IND vs SL: Manav Suthar in action.Sri Lanka has managed to dish out a gritty draw against India in the second of the two-match Test series in Colombo on Thursday. Sonal Dinusha’s determined century saved the day for the hosts. Although India managed to pick up six wickets yesterday could only get three today.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 290 in response to India’s 503, which came on the back of centuries from Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel. India imposed follow on and in response Sri Lanka managed to bat for 154 overs to pull off an unlikely draw.
Prasidh Krishna and Manav Suthar have been the pick of the bowlers for India, picking four wickets and six wickets respectively in the game.
SCROLL BELOW FOR OF INDIA VS SRI LANKA 2nd TEST, DAY 5 UPDATES FROM COLOMBO
Well, that's the end of the day's play; it is a draw in the end. Kudos to Sonal Dinusha yesterday evening when Sri Lanka were six down, but they batted well today here and have only lost three wickets through the day. Indian bowlers did give it their all but could not create enough chances. Well, that's it from us folks for this game. Do join us for the next India series.
Well, in hindsight, the bowling that both Gill and Jaiswal are now doing could have been tried earlier just to see if there would be a lapse in concentration. During the MCG Test in 2024, BGT Pat Cummins threw the ball to Travis Head and Rishabh Pant, who was batting so well, and played a rash pull shot which intrigued a collapse, so Gill could have tried something like this.
Well, Shubman Gill has come into attack and bowled his offies, so that gives us a fair idea of what India thinks of this game. If Sri Lanka declare after three more overs, it will give a chance for umpires to ask both captains if they are willing to play for a draw, as the two overs would be technically cut off for the innings change.
Well, despite that wicket, Sri Lanka continues to toil hard; it has been Sonal Dinusha's day and continues to be. He keeps batting on and on and looks like a talent who is going to serve Sri Lanka well for a long period of time if maintained and guided well. India had a brief hope of batting again after Kumara's wicket, but they are back to the grind again.
Lahiru Kumara has fallen after his marathon innings he tried to defend the ball and got caught at silly point it is a soft dismissal after playing so fell but he did the job though for the best of his abilities and with that wicket India still have an outside chance of winning this game if they pick up the wicket here they will have about 22-23 overs if they do it quickly.
Well, if we look back at the positives in the series for India, it has to be Manav Suthar and Prasidh Krishna with the ball; both have been pretty impressive. Krishna, in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, has been trouble quite a lot with his pace and bounce. And with the bat, there is one huge tick mark in this series for India, with Devdutt Padikkal making the number three slot his own.
Well, it now is starting to feel like the Indians too have given up on pushing for a result here. While one thing Sri Lanka could have done, just to make things interesting, is that after the century from Sonal Dinusha, they could have declared and dangled that carrot to India, but it seems like this time they will be more than happy with a draw.
Well, given the way Sri Lanka are playing and the session we are in, this game is heading towards a draw. It is about another 40 minutes or so before the umpires check with the captains about the draw, which is fair to say both teams might agree to. Maybe if India could have got to bat at the start of this session, there might have been a chance, but with another 25 minutes gone by, it is hard to see how there can be another result in this game.
What resilience this has been from Sonal Dinusha; he has shown a lot more grit in this innings compared to his previous knocks. He is clearly struggling with some sort of injury, but he has managed to stay in the middle. His concentration has been quite superb, and his ability to bat with the tail has been even better.
Final session, folks: one result which has a high probability is a draw; other than that, it does seem like this has gone out of the hands of the Indians. As we update, Sonal Dinusha has completed his third century of the series; take this young man, it has been an innings of the highest quality from him.
Well, we have reached the Tea break here in Colombo. Sonal Dinusha is stuck on 98; he has been the difference between Sri Lanka getting thrashed and saving their blushes in this series. And again today, he has done everything he could to put Sri Lanka in a position where they can draw this game now. From an Indian perspective, it has been hard work. Do stay with us; we will be right back after a short break.
Sri Lanka continues to refuse to accept India's win here. Lahiru Kumara has been quite superb. Sonal Dinusha seems to be struggling with his back, and he has given the strike to Lahiru on the first or second ball of the over, after which Kumara has managed to keep the ball away and keep his wicket. If anything, it does seem like Sonal is the batter who might get out rather than Dinusha.
The resistance continues from Sri Lanka. Prasidh Krishna has come back into the attack and has more attacking field to Lahiru Kumara, but he has looked comfortable in the middle. He has looked solid in his defence, and anything he has had to face he has left quite comfortably. It increasingly feels like this game is now heading towards a draw.
Well, more concerning news for India: Ravindra Jadeja, in the middle of the over here, has decided to walk back seems like he has some discomfort in his heel. He has been the best bowler, or rather the one who looked like is going to pick wickets. One thing Shubman Gill can try is to see if some of his part-timers, the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal or Devdutt Padikkal, can have some luck if they are given the chance to bowl.
Sonal Dinusha continues on his merry way here. He has been sweeping quite superbly here. Every other delivery, he is finding that sweep shot for a single and, if possible, a boundary. It has been the undoing of the Indian spinners for a while with England's Ben Duckett and New Zealand's Tom Lathan doing it, and Dinusha has played it quite brilliantly here yet again through the series, frustrating the Indian spinners.
Lahiru Kumara has managed to play 24 deliveries, which is another four overs taken away from the day's play, and he has looked solid. There were a few shots earlier on, but now Sri Lanka has completely shut shop and is playing for a draw. Even the likes of Sonal Dinusha, who did play a few shots early on, have now been extra careful.
Shubman Gill has turned to Saransh Jain here with two left-handers in the middle he is the one who managed to pick up the wickets of Kumara and Sonal in the first innings, but the situation was different. Here, at this time, the only thing Sri Lanka is looking to do is take the time out of this game.
Lahiru Kumara has walked into the middle; he has batted 52 deliveries in the first innings. If he manages to pull off something similar in this game, this game will be close to a draw. India have to believe they can bundle out Sri Lanka in this session, and they can come back and give their all as long as the weather permits, to chase the score.
Well, the frustration continues for the Indian side. Keshara Nuwantha's wicket did give some hope at the start of the session, and we are almost at the hour mark in this noon session, and the batters have looked untroubled yet again. Well, we sort of jinxed it for the Sri Lankan batters as we update: Prabath Jayasuriya drove one against Ravindra Jadeja and has departed.
Prabath Jayasuriya has faced over 20 deliveries here in the middle. The good thing he is doing is playing within the stumps and not playing anything outside the line of the stumps, which makes it very hard for the Indian bowlers, as this surface has never helped bowlers as much; it has beaten the batters in their defence.
Manav Suthar is trying everything here. He is coming across from over the wicket to around and vice versa, but there has been no success, to be fair; he has been the bowler in this session who has looked the most threatening. Ravindra Jadeja has come into the attack from the other end, which seems like a right move as well.
The Indian spinners keep probing away here against Prabath Jayasuriya and Sonal Dinusha. The ball is doing a lot more than it did in the morning session from both ends; there is a sharp turn which is happening, and it is much closer to the batter's defence, which is what matters. Regardless, it does seem like Sri Lanka have made up their mind to play for a draw here.
It is interesting how often Shubman Gill has opted not to have a slip in this innings, especially for Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj. While it is clear that he is looking to get him out through the short ball, it is also important to have a slip in place just to have a doubt in the batter's mind; a fuller one is always around the corner as a counter.
Keshara Nuwantha has fallen here. It is a very good delivery from Manav Suthar, one of those who kept missing the batter's edge in the morning session, and eventually that took the edge, and Dhruv Jurel took a pretty sharp catch. Well, relief for India. Prabath Jayasuriya is the new man in, and Prasidh has come into the attack.
We are back for the afternoon session here in Colombo. Well, Sri Lanka has done well in that morning session, and they can genuinely draw this game from here on. India have to be patient, trust the process, and hope something will happen. The wicket is not offering a lot at the moment.
Sri Lanka went wicketless through the morning session; the closest India came was of the penultimate ball when Nuwantha padded one out, and the umpire gave it out; however, the off-spinner reviewed the decision, and it was overturned. Well, it has been extreme hardwork for India, and a draw is a 50-50 option for Sri Lanka. We will be right back after the short break; do stay with us.
Ravindra Jadeja has come back into the attack. He has been the best bowler for India this morning, without much success. If anything, Shubman Gill could have continued with him for a little longer with the older ball and waited for that breakthrough to come before taking the new ball and exposing the lower order to the likes of Prasidh and Siraj, but not happen today.
Shubman Gill went back to the dressing room and had a long conversation with the coaching staff. It will be interesting to see what suggestions they could have given. One bowler who has not bowled much in this session is Mohammed Siraj, with 10 minutes to go for lunch, maybe a spell from him might be a good one.
This is now getting concerning for India, not just the partnership, but the lead Sri Lanka has managed to pile on here, which is over 100 runs. If and it is a big IF Sri Lanka can get through the afternoon session too, as they did here, they might consider dangling the carrot and declaring, and see how India will respond to the chase. Well, it is turning out to be a fabulous game of cricket.
Sonal Dinusha has gone past half a century here; it has been a pretty tidy innings from him yet again. He has swept well, defended well and run well and has become the thorn in the flesh of the Indian bowlers yet again. And the way this pitch is playing at the present, it is hard to see how he will not score another century here.
India has bowled quite a few overs in this game. Although there has been a change of innings, they did not have that in between innings. Usually, we tend to see that they have enforced the follow-on rightly, given the nature of the pitch and with that, there is always a risk of this happening. The batting team does bat for a bit; it starts to tire and frustrate the bowling team more quickly.
India is playing with five bowlers, or rather four bowlers and an all-rounder which has been the norm since Virat Kohli has taken over, and it is to exactly counter situations like this and have more creative options, but the pitch is just not giving them anything, if we have to go by the evidence in this game. The noon session will be even better for batting.
One of the notable things we have seen in this pitch is that although there is some turn, which has remained a constant from Day 2 or so, it has not reached a level where it is threatening the batters that a delivery would come with a name on it. Hence, they have been able to trust their defence, and the batters have managed to play each ball on its merits.
We have reached the first water break of the final day, and it has been Sri Lanka. They have ticked the box of not losing a wicket. Both Sonal Dinusha and Kehsara Nuwantha have looked solid. Shubman Gill, though, kept bringing in the bowling changes, trying to push things; maybe in hindsight, he could have persisted with Jadeja for a few more overs, who was starting to get into a very good rhythm.
50-run partnership has come up between Keshara Nuwantha and Sonal Dinusha here. While the latter has kept India frustrated throughout the series, Nuwantha has been his partner in crime, who has managed to face deliveries and hang around with him nicely. Today again, the duo are doing what they have been doing all series and better.
The lead has now gone past 50 runs here for Sri Lanka. They are managing to find those partnerships in this game that would frustrate India, and here again Sonal Dinusha is putting up quite a solid resistance with Keshara Nuwantha. Shubman Gill is going through the bowling changes and hoping something will stick.
India has taken the new ball and brought in Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna into the attack, although one would have thought spin from one end was more likely, but it seems like Shubman Gill wants to give his seamers a fair chance and exploit the early moisture in the morning on this surface.
A new ball is available now will be interesting to see if Shubman Gill turns to the new ball. Also, it will be a good opportunity to give someone like Prasidh Krishna a burst. Yes, he has bowled a lot of overs in this game, but one final burst with the new ball here, a couple of wickets it will be worth it. However, not taken yet; Jadeja is continuing.
Manav Suthar has come back into the attack, and Ravindra Jadeja has swapped ends. There is a rough patch outside the off-stump of the left-hander, which Jadeja will look to exploit. Although the left-arm spinner is still as accurate as ever, it does seem like he is losing a bit of bite or zip as he is ageing is Jadeja.
Ravindra Jadeja and Saransh Jain start the day for India. Jadeja is a good choice if there is any natural deviation; he will make the most of it because he might be accurate. Saransh Jain has not shied away from using a few variations from time to time. He has slipped in an odd delivery that is very slow; however, he might consider doing it a little less often than each over.
It is a bright, sunny day here in Colombo looks humid, and there are no signs of dark clouds whatsoever at the moment. India would want to clear these four wickets as quickly as possible and get those runs clean-sweep Sri Lanka, and get some World Test Championship points.
“And that is one of the reasons, off the pitch, the ball doesn’t come out well. That is the time when the spinners tend to bowl a bit quicker. And by then, the batsman also understands that, and he knows that the ball is coming on quicker and easier for them to bat,” he added.
“I think Sri Lanka has generally always prepared some good spinning wickets. I think the pitch is really, really good for batters, fast bowlers and spinners. As you mentioned, the ball starts spinning on the fourth or fifth day. But the condition of the ball is also very important. Here, after the 30th over, the condition of the ball becomes a little soft. And due to the wet outfield, the seam also becomes a little damp.”
“He’s a peculiar bowler, a unique bowler, in the sense that he doesn’t have that overspin, which is again a work in progress behind the scenes. He possesses that side-spin, which is good, which gives him that drift. His flat trajectory is very good. And he is also in a speed range between 80 and 85kph. So that makes him unique. And when we have two more spinners with Jadeja and Manav, he brings that variety,” he added.
“Saransh has toiled a lot in domestic cricket over the years, and he’s got his fair due. And that opportunity to make a debut for India is special. There are nerves. You’re not going to be as sort of at ease when you’re playing your first Test match compared to when you’re playing a domestic game. But he showed a lot of character, in spite of certain decisions not going in his way and him not getting those wickets early in the first innings. But he was very consistent in his line and length,” Bahutule said.
“I guess, if the free hit comes in, it will reduce the (no ball) percentage. But again, as I mentioned, there are times where they want to push themselves and see how they can get the best of their bowling in that particular situation,” he added.
“We are working on the no-balls. It is a concern, at times,” Bahutule told reporters on Wednesday.
“When the bowler is putting in that effort, trying to see how he can create that opportunity and get a wicket in situations where wickets are not coming through, he has the tendency to push himself.”
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva(c), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella(w), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando
Hello and welcome to our live blog of India taking on Sri Lanka for the final day. The result is on the cards unless rain has its say. India has to pick up four more wickets and come out to bat to get whatever Sri Lanka has put on the board. The issue, though they have Sonal Dinush in the middle, who has been quite fantastic. It will be another absorbing day of Test cricket; do stay with us.
Well there were the players and umpires have left, and the groundsmen are covering. It seems to be drizzling a bit, and the clouds have really taken over, and it has gone dark. It is highly doubtful that we will return today, but we will update you. As far as the game situation it has been a fabulous session for India, picking up three wickets in a matter of an hour. Do stay with us for all the updates.
We have just finished the water break. A bit of worrying news is the groundsman have taken their stance; it seems like we are coming to the close of play. There are no signs of rain yet, but it has got really dark very quickly, so even if it doesn't rain we might go away for the bad light. Regardless, India are almost there with this game unless it rains the entire day tomorrow.
It has gone dark and gloomy here; we might not go till 5:15 PM here. Yesterday around this time it was Sonal Dinusha was batting and came in today to score a century, and again he is out there in the middle in an odd situation with Sri Lanka in the middle. India will be hoping to bowl as many overs as they can before rain or bad light can interrupt here, if they are to come at all.
Sri Lanka has gotten itself into a rut; the runs have completely dried up here. Sonal Dinusha is in the middle, but the challenge for him in this innings is quite difference additionally, the Indian bowlers and fielders are looking to beat him. India is pushing hard here for that wicket, and they have to, if they let this slip away and let Sri Lanka have a lead of 130-140, it might become a tricky chase.
Saransh Jain has picked up Niroshan Dickwella. It seems to be a misjudgment in the line of the delivery, as Dickwella tried to defend the ball; he sent it upstairs, but there were all reds, and it was given out on the ground. It is falling apart here for Sri Lanka; they have lost three wickets already in this session in less than an hour.
It is very heartwarming to see how well Mohammed Siraj has operated in his last couple of spells. Despite there not being a lot on offer on the surface, he has come in and banged the ball in short on a dead wicket. Sonal Dinusha, who scored so many runs in this series, seems to have chink in his armour when facing the short ball in that rib-cage area.
Manav Suthar has picked up the wicket of Pasindu Sooryabandara here. He gave his card away; the batter tried to charge down the track, and Suthar threw the ball wide of the off stump, and Rishabh Pant did the rest. Sri Lankan batting looked unbreachable in that afternoon session, and now with those couple of wickets, India are starting to dictate this game again.
Manav Suthar has picked up Dhananjaya de Silva; it is a pretty soft dismissal. The batter tried to work the ball on the leg-side, and it took the inside edge, hit the pad, and went straight to the gully fielder, Devdutt Padikkal, who took a nice one there. Well, India has got another one here, and Sonal Dinusha has come to bat yet again today.
It is Mohammed Siraj and Saransh Jain who have started the session for India. Saransh Jain did get better as he bowled more and more, but he is yet to pick a wicket in this essay. In fact, he has looked more threatening than Manav Suthar in this innings. But he has to create those breakthroughs; that is where, at times, India looked a little handicapped in the first game.
We are back for the final session; it is going to be a very intriguing session on where this game might head. Sri Lanka have got themselves into a very good position; if they eat away at that lead, they will start dictating terms. The fields have changed big time here, from being attacking to defensive.
What a session that has been for Sri Lanka. They have only lost one wicket for the entirety of it and have a batter in Pasindu who is in his 90s. The pitch has gone to sleep, and unless batters make a mistake, the wickets don't seem to be coming. India needs to get more creative in getting those breakthroughs. We will be back after the short Tea break; do stay with us.
Dhananjaya de Silva has looked solid since walking into the middle. He has defended well, and there is nothing alarming about the surface either. He is a very elegant player, and one of the issues he has had is that he tends to convert pretty little of his starts into big scores. If he can get going, that would put Sri Lanka in a very good position here.
It is very fascinating to see how this surface has behaved through this Test match. It did turn a little on Day 2, but since then it has not done much; there is nothing alarming about this surface. Odd-ball is definitely gripping and turning, but it is not turning from the straight; it is turning after hitting the rough in areas where batters can leave the ball quite comfortably.
Mohammed Siraj has come into the attack, and it is very interesting to see that Rishabh Pant is standing close to the stumps. Siraj is not that slow, but when he has been bowling in subcontinent conditions, he has tended to operate at that mid-120s pace, which is pretty unique, and again we have seen that when he went to England last year, he operated at full throttle.
Dhananjaya de Silva has a habit of playing crucial cameos in Test match cricket, and with another partnership like the previous one between Pasindu and Kamindu, we have a game on our hands. The pitch is turning a little, but still nothing to worry any batter yet; if Sri Lanka can manage to get a lead of 130-150, which is very, very far, then it will be a mouth-watering day tomorrow.
Prasidh Krishna has picked up the wicket of Kamindu Mendis. It is a brilliant catch from Shubman Gill going backwards. It was a field set for the pull shot, and Mendis, who has played it well, obliged and got himself out. Again, we go back to risk management: playing a pull shot is not an issue, but trying to hit it for a six at this stage of the game is something he has to introspect on; nevertheless, India has finally got the breakthrough.
Well, we have reached the water break, and this has been the best passage for Sri Lanka in this Test match. Although it is a tad bit frustrating from the Indian perspective, it is lovely to see Sri Lanka put up a fight and make this Test match a worthy one. Kudos to both Pasindu and Kamindu, and there is still batting to come, so we might see India bat again in this Test match.
Kamindu Mendis smacked a six through square-leg and has brought up his half-century. A superb innings from him; he has started his Test career very well but tapered off a little but today he showed what he can do. This partnership is hurting India as we update; these two have put on a 100-run partnership.
India has to be a little careful here; the partnership is looking very confident in the middle, and now they are starting to attack the Indian bowlers and are putting some serious pressure on the spinners. Manav Suthar, especially, is looking a little clueless here. It is the first test of his Test career where the batters are properly going against him will be interesting to see how he gets out of it.
This partnership continues to frustrate India; they have played very well. From time to time, they have pulled out those attacking shots which went for boundaries, which has kept the bowlers always guessing about what to bowl. Also, it is a left-hand and right-hand batting pair them rotating strike regularly means bowlers have to change their lines and lengths again and again.
Manav Suthar has come back for a spell here after a long time. The lead of India has gone under 100. It is getting a little concerning now for Shubman Gill. This is the flip side of imposing follow-ons on teams: the bowlers are a little tired, and going back-to-back again is hard work, and Sri Lankan batters at the moment are making the most of it.
Well, Pasindu played a no-look slog-sweep which went high in the air, and Mohammed Siraj misjudged the delivery; hence, the catch could not have been taken. They are playing these high-risk shots from time to time, which are not at all needed for the situation. As an update, Sooryabandara has gotten to his half-century here.
These two batted very well in the first innings and have started well here again. Kamindu Mendis looked superb before playing a false shot, and in this innings again has looked superb with his defence and always has a shot in him just to put the bowlers under pressure. This partnership threatened in the first innings and is doing the same again.
Saransh and Jadeja have started the proceedings here in Colombo. Interestingly, Shubman Gill has not brought in Manav Suthar, who did take a bit of a beating early on in the innings. It might be a confidence thing, where he wants his young spinner to come back into the attack after this partnership is broken. Even in the first innings, Sri Lankan batters went after him.
Welcome back; we are back for the afternoon session. It is going to be another intriguing session where the Sri Lankan batters will look to apply themselves and keep batting as long as they can, and for the Indians, it is all about staying patient, bowling those accurate lines and lengths, and chipping away at the wickets.
That's the lunch break. India has bowled well; there is enough in the pitch, but it is still not turning square yet. Good Test match pitch; everybody has something to work with, and the quality team in India is getting the best out of it. Still work to do, but positive signs for India. We will be right back after the break; do stay with us for all the updates.
We are five minutes away from lunch. India would be fairly happy. Although things have not moved at a very quick rate, India are chipping away at this game. They have picked up two more wickets in that morning session. And there seems to be enough in the surface to pick up eight wickets in this game.
Saransh Jain has had a good morning; he picked up a couple of wickets and has taken a lovely catch on the boundary of Lahiru Udara. His bowling too has looked good so far in this innings; although he has been taken for a few runs, he has managed to stick to his guns and bowl the way he wanted to.
Ravindra Jadeja has picked up Kamil Mishara. The batter tried to sweep the ball and missed it. The thing with Jadeja is he will always hit the stumps; very rarely will he leave that stump-to-stump line. Mishara, after a long thought, the umpire deemed him out, and the batter reviewed it, and it was umpire's call on stumps hitting, so regardless, he had to walk back.
Both the Sri Lankan batters have been a lot more attacking in this innings. Pasindu espically who was a bit measured in the way he went on with things in the first innings, is playing some cracking shots here in the middle. As we update 50 run partnership has come up in just 62 deliveries, kind of indicative of how things went.
Well, we have an incident here. Mohammed Siraj has taken the catch of Pasindu and has fell of holding his ribs. He is out at the moment in the dugout; India will be hoping it is not serious. Shubman Gill will need all his five bowlers in this innings, given the amount of workload everyone has put on in the first innings.
Prasidh Krishna has swapped ends with Mohammed Siraj, who has bowled pretty well through the series. He has bowled within himself, constantly chirping at the batters, trying to create a lapse in concentration, which the other bowlers have definitely benefited from. Prasidh too has been very good and troubled the batters with his extra bounce.
One of the things which has been quite evident with Sri Lankan batters is that they want to play an attacking brand of cricket, which is not a bad ploy given the overall direction the game is heading towards. But the issues with the options they are taking are too high. Pasindu slog-swept a delivery for a boundary in the previous over which went for a boundary. Instead of hitting it aerial, if he can hit it on the ground will make it more workable for them.
Mohammed Siraj has picked up Lahiru Udara. It was a short ball from Siraj, which Udara was in no control of, and he ended up pulling it straight to square-leg Saransh Jain. Well, the opening has not at all looked for Sri Lanka, regardless of the conditions. If a Test side is not getting a good start, that will put constant pressure on the middle order, again and again getting exposed to the new ball.
The Indian bowlers have bowled almost 90 overs in the first innings, so they will be a little tired, and Sri Lanka has to make sure that they keep frustrating the Indian bowlers. Kamil Mishara tried to play an aggressive shot through the off-side and missed it. If the ball was edged and carried to the keeper, that dismissal would have raised a few eyebrows.
Prasidh Krishna has taken the new ball for India. He has bowled very well in the first innings. His bounce has troubled the Sri Lankan batters quite a bit in this Test match, and the ball continues to bounce pretty well. It is Mohammed Siraj from the other end; no spin yet. Bowling Manav Suthar from one end would not have been a bad option.
India has picked up the final wicket, and it is Saransh Jain who has got rid of Sonal Dinusha, and India has enforced the follow-on here in Colombo, which is the sensible thing to do with the weather always around. Congratulations to Jain for his debut wicket. Prasidh Krishna has been the pick of the bowlers for India, and Sonal played beautifully for Sri Lanka. We will be right back after the break; do stay with us for Sri Lanka's innings.
Saransh Jain has got the breakthrough here; the off-spinner tossed one up, and Kumara could not resist himself and tried to play a rash shot. The ball took the outside edge and carried to Dhruv Jurel at point close-in. India has got the breakthrough, and Ashita Fernando is the last batter on the crease for Sri Lanka.
Sonal Dinusha has scored his second century of the series. What a knock it has been from him; this one has come under pressure. Added to the fact that he can also bowl some decent left-arm spin, Sri Lanka seems to have found a gem of a cricketer in him. However, can he take Sri Lanka over that 303-run mark, which will make India bat again in this game?
Well, a disappointment for Saransh Jain. Sonal tried to sweep the ball, and it hit Sonal's body and was deemed LBW on the ground; it was sent upstairs by Sonal, and on ball-tracking, the ball was flying over the stumps. Sonal continues to bat, and Saransh Jain has to continue waiting for his first Test wicket here in Colombo.
Ravindra Jadeja has the ball; he will finish the over he started yesterday, as the rain came pelting down and players had to walk off. It is Saransh Jain; skipper Shubman Gill has turned to him from the other end. He has bowled decently, but he would want to scalp a few wickets in this game just to build some confidence and stay in contention for the next home series against Australia.
“That will be the first prize if we can get those two wickets tomorrow morning early. I know it's a cliché, but with the weather around and the time it takes putting the covers on and off, we want to try and get as many overs as possible at Sri Lanka. Hopefully we can get those wickets tomorrow; be brave, put them in and bowl well,” he said.
“We always talk about bowling in partnerships. We always talk about creating pressure. This is how you learn it - on days like today when there's a batting partnership going. The key is to find that breakthrough. Then how well can you start your next 10 or 15 balls to the next batsman? That's what the players and the young guys coming in are going to learn. That's what they're going to experience.”
“I welcome conditions and tough times like this. That builds character. That is how you learn your trade. It makes for great conversation after a day's play. For us it's just: keep asking questions, keep bowling your best ball, bowl well in partnerships and find ways to be creative to maybe get that sneaky wicket.”
"Prasidh has got that extra pace. He's got that bounce for us. We're going to use him in certain phases where it might be risky, but we might get the reward as well. It is tough on him."
"It is sometimes a tough job, the donkey job, but I think he's done that very well for us in the last two or three years. With that, his game has grown into the bowler that can hit that fuller length much more consistently, which is great to see,” the former South African pacer said.
“As a team and as management, we always knew about the potential. For him, it is about quieting those voices and just playing cricket,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“The biggest change is that he has let go of all those thoughts and all those comments, and he's just enjoying his cricket and loves bowling. I think the results are showing for themselves. He's an extremely hard worker. He's a guy that will do a lot of homework going into games, doing a lot of research on the opposition. So for me, he's a massive student of the game, and it's just great to see him grow and develop into a world-class bowler. I think for India, in all formats, he's got the potential and the talent to play for a very long time,” he added.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva(c), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella(w), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando
Hello and welcome to our live blog of India taking on Sri Lanka. India needs to get two more wickets, which will happen at some point today, but the question that remains is whether they will have the option to enforce follow on which will have a huge say in where this game might be headed. Do stay with us; a fascinating day of cricket is coming up.
Prasidh Krishna proved his bowling success is not merely a product of favorable conditions by delivering an emphatic performance on a dissimilar surface in Colombo following his impressive spell in Galle. While maintaining his core strengths—relentless pressure, bounce, hard lengths, and movement—he showed tactical maturity by adapting his execution to the pitch rather than relying on a carbon copy of his previous spell, demonstrating clear overall development as a bowler. (Read more from Shankar Narayan)
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