INDIA STRUGGLE DESPITE LEAD
EARLY LOSSES AFTER ISHANT’S FIERY SPELL
COLOMBO: In the Galle Test, India pretty much landed all the blows only to be blown away in two sessions by Sri Lanka. India must have had that eerie feeling again when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma scurried off the Sinhalese Sports Club ground as rain ended play on the third evening of the deciding Test on Sunday.
Normally, the third day is for consolidation and India seemed to have done just that, and the scent of a series win in Sri Lanka after 22 years seemed to grow stronger. But Sri Lanka’s plan to take a gun to a knife fight, read countering India on a seaming pitch rather than a slow turner, has evened the contest with two days left.
India were in charge till halfway into the final session. But a manic 32 deliveries in their second innings saw the top three wickets tumble, heightening the fears of a Galle repeat. The first innings 312 gave a 111-run lead after Sri Lanka were 201 all out, but at 21 for three in their second effort, the India batsmen will have to play out of their skins to regain the advantage.
DRAMATIC TURNAROUND
That had hardly looked likely at the start of the dramatic day. Cheteshwar Pujara (145 no) had carried his bat after a stay of just over seven-and-a-half hours — only the fourth India batsman to achieve the feat, but Dhammika Prasad bowled him for a secondball duck. KL Rahul then shouldered arms for the second time in the match to be bowled. Nuwan Pradeep followed that strike by trapping Ajinkya Rahane.
The last Test Sri Lanka played at the SSC a year ago against Pakistan, 37-year-old Rangana Herath was the stand out spinner. But after the home batsmen faltered and umpiring howlers compounded their misery.
His 79- run seventh wicket partnership with debutant Kusal Perera, the Sanath Jayasuriya-like enforcer who slammed a 56-ball 55, ensured Sri Lanka recovered from 47 for 6. Adding 154 runs for the last four wickets can be vital.
THE SHOWDOWN
Herath also accounted for the Danny de Vito- Ar nold Schwarzenegger moment, walking right under Ishant Sharma’s nose to remonstrate with something the pacer seemed to have said. Ishant was the lynchpin in the bowling though, his seventh five-wicket innings haul after a sustained effort on the seamer-friendly pitch pegging the hosts back. But he was involved in a send-off after Perera holed out to Kohli.
Ishant had forced opener Upul Tharanga to nick to second slip in his comeback innings. Rahul dropped it but accepted the second chance offered by the lefthander. Umpiring in the series has resembled Ishant’s no-ball problem — he has over-stepped 21 times after seven no-balls in the warm-up tie. The count would have been 22 but for the TV umpire giving Ishant the benefit of doubt after Tharanga was asked to wait. Dinesh Chandimal was trapped leg before by Stuart Binny, but the ball was going over the stumps and Tharindu Kaushal had insideedged Amit Mishra but ruled lbw.