India primed for victory

India set themselves up for a victorious start to the series after extending their lead to a massive 498 runs on an extended Friday’s middle day. 

After restricting Sri Lanka, overnight 154/5, to 291 all out in 78.3 overs which gave them a huge 309-run lead, India finished the day’s proceedings at 189/3 after deciding to bat again though they had the chance to enforce follow-on.

First-innings centurions Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara fell cheaply in India’s second dig but Abhinav Mukund (81, 203m, 117b, 8x4) and Virat Kohli (76 batting, 130m, 114b, 5x4), who had failed to kick on in the first hit, compiled half-century apiece that helped them maintain the tight leash over the hosts.

With the pitch looking good for batting even on the third day, it was a sensible decision by India to add more runs and bat the hosts completely out of the match.

With Kohli on the cusp of a century, it remains to be seen if the skipper declares the innings closed first thing up on Saturday morning or allows himself time to complete his personal feat. While there are still two days’ play left in the match, India will have to be mindful of the timing of their declaration keeping the rain in mind. On Friday, an hour’s extension largely made up for the loss of one hour and 24 minutes of play following sharp showers in the second half of the post-lunch session and the fourth day’s is slated to start 15 minutes earlier at 9.45 am.

Lanka began well in the morning with Angelo Mathews (83, 158m, 130b, 11x4, 1x6) and Dilruwan Perera (92, 145m, 132b, 10x4, 4x6) moving along smoothly. The two didn’t allow the situation to get the better of them and batted with positive mindset. They didn’t let go of any scoring opportunity and managed to find some gaps to keep the scoreboard ticking. The duo raised a half-century stand in fairly quick time and held a glimmer of hope for the thinly-attended home crowd. Against the run of play, however, Mathews picked up Kohli at cover off Jadeja and that practically killed any faint hopes of Lanka posting a big total. Having survived an LBW review by India on the second day, the former skipper looked well set for a three-figure score before his innings was cut short.

Dilruwan, whose highest score in Tests has been 95 on his debut against Pakistan in Sharjah, then batted with freedom perhaps aware that there was not much batting to follow with Asela Gunaratne’s injury on the opening day having reduced their unit to 10 players. The off-spinning all-rounder, a giant in Lankan domestic circuit with as many as 661 first-class wickets to his credit, showcased his batting abilities picking up boundaries at will on a pitch that has remained batsmen’s ally. With Rangana Herath and Nuwan Pradeep, who added 36 and 39 runs respectively for the sixth and seventh wickets, displaying their staying powers, Dilruwan took the Indian bowling head-on and made substantial gains.

In another injury scare for Lanka, Herath hurt his left middle finger while attempting to stop a Kohli shot. While x-rays have revealed no fracture, it remains to be seen how effective he will be with the bat. After Mathews’ dismissal, the 35-year-old clobbered 62 off 61 balls to help Lanka inch closer to 300 runs. He was particularly severe against the spin duo of R Ashwin (1/84) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/67), who conceded six fours and four sixes between them to the batsman. A maiden century beckoned Dilruwan but last-man Lahiru Kumara was cleaned up by Jadeja to leave him stranded in the middle.

With the pitch expected to suffer wear and tear in the last two days, India will hope their spinners – Jadeja and R Ashwin – come to the party.