Bengaluru: India were 61 for one in their second innings at Tea, leading by 204 runs against Sri Lanka on the second day of the second and final Test (pink ball game) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, here on Sunday.
Rohit Sharma (30 not out off 48) and Hanuma Vihari (8 not out off 27) were holding the fort for India when Tea was taken on Day 2.
After ending Sri Lanka’s first innings inside the half-hour of play in the first session, India got off to a good start as Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal began the second innings on a strong note.
Both Indian openers played some beautiful shots. Mayank, especially, was the most aggressive between the two and hit five boundaries during his innings. Sri Lanka also dropped Rohit when he was on 18 as India’s openers went about building the lead with ease, scoring at almost four an over.
Mayank had a 42-run opening stand with Rohit, before falling prey to Embuldeniya for 22. However, Hanuma Vihari, who came to bat at No 3 and Rohit continued to pile on the runs and ensured that the hosts didn’t lose any more wickets. They extended the lead to 204 runs at Tea and kept India in the driver’s seat.
Resuming the second day at 86/6, Sri Lanka could add only 23 runs more as Jasprit Bumrah took a historic five-for (5/24) as India bowled out visitors for 109 in their first innings. It was Sri Lanka’s second-lowest total (109) in Tests against India, with the previous being 82 all out in Chandigarh in 1990.
Angelo Mathews (43) and Niroshan Dickwella (21) were the top scorers for the visitors. On the other hand, apart from Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin (2/30), Mohammed Shami (2/18) and Axar Patel (1/21) were the other wicket-takers for India.
Spinner Embuldeniya was the first one to get dismissed. Bumrah bowled a good bouncer, which angled into the left-hander as Embuldeniya while playing a pull shot, top-edged the baller straight to the wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant.
Suranga Lakmal (5), who came to bat next, hit Ashwin for a boundary but Ashwin had the last laugh. The veteran off-spinner pitched the ball in line and it turned away sharply to beat Lakmal’s bat and rattle the stumps. Thereafter, Bumrah bowled another bouncer and Dickwella got some glove on the way to the wicket-keeper, giving the Indian pacer his first 5-wicket haul at home in Test cricket.
Fernando was the last man to depart. Ashwin spun his web again, outfoxing Fernando and Pant did the rest by stumping him as Sri Lanka were all out for 109 and India took a massive first-innings lead of 143 runs.
Earlier on the opening day, Shreyas Iyer played a counter-attacking knock of 92 runs and propelled the hosts to 252 in their first innings.
Brief scores: India 252 all out in 59.1 overs and 61-1 in 18 overs (Rohit Sharma 30 not out, Mayank Agarwal 22; Lasith Embuldeniya 1/33) vs Sri Lanka 109 all out in 35.5 overs (Angelo Mathews 43; Jasprit Bumrah 5/24, Ravichandran Ashwin 2/30) lead by 204 runs.
(IANS)
