India have taken a lead of 498 runs at the end of Day 3. Though rain played spoilsport in the second session, it did not make much impact on the game. Abhinav Mukund finally rejuvenated himself and scored 81 off 116 balls. This was a golden opportunity for a batsman who has had a few excellent performances in the domestic circuit. Virat Kohli too will be pleased with his performance having scored his fifty plus score after a long drought of 7 innings.
The big question is whether India will be declaring or not seeing the way Sri Lanka batted in the first innings or they would bat at least first session of Day 4.
Sri Lanka are injury-stricken, at first, it was Asela Gunaratne who has been ruled out of the series and now Rangana Herath has incurred an injury while diving to his left trying to stop Kohli’s shot.
More importantly, Sri Lanka will be looking to back themselves to bat through the remaining days and hope rain comes to their aid. Till now, the game seems to be going India’s way.
Day 3, Stumps!
18:03 IST WICKET! Mukund lbw b Gunathilaka 81(116) Mukund reviewed it but it did not work for him, a good inning for him. That will give him confidence. Kohli remains not out for 76, it’s time for Stumps! IND 189/3 in 46.3 overs
17:55 IST Still haven’t declared, a substantial lead has been taken. Kohli and Mukund are playing freely and Sri Lanka are playing the waiting game. IND 186/2 in 46 overs
17:35 IST It’s getting darker by the day at Galle, players will be walking off the field anytime soon. A chance was created as Kohli miscued a shot which landed between three players. IND 163/2 in 40 overs
17:18 IST It seems like another player has taken a hit. Sri Lanka will be in trouble if another player gets injured. Herath has walked off the field. This is a big blow for Sri Lanka. Mukund-Kohli are still going well, no signs of declaration yet. IND 149/2 in 36 overs
17:00 IST Mukund and Kohli are having at ease in the middle, not looking to make mistakes or trying to over-attack the Sri Lankan bowlers. Simultaneously they have not let the bowlers dominate them. Kohli gets to his half century from 68 balls, he is the fastest to 1,000 runs in Tests as Indian captain! IND 136/2 in 34 overs
16:44 IST Herath continues, Kohli defends it from the crease. Two dot balls to follow to Mukund. FOUR! Mukund goes big, hits the ball over Herath’s head for a boundary. FOUR! Another boundary from the over, Mukund gets to his half-century! IND 120/2 in 30 overs
16:40 IST Pradeep continues, all of a sudden Kohli has turned cautious against the Sri Lanka strike bowler. He is just leaving the balls alone. He gets a single off the last ball of the over, retains strike. IND 111/2 in 29 overs
16:36 IST Herath continues, Mukund on strike, he takes a single off the third ball of the over. It is a question whether Kohli would declare post Day 3 or not. He takes a single towards long off on the last ball of the over. IND 110/2 in 28 overs
16:33 IST Pradeep continues, Kohli is happy to let go off the first three balls, no shots offered. He does it again, just watching the ball closely and leaving it. Inside edge off the next ball of the over, goes towards short midwicket, a dot ball there. Another dot ball to end the over. IND 108/2 in 27 overs
16:29 IST Herath continues, Kohli defends the first ball. He takes a single towards covers, that was angled into him. Mukund cuts the ball hard, gets a single towards point. Kohli defends the next ball on the back foot with a straight bat. He tries to play it towards extra cover but fielded inside the circle. He finds the gap this time, gets a single. IND 108/2 in 26 overs
16:26 IST Pradeep continues, Kohli plays the ball towards deep midwicket, gets a couple of runs. He defends the next ball coming back to him. Pradeep took the wicket of Kohli in the first innings, he will not be repeating his mistake, FOUR! Kohli pushes the ball for a boundary towards deep cover, he has scored 30 from 30 balls now. FOUR! He flicks the next one, times it to perfection as it goes past Kumara who dived at the deep square leg boundary. A few fielding changes as Mathews-Herath had a talk. Kohli takes a single towards mid off. Mukund plays the ball back to Pradeep. IND 105/2 in 25 overs
16:20 IST Herath continues, Kohli on strike, he struggles to get bat on the first two and then takes a single off the third ball of the over. Mukund comes half-forward and then goes back to push the ball towards mid on, a dot ball. He plays the next one towards midwicket, a dot ball. He sweeps the last ball of the over but could not get bat on it. IND 94/2 in 24 overs
16:17 IST Kumara continues, Kohli takes a single guiding the ball towards point. FOUR! Mukund half jumps in the air and pulls it for a boundary, finds the gap in front of square. Next ball, he flicks it off towards fine leg for a single. A couple of runs off the next ball, Kohli is playing well, he is timing the ball well. IND 92/2 in 23 overs
16:13 IST Herath continues, happy to take two singles off the first two balls. Kohli plays the ball in the gap, good fielding in the deep, three runs taken off that one. Five runs off the over. IND 84/2 in 22 overs
16:10 IST Kumara continues, a bouncer from him to Kohli, he avoids it awkwardly. Next ball, another short ball almost carries to the gully fielder. Good bowling from Kumara as he is luring Kohli into playing the ball away from his body. Next ball, swing and a miss, good bowling from Kumara, he is creating problems for the Indian skipper. Kohli ducks again on the short ball. Kohli takes a quick couple of runs, good running from the two. A single to end the over. IND 79/2 in 21 overs
16:05 IST Herath continues, three dot balls followed by a single, Kohli is giving respect to the veteran spinners. Mukund, on the other hand, is trying to knock the ball around, gets a single. Another single to end the over. IND 76/2 in 20 overs
16:02 IST Kumara continues, Mukund takes a single off the first ball. Kohli returns the favour as well, he will be looking to make an impact in the second innings. Mukund is leaving the ball or playing it close to the body. FOUR! Mukund goes for a drive on the full toss, the ball runs towards the boundary despite wet outfield. A dot ball to end the over. IND 73/2 in 19 overs
15:58 IST Virat Kohli comes to bat and gets off the mark with a boundary. Another boundary in the next over bowled by Herath. IND 67/2 in 18 overs
15:45 IST The match has started again.
15:22 IST The covers are still on at Galle, the Day 3 might just get washed off.
15:00 IST The covers went off for a bit but it has not been the case, the rain has started again.
14:30 IST It’s raining heavily, we don’t expect the play to resume soon. The rest of Day 3 might get washed out altogether.
14:14 IST Rain delays play at Galle!
14:14 IST WICKET! Pujara c Kusal Mendis b Lahiru Kumara 15(35)
14:09 IST Kumara continues, Mukund on strike, he defends the first ball and lets the next ball go to the wicketkeeper. Meanwhile, the rain threat seems quite evident now. It might rain in a few minutes. Mukund pushes the ball towards extra cover, gets three runs off that one. A short ball to follow, the rain threat increases and the ground staff is ready with the covers. Pujara flicks the ball and gets caught in the leg slip, he is gone, WICKET! IND 56/2 in 16.5 overs
14:05 IST Herath bowls an impressive over, just a single from it. Rain threat looms over Galle. IND 53/1 in 16 overs
14:02 IST Kumara continues, he is hitting the right lines but not looking too dangerous for either of the batsmen. Three singles from the over. The last ball took an inside edge but did not pose a major threat to Pujara. IND 52/1 in 15 overs
13:56 IST Rangana Herath comes to bowl, he is desperately looking for wickets. Pujara blocks the first two and turns the third away for a single. Mukund goes back into the crease and works the ball in front of square for a single. A half-hearted appeal for lbw on the next ball but the Umpire says no because of the inside edge. IND 49/1 in 14 overs
13:53 IST Kumara to Pujara, a single taken on the third ball of the over. Kohli will be looking to post a score in excess of 500 to ensure India’s victory in the first Test. India might bat through Day 3 as far as posting that total is concerned. Mukund pulls the ball fine, gets a couple of runs off that one. IND 47/1 in 13 overs
DRINKS BREAK!
13:48 IST Pujara and Mukund are looking to get the inning back on track so that they can attack in the third session. Just 14 runs in 5 overs compared to the run rate they had in the first innings. IND 44/1 in 12 overs.
13:26 IST Pujara on strike, Pradeep continues, a single taken towards backward square leg. FOUR! Mukund finds the boundary, guides it towards backward point for four. Meanwhile, clouds hovering over Galle in the background. Mukund plays it towards midwicket, gets a single. A dot ball to follow, Pujara is beaten by Pradeep as the ball goes past the outside edge. He plays the next one across the pads, FOUR! Pujara scores his first of the day. 10 runs from the over. IND 30/1 in 7 overs
13:21 IST Dilruwan continues, Cheteshwar Pujara comes to bat, he is beaten on the first ball of the over. He plays it towards square leg, takes a single. Mukund is stepping out, trying to take him on but Dilruwan stops him, good bowling from him. He has performed well with bat and now doing well with his bowling. IND 20/1 in 6 overs
13:18 IST Pradeep continues, Mukund is not looking to attack, he is following the old school rule when a batsman is not in form, taking his time. But Pradeep is surprising him with a few good deliveries. Mukund leaves another one, four dot deliveries from the over already. He plays the next one back to Pradeep, a dot ball. He defends the last ball of the over. IND 19/1 in 5 overs
13:15 IST WICKET! Dhawan c (sub)de Silva b Dilruwan Perera 14(14)
13:13 IST Dilruwan continues, Dhawan hits it on the back foot, FOUR! Gets another boundary. Two more singles to follow. Dhawan cuts the ball, in the air and gone, WICKET! Dhawan loses his wicket. After scoring 190, he departs for 14. IND 19/0 in 4 overs
13:09 IST Pradeep continues, Dhawan lets the first one go to Dickwella. FOUR! Dhawan drives and drives it well, gets a boundary, second one for him. Another one left alone by Dhawan. He takes a quick single off the fifth ball of the over. Mukund leaves the last ball of the over. SL 13/0 in 3 overs
13:04 IST Dilruwan Perera comes to bowl, too early into the innings. Mukund on strike, he defends the first ball. FOUR! Mukund pushes it off the back foot, hits it through covers and gets a boundary. He is trying to punch almost every ball off the back foot. He defends the fifth ball on the front foot. SL 8/0 in 2 overs
13:02 IST Nuwan Pradeep comes to bowl, Dhawan on strike, he defends it well. Next ball, a huge lbw shout but the Umpire says no. Bounce was maybe a reason there. Dhawan plays the next one towards midwicket, a dot ball. He shoulders arms on next one, lets the ball go. FOUR! Dhawan cuts the ball away for a boundary, gets off the mark. He drives the next one but towards mid off. IND 4/0 in 1 over
12:57 IST India will not be enforcing follow on, Shikhar Dhawan and Abhinav Mukund come out to bat.
INNINGS BREAK!
12:49 IST Asela Gunaratne will not come to bat, hence, the Sri Lankans are all out! The big question is whether they will be asked to follow on or not?
12:47 IST WICKET! Lahiru Kumara b Ravindra Jadeja 2(12)
12:46 IST Hardik Pandya to Dilruwan Perera, first ball left alone by the batsman. Dilruwan defends the next two, not taking chances against Hardik. The ground staff is roaming around the boundary, there might be a few passing showers. He takes a quick single off the fifth ball, direct hit and he would have been gone. Two runs because of the overthrow. Last ball of the over, a dot ball to end the over. SL 291/8 in 78 overs
12:40 IST Players are back in the field for the second session of play, will Dilruwan Perera get to his century? Stay tuned to find out!
12:33 IST The players will be walking out to the field in a few minutes, stay tuned for the live updates.
LUNCH BREAK!
12:02 IST Last over before lunch. Dilruwan is looking to defend, he wants to go into lunch unbeaten. FOUR! Edged and a boundary to Dilruwan, he moves on to 89 with that shot. Takes a single off the fourth ball of the over, shows faith in Kumara. Extra bouncer but Lumara did well to defend that. Another defensive shot and he defends. Sri Lanka go into lunch. SL 298/8 in 77 overs
11:59 IST Ashwin comes into the attack, Kumara on strike, the left hander, he is doing well to get on the front foot and defend the ball. A maiden over from Ashwin. SL 284/8 in 76 overs
11:57 IST Jadeja continues, Dilruwan takes a couple of runs off the first ball. Dots after dots to follow, just a couple of runs off the over. SL 284/8 in 75 overs
11:54 IST Lahiru Kumara comes to bat, he edges the first ball, takes a couple of runs. SL 282/8 in 74 overs
11:51 IST WICKET! Pradeep b Hardik Pandya 10(26)
11:51 IST Nuwan Pradeep on strike, he lofts the ball from Pandya over covers, gets three runs. Dilruwan takes a single off the next one. FOUR! Just over the fielder at extra cover, gets a boundary, Pradeep is looking to break the shackles. Here’s the wicket, Pandya gets his first Test wicket, hits the middle stump. SL 280/8 in 72.5 overs
11:48 IST Jadeja continues, after four dot balls, Dilruwan gets two boundaries from the over, a six and a four. SL 272/7 in 72 overs
11:44 IST Hardik Pandya has been introduced into the attack after 70 overs of play. Dilruwan on strike, he takes a single off the first ball guiding it towards the third man. Pradeep on strike, he was squared up off that one, good bowling from him. Pradeep defends the next ball, not trying to repeat the mistake. A short ball to end the over. SL 260/7 in 71 overs
11:41 IST Jadeja continues, Dilruwan takes a single, shows faith in Pradeep. He is happy to defend, three dot balls. Pradeep goes big, miscues the shot, it was in the air for a while but Shami could not get to it, a couple of runs. SL 259/7 in 70 overs
11:38 IST Umesh continues, the ball hits his pads, a single off the first ball of the over. Pradeep struggles to defend the ball. He manages to take a single off the next one towards fine leg. FOUR! Dilruwan at it again, pulls the short ball for a boundary off the front foot. He moves away from the wicket and guides the ball for a single, retains strike. SL 256/7 in 69 overs
11:34 IST Jadeja continues, Pradeep could not score a single run off that delivery. SL 249/7 in 68 overs
11:21 IST Umesh continues, Dilruwan ducks the short ball. FOUR! Once again he finds a boundary, he is looking to score, good approach from Dilruwan. Next ball, short ball from Umesh coming round the wicket, makes Dilruwan fall on the ground as he tries to escape. FOUR! This time he was prepared for it, gets a boundary towards the third man. Umesh changes the line, two dot balls from him. SL 249/7 in 67 overs
11:26 IST Nuwan Pradeep comes to bat, faces four dot balls. A wicket-maiden for Jadeja. SL 21/7 in 66 overs
11:24 IST Jadeja continues, Herath defends the first ball. Next ball, is that an edge, carries to first slip. Herath has asked for a review. WICKET! Herath departs. SL 241/7 in 65.2 overs
11:20 IST Ashwin continues, Dilruwan on strike, a block to start with. SIX! That was high and handsome, he is not giving up, a splendid shot from him. He guides the ball towards the third man, gets a couple of runs, 50 for Dilruwan Perera! A dot ball to continue. SIX! Dilruwan comes down to the flighted delivery, gets a maximum again, he is not in a mood to hold back SL 241/6 in 65 overs
11:18 IST Herath is doing well to get off the strike, takes a single off the second ball of the over of Jadeja’s over. For a change, Dilruwan is defending the ball, but, just for two balls. He tries to crunch the ball away, gets just a single. SL 229/6 in 64 overs
11:15 IST Ashwin continues, bowls well and a tight line and length. Just a single from the over. SL 227/6 in 63 overs
11:12 IST Jadeja continues, Herath takes a single off the first ball. Dilruwan on strike, he is looking to attack, fails a couple of times. FOUR! Dilruwan finally gets one in the slot and sweeps that one towards deep midwicket boundary for four. A dot ball to end the over. SL 226/6 in 63 overs
11:09 IST Ashwin continues, Herath on strike, a dot ball to start the over with. FOUR! He gets a boundary, plays it towards fine leg boundary. A dot ball to follow. He gets a single off the next ball. Just 5 runs off the over. SL 221/6 in 62 overs
11:03 IST Jadeja continues, Herath on strike, he gets a single off the first ball. Whoa! Dilruwan tries the slog sweep, gets it wrong, a dot ball there but an irresponsible shot. A shout for lbw, but the Umpire says no. WICKET! Stuck in front, Dilruwan has to go now, wait, he has reviewed that one. The review shows there was no connection of the bat with ball, it hit the pad first. Whoa! Dlruwan is saved by the review, the ball was missing the stumps! He survives. SL 216/6 in 61 overs
10:58 IST Ashwin continues, Dilruwan on strike, SIX! He goes down the wicket and smashes the ball right into the sight screen, he is looking to get as many runs he can. Third ball, a leg break from Ashwin, defended by Dilruwan. He plays the next one towards midwicket, a dot ball. Perera plays the next one with his pad, a dot ball. FOUR! Dilruwan drives it through the fielders, gets another boundary. SL 215/6 in 60 overs
10:56 IST Skipper Rangana Herath comes to bat, a slight mix-up between the batsmen on the first ball, safe in the end. SL 205/6 in 59 overs
10:54 IST WICKET! Mathews c Kohli b Jadeja 83(130)
10:53 IST Jadeja comes back into the attack, Mathews defends the first ball. A single off the next one playing it towards covers, he moves to 83 now. Whoa! turn and bounce on that occasion, Dilruwan was beaten fair and square there. An edge off the next ball but goes past the first slip, a single on that ball. WICKET! Mathews departs, fell right into the trap, caught in short cover position. SL 206/6 in 58.5 overs
10:50 IST Ashwin continues, comes over the wicket this time. Dilruwan on strike surrounded by fielders in attacking position. Ashwin is trying to extract spin from the ball and put pressure on the batsman. A maiden over for him. SL 203/5 in 58 overs
10:47 IST Shami continues, Dilruwan continues, a single off the second ball. FOUR! Short ball gone wrong, a freebie for him, gets another boundary. Mathews takes a single and gets off the strike. A defensive shot off the last ball of the over. SL 203/5 in 57 overs
10:43 IST Ashwin continues, attacking field for Mathews, a dot ball to start with. FOUR! Mathews picks the short delivery and muscles it for a boundary, that was a freebie for him. He takes a single off the fourth ball. Dilruwan takes a single and retains strike. SL 196/5 in 56 overs
10:41 IS TShami continues, a fuller delivery from him, Mathews defends. He looks to play the next one towards the offside, finds the fielder, a dot ball. He takes a single off the next. Bouncer! that one surprised Dilruwan, that one hurried on to him. Another bouncer and a similar result, it seems like Dilruwan’s weakness has been exposed here. A short ball to end the over. SL 190/5 in 55 overs
10:36 IST Ashwin continues, he is causing a few problems for Dilruwan, three dot balls. He plays the next one chipping it in the air, gets a single. Two dot balls to follow as Mathews defends. SL 189/5 in 54 overs
10:33 IST Shami is into the attack, a dot ball to start with. FOUR! Mathews leans into the shot and times it with perfection, a boundary for him. The roller has done it’s work, not much turn or movement from the pitch. Mathews takes a single on the ball after. The next one is played towards point, could not time it Dilruwan, a dot ball. SL 188/5 in 53 overs.
10:29 IST Ashwin is into the attack, coming round the wicket to Dilruwan. He is looking for rough patches on the leg stump to surprise the batsman. A maiden over for Ashwin. SL 181/5 in 52 overs.
10:25 IST Umesh continues, Mathews on strike, he turns the ball towards deep midwicket, into the gap and gets three runs off that ball. Dilruwan on strike, he lets the ball go to Saha, not offering any shot. He drives the next ball through covers, gets a couple of runs. He pushes the next one towards mid on, a dot ball. A wide yorker to follow, a dot ball there. A single off the last ball of the over. SL 181/5 in 51 overs.
10:21 IST Jadeja continues, Mathews takes a single off the second ball. SIX! Dilruwan comes down the wicket, makes room for himself and launches the ball into the stands, first maximum for him. Three dot balls to end the over. SL 175/5 in 50 overs.
10:19 IST Umesh continues, Mathews on strike, he is being too cautious, three dot balls, he is not trying to do something extraordinary. Mathews plays the straight drive, gets a couple of runs. He dabs the next one down to square leg, takes a single. Last ball of the ball, Dilruwan on strike, he ducks the bouncer. SL 168/5 in 49 overs
10:14 IST Jadeja continues, Mathews takes a single after facing two dot balls. He seems more focused today, determined to take this team through the danger of follow on. Dilruwan makes a mistake, almost gave an edge that time, good bowling from Jadeja. He plays the next one towards covers, a dot ball. A similar shot to end the over. SL 165/5 in 48 overs
10:11 IST Umesh continues, Mathews on strike, he defends the first ball staying in the crease. Mathews pushes the next ball towards mid on, takes a single. Dilruwan plays the next one towards offside, a dot ball. Another dot ball to follow. Just a single from the over. SL 164/5 in 47 overs.
10:07 IST Ravindra Jadeja comes to bowl, darting the balls into Mathews who is happy to defend on the front foot. He is beaten by the spin on the third ball, gets an edge and a single as it goes wide off the slip fielder. Dilruwan comes down the wicket, hits the ball down the ground and gets a boundary, he has come to bat with an attacking approach. He pushes the next ball towards offside, a dot ball. He lets the next ball go to Saha. SL 163/5 in 46 overs.
10:04 IST Umesh Yadav to bowl the first over of Day 3. Dilruwan Perera is on strike, he is not looking to play the swinging ball with his bat, two dot balls. FOUR! Dilruwan flashes his blade this time, there was width on that occasion, gets a boundary towards square of the wicket. He lets the next one go to Saha, just a hint of inswing from Yadav. He defends the next one on the back foot, bit shorter. He plays the next one towards offside, no run scored. SL 158/5 in 45 overs
09:58 IST Players are in the field for Day 3’s play!
09:56 IST Umesh Yadav spills the beans. India are looking to enforce follow on if they get a few wickets in the first session.
09:50 IST It seems like the Day 3’s play will start on time. Get ready for an action-packed day of Test cricket.
09:41 IST Hardik Pandya has not come to bowl yet. Will he be as lethal with the ball as he was with the bat? Stay tuned to find out!
09:36 IST Suppersoppers are into play, they are removing water from the outfield. The Day 3’s play might get delayed a bit.
09:26 IST Good news from Galle as it was just drizzling in the morning, nothing major. It is sunny at Galle and play is expected to start on time.
09:15 IST Kohli will be going all guns blazing against the Sri Lanka batsmen. They have enough runs on the board to attack and try to create chances.
09:05 IST A quick look at things, Angelo Mathews is currently batting on 54 whereas Dilruwan Perera is on 6. Strategies must have been devised to counter the Indian bowlers.
Welcome to inUth’s digital coverage of India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test, Day 3 from Galle. It has been a one-sided affair so far with India dominating in the first innings with the bat and replicating it in the bowling department as well. Sri Lanka are struggling with 5 wickets down already, make it 6 as Asela Gunaratne is ruled out of the series already due to a thumb injury (fracture). Indian fast bowlers have been able to do what Sri Lanka seamers could not, create pressure by setting an attacking field. With Upul Tharanga batting it seemed like India had lost the plot for a while but then spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took charge and made Sri Lankan batsmen succumb to pressure.
A follow on looks more likely and if India are able to get them out cheaply in the first innings, the chances of that happening only increase. Kohli has believed in batting instead of enforcing follow on most of the times but seeing the way bowlers are performing he might just enforce it this time around.
Drizzled an hour back but looks all clear at the moment #TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/lpzceLJYS5
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 28, 2017
Pitch Report:
It is quite obvious that the pitch will deteriorate with each day passing by. But, the Indian bowlers are trying to make full use of it. The spinners are mixing it up and trying to ball slow and attract more and more turn out of it. The pitch is going to help the spinners as the game progresses. Sri Lankan batsmen sure have a tough day ahead of them.
Weather Report:
It seems like that weather report does not matter anymore. On July 27 the weather forecast hinted towards a few passing showers but that did not happen. Until and unless there is a major thunderstorm, it does not feel like the rain would intervene much. Although Sri Lankan batsmen will be hoping to get some help from the Rain Gods.
Playing XIs:
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, Angelo Mathews, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella(w), Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath(c), Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Pradeep
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Abhinav Mukund, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami
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