India vs Sri Lanka: India and Sri Lanka battle it out on Day 2 of the third and final Test in Colombo. (Source: AP)
Sri Lanka gave almost nothing away and also removed Virat Kohli early into Day 2 as India struggled to score runs in Colombo. Dhammika Prasad swung the ball early on and later Mathews took charge as Indian batters were pushed onto the defensive. Cheteshwar Pujara hung in to score his 7th Test ton as wickets kept on falling around the Saurashtra batsman. Later on he alongside Amit Mishra added more than 100 runs for the 8th wicket to bail India out. Catch the updates and score of the match HERE.
Cricket Scorecard: India vs Sri Lanka
As it happened…
1657 hrs IST: Surprise for everyone, covers were being removed and in comes the decision of close of play. So an early Stumps yet again on Day 2.
1648 hrs IST: Yes the covers are back onto the field, it’s raining.
1644 hrs IST: And it’s all praise as far as Twitter is concerned. Listen to what the former India spinner had to say.
8 min read
Am really glad fr Pujara-he ought 2’ve whipped out many a doubt frm his own as well some of the others!!All fr Gud of Indn Crkt!Weldone TP!!
— Bishan Bedi (@BishanBedi) August 29, 2015
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1632 hrs IST: WICKET! And that will be it, Mishra looking to come down the ground but was stumped by Kaushal Silva off Herath.
Mishra always seemed capable of scoring an own goal, if you’ve seen him play football during warm-ups #SLvIND #INDvsSL @IExpressSports
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) August 29, 2015
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1624 hrs IST: That’s the 100 run partnership between Pujara and Mishra. They have bailed India out here
1611 hrs IST: That’s FIFTY for Mishra. Gritty knock by the leggie. Came in at a difficult position and steered his team out alongside Pujara.
1606 hrs IST: Poor fielding by Nuwan Pradeep at deep fine leg, drops a sitter. Pujara had no control on that shot!
1556 hrs IST: That’s 250 for India. They have come a long way. They were 119/5 at one stage!
1532 hrs IST: Amit Mishra’s boundary brings up 50 run partnership alongside Pujara for the 8th wicket
Comebacks are always tougher than debuts…add to that a difficult pitch & batting in an unfamiliar position. Pujara, you’re a star 👏👍🙏
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) August 29, 2015
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1529 hrs IST: Players are back into the field and second new ball is taken right away.
Guess this hundred sort of guarantees Pujara’s place for the second innings! #SLvIND
— Gautam Bhimani (@gbhimani) August 29, 2015
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1459 hrs IST: And that’s TEA! Pujara have bailed things out with a solid knock.
1450 hrs IST: Yes! That’s it. Hundred for Chteshwar Pujara. He just hung in there and deserved this feat.
1430 hrs IST: Cheteshwar Pujara seems to have an able ally in Amit Mishra. He is playing proper shots.
1417 hrs IST: And with that cut, Pujara enters the nervous nineties!
1408 hrs IST: WICKET! And with that, Dhammika Prasad gets his fifth wicket of the match. Superb display of seam bowling by the seamer.
1348 hrs IST: WICKET! Reckless shot by Naman Ojha, survived the initial path and then threw it away. Kaushal is the man who chips in with a wicket
1322 hrs IST: That’s a boundary and India bring up their 150.
1301 hrs IST: Edge but no man there, Naman Ojha seems to have the luck on his side on debut for Indian team, gets a boundary.
Next time India tour SL could well be the first since 1993 where a Prasad (Venkatesh/Dhammika) won’t be taking the new-ball #SLvIND #INDvsSL
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) August 29, 2015
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1242 hrs IST: WICKET! Stuart Binny trapped in front for first ball duck! Dhammika Prasad strikes yet again.
Patience is still a virtue and Pujara has that in abundance. #SLvIND
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) August 29, 2015
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1201 hrs IST: WICKET! Rohit Sharma is gone, he edged Dhammika Prasad and throws it away yet again after a good start and that’s LUNCH!
1149 hrs IST: Pujara pulls and gets to his 7th Test fifty, badly needed that the Saurashtra batsman.
1135 hrs IST: Tharindu Kaushal slapped for back-to-back boundaries.
1134 hrs IST: Tharindu Kuashal is greeted with a fine boundary by Cheteshwar Pujara.
1103 hrs IST: SIX! Rohit Sharma comes down the wicket and slams Herath
For once the ground-staff in SL get it wrong. Were ready holding the covers some 15 minutes ago. Rain never came, only the sun #SLvIND
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) August 29, 2015
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1055 hrs IST: Herath giving the ball a lot more air, drifting it into the right-hander.
1043 hrs IST: Another maiden over, Pujara taking his time.
1037 hrs IST: Outstanding bowling by the home team. 11 overs bowled and just 15 runs coming off it.
1034 hrs IST: Rohit Sharma off the mark.
If it’s not Anderson, it’s Angelo #indvsl
— Gaurav Sethi (@BoredCricket) August 29, 2015
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1025 hrs IST: WICKET! Virat Kohli poking outside off stump and he is gone. How many times have we seen this?
1021 hrs IST: Sri Lanka now introducing Rangana Herath into the attack.
1007 hrs IST: Finally Cheteshwar Pujara is looking to get into the mold, plays a cover drive and then clips this one off his hips.
0959 hrs IST: Pujara unhappy with the sight-screen. He is struggling.
On a pitch like this the most imp shot is the ‘leave alone’. But then how many batsmen practice that in preparation? #INDvSL
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) August 29, 2015
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0957 hrs IST: FOUR! That’s a boundary, Kohli pushing at it and finds the cover boundary.
0956 hrs IST: Good bowling by Dhammika Prasad, bowling an out swinger and then followed it up with a straighter one.
0953 hrs IST: Cheteshwar Pujara struggling with the early movement off the pitch.
0947 hrs IST: An eventful over by Dhammika Prasad, two close shouts but on both occasions Virat Kohli survives.
ball by ball commentary
Stay connected with the social buzz: #IndvsSL
Day 1 Recap
Day 1: Downpour after run trickle
India vs Sri Lanka: No play was possible after rain forced players off the field in the morning session. (Source: AP)
Rows of men spread around the vast SSC outfield on Friday, manually manoeuvring the collected rainwater off the covers so as to ensure there is no spillage. From the top it was almost like watching a swarm of bees going about their business with precision and impeccable enterprise.
Life around the bend in Sri Lanka
India vs Sri Lanka: Tharindu Kaushal could well be Sri Lanka’s poster boy for the ‘clean action’ movement that has gripped its cricket at all levels.
If Muttiah Muralitharan was a young upcoming spinner coming through the ranks in Sri Lanka today, there’s a good chance he might have never even made it to international cricket. For long the island has been renowned for producing spinners that have both charmed and mesmerised the cricket world. At the same time, these spinners have also routinely come under extreme scrutiny with regards to the legitimacy of their bowling actions.
Playing fast bowling is Cheteshwar Pujara’s strength: Sanjay Bangar
India vs Sri Lanka: Cheteshwar Pujara made his way back into the Indian team after playing his last Test in December 2014 in Melbourne. (Source: PTI)
India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar on Friday lauded his batsmen for adapting quickly to team’s requirements by coming out to bat at any position they are asked to.
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