Galle (Sri Lanka): Bowlers put up a highly disciplined performance to keep India in command in the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium in Galle on Tuesday.
Manav Suthar struck twice, while Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj took one wicket apiece as the visitors kept their stranglehold on the Galle Test by sending Sri Lanka reeling to 84/4 at the end of Day 4, needing 288 runs more for an improbable win.
The Indian bowlers began the defence of 371 after the batters had put 193 in the first innings. Mohammed Siraj and Manav Suthar started things for the visitors with the ball, and both struck in the seventh and eighth over before Prasidh Krishna joined the party as well with a brilliant spell, during which he picked up a wicket.
Sri Lanka were reeling at 21/3 after losing Nishan Madushka (6 off 27 balls), Pasindu Sooriyabandara (0 off 1) and Kamindu Mendis (2 off 12) before a mini-stand of 26 runs for the fourth wicket between Lahiru Udara (16 off 58 balls) and Dhananjaya de Silva.
Suthar returned and scalped another wicket — that of Udara before captain Dhananjaya de Silva (31* off 73 balls) and Sonal Dinusha (25* off 36) fought their way to stumps with an unbeaten stand of 37 for the fifth wicket.
The innings began with Siraj and Suthar testing the Sri Lankan openers Madushka and Udara. Siraj gave India the first breakthrough in the seventh over when he bounced off Madushka, caught at deep fine leg, before Suthar removed the concussion substitute and debutant Pasindu Sooriyabandara, who came in as a substitute for the injured Dinesh Chandimal after the latter suffered a neck and shoulder injury.
Sooriyabandara fell victim to Suthar’s flighted delivery that did not spin but thudded into the back leg. The umpire did not rule it out initially, but India got the call overturned on review.
The visitors kept probing the hosts with hard lengths from the pacers and mingy spells from the spinners, with an odd one spinning and outfoxing the batters. Prasidh Krishna was superb with the ball in his first spell as he unleashed brilliant hard-length balls. In his first five overs, the tall speedster gave just nine runs with two maidens and scalped a wicket in his first over itself.
Prasidh removed Kamindu Mendis in the 11th over with a back-of-a-length ball as the batter looked clueless as to whether to play it with a vertical or a horizontal bat and edged it behind for KL Rahul to grab an easy one. Ravindra Jadeja was equally difficult to deal with; however, he would be kicking himself for having bowled a no-ball when he had got de Silva caught at slips in the 16th over.
Suthar came for his second spell and ended Udara’s resistance in the 22nd over, although the catch raised a few eyebrows. Udara edged one fuller one as Dhruv Jurel dived in front to palm the dying ball. He caught it, but it seemed to the eye that the ball may have grassed a bit, but the third umpire deemed it out, calling, “I can see fingers underneath”.
There was a mini-scare for India when Dhruv Jurel was hit on his ankle while trying to evade a flick from Dinusha. He was seen in pain and walked off as Sarfaraz Khan turned up for him. The visitors brought in Kuldeep Yadav very late in the innings, giving the chinaman his first over in the 29th over and testing the hosts with his loopy deliveries, but to no harm. The lights faded as the day was called to a close with Sri Lanka well and truly away from the 372 set by India.
The day started with India batting for two sessions. They were positive in their play. Rishabh Pant threw caution to the wind in his stroke-filled 66 from 69 balls. KL Rahul (35) and Devdutt Padikkal (44) also forged a good partnership of 65 for the second wicket as India managed to post 193 in the first innings.
Brief scores:
India 462 & 193 (Rishabh Pant 66, Devdutt Padikkal 44; Asitha Fernando 4-31, Prabath Jayasuriya 3-43) lead Sri Lanka 284 & 84/4 in 34 overs (Dhananjaya de Silva 31 not out, Sonal Dinusha 25 not out; Manav Suthar 2-30, Prasidh Krishna 1-13) by 288 runs
(IANS)
