This time it comfortably clears the fielder station in that region. 16 runs off this one. |
| 32.1 : I Sharma to Chandimal, FOUR. |
| 32.2 : I Sharma to D Chandimal, FOUR! Edgy but Sri Lanka won't mind these. Length delivery just outside off, Chandimal gets squared up in defense. Gets an outside edge that lands short of the fielder at second slip and races away to the fence. |
| 32.3 : I Sharma to Chandimal, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 32.4 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Around off, blocked solidly. |
| 32.5 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Chandimal has attempted to put bat on ball, but fails. |
| 32.6 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. One run added to the total. |
| 33.1 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, No run. |
| 33.2 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Chandimal pushes it towards mid off and crosses over to the other end. |
| 33.3 : R Ashwin to Shanaka, OUT! This was always coming with the way Dasun Shanaka was playing. You live by the sword and die by it goes the saying and seldom is it proved wrong. Shanaka was hell-bent on attacking the spinner and pays the price for doing so on this occasion. Ashwin tosses it around off, Shanaka comes down to belt it out of Nagpur. But he ends up getting more height than distance on it. KL Rahul has his eyes on the ball as he runs back from mid on and manages to hold to that. Not |
| DILRUWAN PERERA makes his way out to the middle. |
| 33.4 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 33.5 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, FOUR! Even after watching a wicket fall in this over due to attacking, Chandimal doesn't hold back. Uses his feet to get to the pitch of the ball and hits it over mid on. The ball goes to the fence on one bounce. |
| 33.6 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Chandimal flicks it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| RAVINDRA JADEJA back into the attack. |
| 34.1 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, No run. |
| 34.2 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 34.3 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, The batsman was beaten and missed the line of the delivery. |
| 34.4 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Chandimal lunges forward and blocks. |
| 34.5 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 34.6 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, DC keeps it out by pushing it towards mid-wicket. |
| Is it no. 500 for Ashwin? Given on-field as an LBW decision but Perera, after a chat with his skipper, chooses to review the same. |
| 35.1 : R Ashwin to Perera, OUT! Yes it is wicket no 500 in international cricket for Ravichandran Ashwin! He bowls it flatter and quicker around off and middle, it just spins in a touch. Perera misses the attempted flick shot. The Indians go up in unison in appealing for LBW, which the umpire upholds after thinking. Perera isn't convinced and has a chat with Chandimal before opting for DRS. Replays show that the ball would go on to clip the leg stump. Hence the on-field call stays. The visitors |
| 0.0 : RANGANA HERATH is the next man walking in with the bat for the visitors. |
| 35.2 : R Ashwin to Herath, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 35.3 : R Ashwin to R Herath, OUT! Oh dear! Sri Lankans are going on a bit too fast for anybody's liking here. Ashwin lands it around middle and leg, Herath prods forward in defense. But the extra bounce on this one means that the ball hits his gloves and lobs to Rahane at slip. He takes it and the Indians begin to celebrate. The veteran starts to walk off. Ashwin is now one shy of 300 Test scalps. |
| SURANGA LAKMAL walks in at number 10 for Sri Lanka. |
| 35.4 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Flicked aerially through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 35.5 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Chandimal sweeps it through square leg for a brace. |
| 35.6 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 36.1 : R Jadeja to S Lakmal, No run. |
| 36.2 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 36.3 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, FOUR! That is one way to play Jadeja. Seeing this floated delivery around off, Lakmal frees his arms and lofts it over mid off for a boundary. |
| Lunch is extended by 15 minutes. If another one falls, it'll be extended by half an hour. |
| 36.4 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Lunges forward and buries it onto the ground. |
| 36.5 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Lakmal has punched the ball off the backfoot. The batsmen have picked up a couple of runs. |
| 36.6 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Turned through mid-wicket for a run. Ashwin won't mind this as he will bowl to Suranga in the next over. |
| 37.1 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Outside off, eased through covers for a brace. |
| 37.2 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Flatter outside off, Lakmal goes back to block but gets it off the outer half past slip for a run. |
| 37.3 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Dinesh lunges forward and blocks it watchfully. |
| 37.4 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. Good running between the wickets to pick up three runs. |
| 37.5 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Lakmal hits it in the air towards deep mid-wicket. One run is all he gets. |
| 37.6 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Before this delivery, Kohli and Ashwin had a chat about something. Not sure what it was about but Ashwin bowls a leg break here. Ends up being a full toss that is hit back towards the bowler. |
| 38.1 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Around off and middle, turned towards mid-wicket. |
| 38.2 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, Arm ball around off, defended from the crease. |
| 38.3 : R Jadeja to Lakmal, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 38.4 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Lakmal keeps it out with a straight bat. |
| 38.5 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, Lakmal goes back and punches it through cover-point. Pujara chases it down and fumbles a bit as he tries to retrieve the ball. Results in a brace. |
| 38.6 : R Jadeja to Chandimal, FOUR! Loopy delivery on the stumps, Lakmal comes down the track and hits it over mid on. Ishant Sharma runs backward but has no chance of getting to it and stopping the boundary. |
| 39.1 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Flatter around off, Lakmal goes back to block. |
| 39.2 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, The batsman gets to the pitch of the ball and connects. They pick up a single. |
| 39.3 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Dinesh lunges forward and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 39.4 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Around off, pushed towards point. |
| 39.5 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 39.6 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, FOUR! Chandimal takes the spinner on and connects. This is a leg break from Ashwin, not sure Chandimal picked it up. Gets down and plays the slog sweep with what he supposes is with the spin. Gets a top edge that lands just short of going the distance. Gets a boundary that takes him to 49! |
| ISHANT SHARMA back on. |
| 40.1 : I Sharma to Lakmal, On a length around off, Lakmal stays in the crease and blocks it. |
| 40.2 : Sharma to Lakmal, Dropped! Play has been extended by 15 minutes for India to pick wickets and wrap the match up. The chance comes around and goes abegging now. Fuller delivery around middle, Lakmal expecting a short one hangs on the back foot. Ends up pushing it back to the bowler. The tall pacer gets down well but fails to cling on. Falls flat on the ground in disappointment. |
| 40.3 : I Sharma to Lakmal, FOUR! Forget about all the live-by-the-sword sayings for a while. Lakmal's having fun wielding his willow. Ishant angles it into the batsman on a length. Lakmal looks to flick it but gets a leading edge. The ball flies over covers and rolls away to the fence. |
| 40.4 : I Sharma to Lakmal, Back of a length outside off, hit through cover for a single. |
| Cheeky Russel Arnold! After that dropped catch, he wonders what hampered Ishant there. Adds that now the tall lanky pacer doesn't have his long manes that come in the way to block his vision. |
| 40.5 : I Sharma to Chandimal, FOUR! Dinesh Chandimal gets to his 15th Test fifty! On a length outside off, he guides it past backward point by opening the face of the bat to get to the mark. Twin fifties for him in this game but it's a little too late. He now holds the record of becoming the third Lankan captain to score two fifty-plus scores in the same Test against India. |
| 40.6 : I Sharma to Chandimal, Chandimal negotiates the last ball before LUNCH, DAY 4, by blocking it from the crease. |
| Sri Lanka on the cusp of getting bowled out but just hang on to enjoy a delicious meal! It is a sorry state for them as they failed to negotiate even a session of play when the talk was about batting out a couple of days. That's what surprises most of the cricketing world. Perennially, Sri Lanka are known to be fighters in international cricket but seeing them go down in a whimper is appalling to save the words. |
| Losing seven wickets in a 135-minute play is a crime when the track is not really harsh on the batsmen. In tough situations, the experienced players need to stand up and bail the team out but today Mathews and Thirimanne were guilty of just throwing their wickets away. That gave India an opportunity to make inroads and they ended up making hay while the sun shone brightly in Nagpur. Only Chandimal has shown resistance with a fighting-yet-not-so-useful half century. |
| At home, India have an impression of grabbing a hand when you offer them a finger. And lo, the visitors did just that! All the bowlers took up the chance to get among the wickets to peg the Lankans back. Ashwin and Jadeja have struck without even looking as menacing as they could be. Umesh Yadav helped himself to his first scalp on his home ground while Ishant was rewarded for bowing in right areas. He could have got another had he managed to hang on the return catch of Lakmal. But the sport isn |
| Dinesh Chandimal is amidst an attacking 38-run stand with Suranga Lakmal who seems to be enjoying his time in the middle. For once, he'd imagine, he doesn't have to run in. Just stand and swish the wooden apparel in the hand and have fun - that's what he is up to. This pair is just delaying the inevitable at the moment. See you all at 1226 local time for what could be the last session or even the last hour of the game. |
| ... DAY 4, SESSION 2 ... |
| Welcome back for the session which might in all likelihood can give us the result. India are just 2 wickets away to go 1-0 up in the series. How long can the current pair of CHANDIMAL and LAKMAL delay the defeat? RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN to being with the ball. He is one short of 300 Test wickets. Let's see if he can get to the landmark. A slip, leg slip and a short leg in place... |
| 41.1 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Good stop from the suvbstitue fielder! Floated delivery outside off, Lakmal reaches out and drives it off the outer half behind point. Vijay Shankar the man there dives to his left and makes sure Lakmal remains on strike. |
| 41.2 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Flatter one outside off, the batsman defends by lunging forward. |
| 41.3 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, This one turns in a bit, Lakmal tries to turn it away but gets it off the leading edge towards the off side. |
| 41.4 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Vijay Shankar wants to enjoy himself on the field! Superbly fielding effort from the young man. A bit short and outside off, slapped through the left of the backward point fielder. The sub fielder hares after it, slides to flick the ball back in play. Two taken. |
| 41.5 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 41.6 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Floated delivery around off, Lakmal prods forward in defense. |
| UMESH YADAV to bowl from the other end! |
| 42.1 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Bowls this fuller ball at 129 clicks, driven towards mid off. |
| 42.2 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Back of a length delivery on middle, blocked solidly off the back foot. |
| 42.3 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Good length ball, coming back in, Chandimal looks to work it away but squirts it off the inside edge towards short mid-wicket. |
| 42.4 : U Yadav to Chandimal, FOUR! Inside edge and through. This one comes back in again and stays a touch low too. Chandimal just puts bat on ball and gets an inside edge which evades the leg pole and races down to the fine leg fence for a boundary. |
| 42.5 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Fuller and tailing back in, Chandimal flicks it through mid-wicket for one. |
| 42.6 : U Yadav to Lakmal, Stays back and keeps it out off the front foot gently. |
| 43.1 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Loopy delivery outside off, Chandimal defends it down. |
| 43.2 : R Ashwin to Chandimal, Loops it up on the stumps, Dinesh comes down the track and nudges it wide of mid on for one. |
| 43.3 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Flatter delivery on middle, the batsman hangs back in defense. |
| 43.4 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, SIX! Down and track and Lakmal goes bang! That's a quality shot and looks so good to watch. Brings up the 50-run stand off just 49 balls. Ashwin gives it truck loaded with flight, Lakmal dances down the track and bashes it powerfully over the bowler's head to collect a maximum to his name. |
| 43.5 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Gets forward and defends it with his bat and pad close to short leg. |
| 43.6 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, The carrom ball from Ash! This one lands on off and spins away to beat the outside edge of Suranga's bat. |
| 44.1 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Good length delivery with a tinge of reverse on it, the Lankan skipper keeps it out safely. |
| 44.2 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Fuller in length and curling back in just a touch, Chandimal works it uppishly past the man at short leg. Rohit Sharma is stationed there but it goes wide of him. Pujara in the deep does the mop up work to prevent a boundary. A couple taken. |
| 44.3 : U Yadav to Chandimal, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 44.4 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Chandimal flicks this one towards the leg side. |
| 44.5 : U Yadav to Chandimal, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| Harsh Bhogle on-air has got something to say. While all the talks have been about the men who have made comebacks, Harsha says Ishant Sharma has impressed one and all. He agrees he has done the job for his side in the past but then after being in the top drawer, he doesn't take time to drop back. Now that he has gotten into the groove, he needs to do that on a consistent basis to cement his place in the side... |
| 44.6 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Fuller in length and angling in, clipped towards the leg side. |
| 45.1 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Around middle, turning in, defended off the front foot. |
| 0.0 : Review time! There is a caught behind appeal against Lakmal which is referred upstairs by Kohli. Ashwin says he has heard something and his skipper wastes no time in taking the DRS. Seems like Lakmal is safe. Let's wait and watch... |
| 45.2 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, NOT OUT! Nothing on the Ultra Edge! India waste a review! Ashwin slides one down leg, Lakmal leans across to clip it away but it goes towards Saha who takes it by stretching both his hands to his left. Ashwin appeals but Saha stays put. The bowler says he has heard something and that prompts Kohli to use the DRS. The front foot is fine. Ultra Edge then shows there's no bat involved. |
| 45.3 : R Ashwin to S Lakmal, Clears the front leg to whip it across the line but gets it off the inside edge through the gap at square leg for a couple. |
| 45.4 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Fuller in length on the stumps, driven towards the bowler. |
| 45.5 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, The batsman gets a leading edge on that one. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 45.6 : R Ashwin to D Chandimal, Driven hard but finds the man at mid on. |
| 46.1 : U Yadav to Lakmal, Leg bye! Spears it on the pads, Lakmal misses the clip and it goes off the pads towards the leg side. A leg bye taken. |
| 46.2 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Good length delivery on middle and off, defended off the back foot. |
| 46.3 : U Yadav to Chandimal, Back of a length on middle, turned towards mid-wicket. |
| 46.4 : U Yadav to Chandimal, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 46.5 : U Yadav to Chandimal, OUT! In the air... gone! It's wicket no. 99 in Tests for the local lad. Chandimal walks back in dismay. Yadav drops it on a length but the line is on the leg stump. The Lankan skipper flicks it aerially but finds Ashwin stationed at fine leg who accepts a simple catch. India just a wicket away from a win here. |
| LAHIRU GAMAGE is the last man in! |
| 46.6 : U Yadav to Gamage, Right into the blockhole. Spears in a yorker on the stumps, Gamage is able to dug it out. |
| 47.1 : R Ashwin to Lakmal, Full outside off, driven down to long off for a single. |
| 47.2 : R Ashwin to Gamage, Carrom ball around middle, Gamage defends it down. |
| 47.3 : R Ashwin to Gamage, Tossed up delivery outside off, Gamage first looks to leave but then tries to cut it away. In the end, gets beaten. |
| 47.4 : R Ashwin to Gamage, Around middle and leg, worked towards the man at leg gully. |
| 47.5 : R Ashwin to Gamage, Just short of short leg! Floats it up around middle, Gamage looks to block it off the front foot but the ball hits the higher part of the bat and falls short of the man at FSL. |
| 47.6 : R Ashwin to Gamage, Once again the edge doesn't carry and it falls short of the man at short leg. |
| 48.1 : U Yadav to Lakmal, Fuller in length and swinging back in on the pads, Lakmal is beaten for pace and wears it on the pads. |
| 48.2 : U Yadav to Lakmal, Shortish on middle and off, the ball seems to have skidded off the pitch. SL looks to pull but the ball sneaks under his bat and goes to the keeper. |
| 48.3 : U Yadav to Lakmal, Sprayed miles down the leg side, poor Saha dives full stretch to his left to stop it from running away from the fence. |
| 48.4 : U Yadav to Lakmal, That just missed the off stump! Back of a length, tailing back in, Lakmal looks to cut but this comes back in and sneaks under his bat. This time it wasn't far away from kissing the off stump. |
| 48.5 : U Yadav to Lakmal, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 48.6 : U Yadav to Lakmal, Shortish and outside off, Lakmal once again looks to cut but misses it. |
| 49.1 : R Ashwin to Gamage, The carrom ball around middle and leg, LG looks to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 49.2 : R Ashwin to Gamage, Tossed up on off, blocked by coming forward. |
| Oh wait! What just happened? Ashwin beats Gamage's defense, the bail has come off. The umpire isn't sure and hence it has been referred upstairs... |
| 49.3 : Ashwin to Gamage, OUT! Gamage is bowled! Another feather in Ashwin's gap - 300th Test wicket for him and he becomes the quickest to do so. He bowls a carrom ball, lands it around off. Gamage comes forward to defend but the ball grips and turns away and the bails are seen coming off. The umpire, Richard Kettleborough isn't sure what has happened there and hence takes it upstairs. The Indians are seen shaking hands, meanwhile. Replays show, the ball disturbs the off stick and then settles in |
| India have dominated Sri Lanka completely to take a 1-0 lead in the series. They were put under the pump in Kolkata but it was completely a different scenario that we got to witness in this one. Kohli lost an important toss but his side did everything right from thereon. You don't expect a team to be bundled out for a paltry 205 on day 1 of a Test match, do you? The Indian bowlers did that without their two strike bowlers (Shami and Kumar). Ishant Sharma on his comeback, took three while the rem |
| If not full, Sri Lanka lost half of the game there and then. The Indian batsmen decided to bat once but bat big. Apart from Rahul and Rahane, rest everyone made the most of a good batting surface. It all started with Murali Vijay (128), then Cheteshwar Pujara (143), went on to Virat Kohli (213) and it ended when Rohit Sharma helped himself to an unbeaten ton. All of them batted with sheer authority and dictated terms to the Lankan bowlers. Finally the declaration came when Kohli felt a lead of 4 |
| Two full days of play were remaining and result was surety. Sri Lanka had a monumental task set ahead of them and it was disheartening to see them going down without putting up a fight. None of the batsmen apart from their skipper Chandimal (who tried his best in the first innings too) showed any resistance. Most were guilty of playing reckless shots and that didn't help their cause. Suranga Lakmal threw is bat around and stringed a breezy 58-run stand with skipper but to be honest, it was just |
| Once again it was Ishant Sharma who set the tone up while Jadeja and Ashwin spun the web viciously to leave the batsmen puzzled. Umesh Yadav too saw his name in the wicket section and overall it was a complete team effort from the hosts. India have now EQUALLED THEIR BIGGEST TEST VICTORY. Sanjay Manjrekar catches up with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishant Sharma on the sidelines... |
| Here's what Ashwin has to say. After the applause dies down, the latter says that it was a tad funny at the start of today as some deliveries spun while the others didn't. Credits Ravindra Jadeja and Ishant Sharma for bowling well and giving the early breakthrough. He opines that angles and heights of release of the ball matter on such tracks and that both the spinners bowled ideal speeds. On being the quickest to get to 300 Test wickets, he says that the present players are blessed more than th |
| Next up is Ishant Sharma. He reckons that since he wasn't among the wickets and the way Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were playing, they deserved to play ahead of him. In such tracks it is about varying the lengths, he opines. He feels good to be among the wickets now. Thanks Basu, the fitness trainer, for pushing everybody harder in terms of fitness levels and also mentions that the skipper leads from the front in this aspect. With healthy competition in the side for the sea |
| It's time for the presentation. Let's hear what the skipper's have got to say. |
| Sri Lanka captain, DINESH CHANDIMAL says it was a good toss to win but admits they were outplayed completely by the Indians. Reckons India is a tough team to beat and that they were really poor with their shot selections. Adds they had certain plans in minds but rues that every batter just threw it away after getting a start. Informs Angelo Mathews is the senior player in the side and when he falls early, the rest fail to carry on. Hopes that Mathews will come back into the groove sooner for th |
| Indian skipper, VIRAT KOHLI is delighted with the win. Starts by crediting the pitch which was a good one to bat on. Now credits the bowlers for doing the job when there wasn't much purchase on day 1. On previously failing to get daddy tons, he says he wanted to better himself and is happy to get going now. Gives a special mention to fitness with a mix of other factors too. Thinks the ton is counted when you convert it into a big one. On Pujara and Vijay, he states that the former is very consis |
| Right then! That's all we have for you from this game. After a thrilling day 5 finish in Kolkata, this wasn't something we would have liked. Let's hope we don't get to witness another lopsided affair when these two meet next for the third and final Test in Delhi. Will Sri Lanka pull a rabbit out of the hat or will the plot remain the same? Join us at 0930 LOCAL (0400 GMT) to catch all the action. Till then, goodbye and take care. Cheers! |
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