It was once again India’s day on their tour to Sri Lanka. The Day 1 of the second Test at the end panned out like the way Indian team wanted it to be. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane’s centuries have put them in a dominating position in the Colombo Test. India put on 344 for 3. Pujara stayed not out for 128 whereas Rahane scored 103. They were able to put on a partnership of 211 from 308 balls and put Sri Lanka on back foot.
Earlier comeback man KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan got off to a good start. Rahul went on to score another half century whereas Dhawan got out in an attempt to sweep the ball. Virat Kohli could not carry his form at Galle to Colombo as he got out for 13.
Bad news for Sri Lanka is their strategy of playing with three spinners did not work out well. To top it over Nuwan Pradeep suffered a hamstring injury when they took the new ball post 80 overs. They will be hoping it is not serious and he returns to the field on Day 2.
Day 1, Stumps!
17:04 IST Herath continues, Rahane takes a single after facing two dot deliveries. Pujara defends the two balls followed by a couple of runs. IND 344/3 in 90 overs
17:01 IST Dilruwan continues, Rahane is blocking the ball now, this is the penultimate over and he is not willing to lose his wicket. An inside edge off the bat on the fifth ball of the over, a single off that delivery. IND 341/3 in 89 overs
16:58 IST Herath continues, Rahane puts his leg in front and defends it, a dot ball. Next one, a huge lbw appeal and the Umpire raise his finger. Rahane is not at all happy with the decision, he reviews it straight away. A clear inside edge, Rahane will stay there, the decision is reversed. Rahane defends the ball on the front foot. Rahane plays the ball towards fine leg, takes a single. IND 340/3 in 88 overs
Finally! She said, after @ajinkyarahane88 gets to a well-made 9th Test century #TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/l1HlAM95x2
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 3, 2017
16:54 IST Dilruwan continues, Pujara is still playing the ball to it’s merit and not trying to get ahead of him. Dilruwan is trying to give the ball some more tweak. Dot balls after dot balls from the bowler, a maiden for him. IND 339/3 in 87 overs
Batsman @ajinkyarahane88 brings up his 9th Test ton. Follow the game here – https://t.co/cexxqoSOZz #SLvIND #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/diEzYrLH6a
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 3, 2017
16:52 IST Rahane is still on 99, it seems like more than him his wife is getting anxious on the stands. He defends the first ball from Herath. A quick single for Rahane, 100 for him, a well-deserved one. Pujara gets down the wicket and takes a single, the ball gets fielded at midwicket. Three dot balls to end the over. IND 339/3 in 86 overs
16:47 IST Dilruwan continues, Rahane takes a single off the first ball, moves to 99 now. Pujara takes a single after facing a dot ball. Rahane is on 99 now, he will be looking for his century now. Turn and bounce, the ball goes past Rahane and Dickwella. Three runs off tha delivery. IND 337/3 in 85 overs.
16:43 IST Rahane is on 96, Herath comes to bowl, a single taken as the batsman drives the ball towards covers. Whoa! some bounce there, Pujara manages to take a single off that one. The next ball was fired in towards Rahane, kept a bit low, managed a single off that one. Two more dot balls to follow, Pujara survived a stumping chance. IND 332/3 in 84 overs
16:39 IST Malinda continues, Rahane on strike. FOUR! Rahane once again picks up a boundary, picks the gap on the second ball of the over, pierces it towards midwicket. He is darting the deliveries in, not been able to extract much turn from the surface. A single taken by him on the fifth ball of the over. IND 329/3 in 83 overs
16:37 IST Herath continues, three singles from the over. Pujara and Rahane have not faced a threatening delivery yet with the introduction of new ball. IND 324/3 in 82 overs
16:34 IST Malinda will continue Pradeep’s over, a couple of runs off the fifth ball of the over. A dot ball to finish it off with. IND 321/3 in 81 overs.
16:32 IST Nuwan Pradeep is back into the attack, the new ball has been taken! Pujara guides the first ball towards the third man takes a single. Rahane tries the work the ball square of the wicket, gets fielded inside the circle, a dot ball. He plays the next one towards mid on, a dot ball. Rahane turns the ball towards backward square leg, takes a single. Injury strikes Sri Lanka once again, Pradeep is walking off the field. IND 319/3 in 80.4 overs
16:26 IST Herath continues, Rahane punches the ball off the back foot but straight to the fielder, a dot ball. FOUR! Rahane dispatches the ball with disdain, gets a boundary via cover drive. He tries to sweep the ball but misses it, the ball hits his pads leading to a huge appeal from the Sri Lanka fielders. A review taken by Sri Lanka, it’s the 80th over now. The review goes in vain as the impact was outside and the ball was not hitting the stumps anyway. Rahane gets a single by leg byes. Pujara defends the ball with a straight bat getting on front foot. He defends again, this time opening the face of the bat towards covers. He takes a single off the last ball of the over towards square leg. The new ball is due now. IND 317/3 in 80 overs
16:20 IST De Silva continues, Rahane takes a single towards long on. Pujara too pushes the ball towards long on and takes a single, runs have started to come easy now. Rahane goes on the back foot and pushes the ball towards long on again picking up a single. Pujara gets to the pitch of the ball and flicks it towards midwicket for a single. Rahane once again pushes the ball towards long on for a single. A dot ball to end the over. IND 311/3 in 79 overs
16:18 IST Malinda continues, Rahane takes a single off the first ball of the over. Pujara pushes the ball towards midwicket, picks up another single. Rahane pushes the ball towards backward square leg, takes a single. Pujara is having it easy here, takes another single. In the air and dropped! Rahane is dropped by Malinda off his own bowling, he has none to blame now. 5 runs from the over. IND 306/3 in 78 overs
16:14 IST Pujara takes a single off the first ball of the over as De SIlva continues, 300 up for India! Rahane creams the ball towards long off, takes a single. Two dot balls to finish off the over. IND 301/3 in 77 overs
16:12 IST Malinda continues, Pujara takes a single off the first ball. FOUR! Rahane gets a boundary, he is just looking for the bad balls and then punishing them. IND 299/3 in 76 overs
16:08 IST De Silva continues, Rahane takes a single off the first ball, just milking it towards long on. Pujara is still sticking to his old school batting technique, as Murali Karthik says. He resorts to defending when the runs or not coming and frustrates the bowler even more. He takes a single off the last ball of the over, retains strike. IND 294/3 in 75 overs
Drinks Break!
16:01 IST Malinda continues, Pujara defends the first ball and takes a single off the next towards backward point. Rahane takes a single towards deep cover. Pujara takes a single and moves to 111. Rahane drives the ball for a single towards covers once again. IND 292/3 in 73 overs
15:58 IST De Silva continues, Rahane picks up a boundary off the over, just four runs off the over and four dot balls. IND 288/3 in 72 overs
15:53 IST Malinda continues, he has not been able to pick up a wicket yet in his debut Test. Pujara takes a single off the third ball of the over. Rahane goes on the back foot and picks up a single towards covers on the fifth ball of the over. A dot ball to end the over. IND 284/3 in 71 overs
15:50 IST Dananjaya de Silva has been brought into the attack, Pujara takes a single off the first ball. Rahane too pushes the ball towards mid on for a single after facing a dot ball. Pujara flicks the next ball and takes a single towards square leg. Rahane goes on the back foot, guides the ball towards backward point, gets a couple of runs, he was a bit surprised by the bounce on that ball. That one went down the leg side. IND 282/3 in 70 overs
15:47 IST Malinda continues, just one single taken off the fourth ball. FOUR! Rahane makes the most of the shorter delivery as he gets a boundary off the last ball. IND 277/3 in 69 overs
15:42 IST Pradeep continues, Rahane takes a single off the first ball. Pujara once again is not getting carried away by the hundred he got. He works the fourth ball of the over for a single as it was directed towards his pads. Short ball from Pradeep, Rahane moves his body away from the ball. That was followed by a yorker and he defends it on the back foot. IND 272/3 in 69 overs
Mr. Consistent – @cheteshwar1 brings up his 13th Test ton #SLvIND #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/4QNedfg7qc
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 3, 2017
15:38 IST Pujara reaches his 13th hundred! He has been the perfect substitute of ‘The Wall’ in Team India. 8 runs including one boundary from the over. IND 270/3 in 68 overs
15:36 IST Rahane and Pujara hold for as the latter is not willing to get carried away and throw his wicket away. Indian batsmen have had a slow start post tea session. Just 7 runs from previous three overs. IND 262/3 in 67 overs
15:22 IST Malinda continues, Pujara takes a single off the third ball playing it towards backward square leg. Rahane is batting on 49, will he get to another half century? He defends the ball on the front foot. Rahane tries to flick the ball but forward square leg saves it. Rahane gets to his 50 in 83 balls and his wife cheers him from the stands. IND 254/3 in 64 overs
15:19 IST Pujara is heading towards his century nice and slow, he is on 94 now. Rahane is looking to break the shackles having hit a boundary off Dilruwan. IND 252/3 in 63 overs
15:09 IST Pujara and Rahane have opted for a defensive approach post Tea Break. They are looking to keep their wickets intact and get India in a commanding position at the end of the day. Just 3 singles from the first two overs bowled by Dilruwan and Malinda. IND 241/3 in 60 overs
Time for the final session as Pujara and Rahane walk out to the middle #TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/mHn00hQXVV
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 3, 2017
TEA TIME
The Kohli dismissal is the big talking point as he should have played that cut or not, as he is not well-set and the ball was a touch too close to his body.
14:42 IST: Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara take India into tea at 238 for 3. Pujara is on 89 and Rahane is on 41 not out. India would be happy with the session after initially, it looked to go the home-side’s way. Pujara also crossed the 4000 runs in Test cricket.
Perera continues, Pujara on strike, FOUR! Finally, he breaks the shackles.
13:31 IST Pujara on strike, he once again takes his time, takes a single after playing two dot balls. FOUR! Rahane goes deep into the crease and works the ball towards boundary. IND 139/3 in 41 overs
13:28 IST Dilruwan Perera comes into bowl, Pujara on strike, after multiple dot balls he manages to take a single off the fourth ball of the over. IND 134/3 in 40 overs
13:25 IST Herath continues, Ajinkya Rahane comes to bat, a dot ball to end the over. IND 133/3 in 39 overs
13:21 IST WICKET! Kohli c Mathews b Herath 13(29) A fine catch by Mathews at slip position, Kohli falls again in the first innings, Sri Lanka have made their way back into the game. IND 133/3 in 38.5 overs
13:19 IST Pradeep continues, Pujara on strike, that ball hits him high on pads, non-threatening delivery. FOUR! A boundary to finish off the over. IND 133/2 in 38 overs
13:14 IST Herath continues, Kohli is watching the ball closely and defending it on the front foot. He is looking to play the ball on it’s merit and at the same time keeping himself busy and looking for singles. FOUR! Kohli makes room for himself and times the ball with precision, gets another boundary. IND 129/2 in 37 overs
13:12 IST Pradeep continues, he defends the first two balls. FOUR! Kohli drives the full-pitched delivery through covers, gets his first boundary, that was an easy one to pick after a short ball. A single more from the over. IND 125/2 in 36 overs
13:07 IST Another tidy over from Herath, just a single from it. Kohli is looking to play himself in. IND 120/2 in 35 overs
13:05 IST Kohli on strike, Pradeep continues, the ball goes through everything, a single through byes. Five dot balls to follow. IND 119/2 in 34 overs
13:01 IST Herath continues, Pujara dead bats first ball, a dot one. A short ball to follow from Herath, blocked by Pujara. FOUR! Pujara sweeps the ball for a boundary, it was pitched on the leg side and was asking to be punished. Another mix-up on the last ball of the over but Kohli yells ‘no’. IND 118/2 in 33 overs
12:58 IST Nuwan Pradeep comes into the attack, Pujara flicks the ball, takes a single towards mid on. Kohli gets a loose delivery on his pads and he makes the most of it, gets three runs off that one. The skipper is off the mark. Pujara on strike, once again he flicks the ball and takes a single. Kohli shoulders arms as soon as he saw the ball pitched on off stump line. Two more dot balls from the over. IND 114/2 in 32 overs
12:52 IST Virat Kohli comes out to bat. The Sri Lankan players are all in the circle to keep him on strike. Two dot balls to end the over. IND 109/2 in 31 overs
12:50 IST WICKET! Rahul run out (Chandimal/Dickwella) 57(82)
12:50 IST Herath continues, Rahul takes a couple of runs off the first ball. He is looking to defend now, he is in for the long haul. NO! A huge mix-up between the two, Rahul has to depart, WICKET! Run out, once again he misses out on a big score. IND 109/2 in 30.4 overs
12:47 IST Dilruwan comes to bowl, Rahul plays it along the ground past the bowler, takes a single. Pujara flicks the ball towards square leg, good running between the wickets takes three runs. 50-run partnership between Rahul-Pujara. Rahul defends the ball towards midwicket going back on the back foot. He defends the next one but takes a blunt edge for a single. Pujara flicks again but finds the forward squar leg fielder. Another dot ball to end the over. IND 107/1 in 30 overs
12:43 IST Herath continues after the lunch break. Just a single from the over from Rahul. Pujara is still in defensive mode. IND 102/1 in 29 overs
12:40 IST The players are back in the field for the next session of play.
So far so good for India as they have lost just one wicket yet. The first session belonged to India despite Shikhar Dhawan’s wicket. Though Sri Lankan bowlers seem to be making a comeback in the game now. A few maiden overs from Herath and Pradeep created pressure on India batsmen. Pujara has looked a bit uneasy today, he is taking his time. This is not Galle pitch, it is not a batting paradise. Expect an action-packed game as KL Rahul would be looking to break the jinx and score a hundred.
And that will be Lunch as #TeamIndia get to 101/1 with @klrahul11 on 52* and @cheteshwar1 on 14* #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/zkaRC2m2uK
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 3, 2017
Lunch Break!
12:00 IST This maybe the last over before the lunch break. Dilruwan replaces Pradeep, Pujara on strike, he defends on the back foot. He comes half-forward on the next ball and defends. Pujara goes into the crease and plays it towards square leg, a dot ball. He comes down the track and plays it towards mid on, a dot ball. Another one coming into Pujara, sharp turn for Dilruwan. Another dot ball to end the over. IND 101/1 in 29 overs
11:56 IST Herath continues to create problems, almost gets Rahul through a stumping chance. Rahul comes down the track and hits it over long on for a boundary. 50 for Rahul! IND 101/1 in 28 overs
11:50 IST Pradeep continues, a single taken by Rahul on the first ball, moves to 48. Pujara’s strike rate is around 30. Just a single from the over. IND 97/1 in 27 overs
11:45 IST Herath continues, Rahul on strike, he defends the ball and takes a single off the next, moves to 47. Herath is making Pujara play every ball. Edged and safe, Pujara survives. Just a single from the over. IND 96/1 in 26 overs
11:43 IST Pradeep continues, still no signs of aggression from Rahul. He is happy to take a single off the fourth ball of the over. Two more dot balls from the over. IND 95/1 in 25 overs
11:38 IST Herath is causing a few problems for Pujara, not letting him off the hook that easily. Pujara is resilient as well, he will not give up his wicket that easily. A maiden over from Herath. IND 94/1 in 24 overs
11:35 IST Pradeep comes into the attack, Rahul is once again playing the ball to it’s merit. He is playing on 45 and not looking to give his wicket that easily. A maiden over for him. IND 94/1 in 23 overs
11:30 IST Herath continues, Rahul takes a single off the second ball. Pujara defends two balls and guides the next ball for a couple of runs towards the third man. Whoa! Vicious turn on that ball, beats Pujara. IND 94/1 in 22 overs
11:37 IST Malinda continues, Rahul gets off strike on the first ball, takes a single. Pujara defends the ball with a straight bat. Pujara tries to flick the ball but finds the forward square leg, a dot ball. Pujara sweeps, hits the forward square leg fielder, another dot ball. Pujara pulls again, he hits Kusal Mendis on the head. Just a single from the over, Mendis is fine despite the blow to his head. IND 91/1 in 21 overs
11:23 IST Herath continues, once again Rahul waits for the bad delivery. FOUR! Rahul sweeps the ball for a boundary after facing three dot balls. He takes a single off the fifth ball towards midwicket. A dot ball to end the over. IND 90/1 in 20 overs
11:20 IST Malinda continues, just one boundary from the over as Rahul picks the short delivery and pulls it for four runs. IND 84/1 in 19 overs
11:17 IST Rangana Herath comes back into the attack, Rahul takes a single, gets off strike. Pujara is giving respect to the veteran spinner defending the ball on the back foot. He takes a single towards midwicket off the fourth ball. Rahul takes a single towards covers. Just 3 runs from the over. IND 80/1 in 18 overs
11:13 IST Malinda continues, Rahul goes inside out, another boundary for him, pressure on the bowler now. Rahul comes down the wicket again, Malinda puts in a dive and saves a boundary. Rahul sweeps the ball for a single towards fine leg. Pujara shimmies down the wicket as well, finds the fielder at mid on, a dot ball. He defends the next ball. Pujara takes a couple of runs off the last ball. IND 77/1 in 17 overs
11:10 IST Dilruwan continues after drinks break, Rahul on strike. Rahul goes on the back foot and works the ball towards deep midwicket, takes a single. Pujara plays the next one towards mid on, a dot ball. He plays the next ball towards backward point, takes a couple of runs. FOUR! Pujara comes down the wicket and hits it along the ground for a boundary. Two dot balls to follow. IND 70/0 in 16 overs
DRINKS BREAK!
11:02 IST Malinda Pushpakumara to bowl his first ball in the debut Test. Rahul on strike, he takes a single off the second ball. Pujara is being cautious against the newbie, just a single from the over, off to a great start. IND 63/1 in 15 overs
10:59 IST Dilruwan continues, Pujara edges the first ball but just wide off the slip fielder. A quick single off the next ball, good running between the wickets despite the initial hesitation. Rahul sweeps the ball towards backward square leg, takes a single. Two dot balls to end the over. IND 62/1 in 14 overs
10:56 IST Karunaratne continues, just a couple of runs from the over. Rahul has gone into defensive mode, he knows his wicket is important at this point of the game. IND 60/1 in 13 overs
10:52 IST Sri Lanka finally get a breakthrough, Cheteshwar Pujara comes to bat, it is tough to get him out. Pujara gets a single off the first ball towards short third man. Rahul on strike, he is being cautious after Dhawan’s wicket. Pujara defends the last ball of the over. IND 58/1 in 12 overs
10:47 IST WICKET! Dhawan lbw b Dilruwan Perera 35(37)
10:47 IST Dilruwan Perera comes into the attack, Dhawan on strike, an lbw appeal straight away but the Umpire denies it. Sri Lanka have decided to take the review, the decision is reversed, WICKET! Dhawan has to go for 35. IND 56/1 in 11.1 overs
10:45 IST Karunaratne continues, a huge lbw appeal and the Umpire gives Rahul out. He has taken a decision to review it, the ball seems to be missing the stumps. The review comes in handy, Rahul is safe! Rahul defends the next ball on the back foot, pushes it towards mid on. He works the next ball towards square leg, gets a single. Dhawan takes a single, the ball once again came in sharply. Two more singles from the over. IND 56/0 in 10 overs
10:39 IST Pradeep comes round the wicket now, Dhawan leaves the ball. FOUR! That one was driven with perfection by Dhawan, gets another boundary. Dhawan works the ball towards backward square leg. FOUR! Rahul flicks the ball directed towards his pads, gets a boundary, 50 up for India! Rahul plays the ball towards cover-point, takes a single. Dhawan plays the ball towards mid off, a dot ball. IND 52/0 in 9 overs
10:33 IST Change in bowling, Dimuth Karunaratne comes to bowl, right-arm medium. Rahul defends the first ball off the back foot, it did not bounce that much. The wicketkeeper is standing up and two slips are in place. Rahul defends again, staying in the crease. Rahul pushes the ball towards deep cover, gets a comfortable three runs off that ball. Swing and a miss, Dhawan tries to flick the ball but it hits his pads. Dhawan drives the ball towards covers, gets a single off that ball. Rahul defends the last ball of the over. IND 42/0 in 8 overs
10:29 IST Pradeep continues, Dhawan on strike, FOUR! That was slapped through the offside field for a boundary, what a shot from the left-hander, he surely is in form. Dhawan is trying to hit every ball and get it past the fielders, he is not holding back despite the ball is new. Dhawan drives the ball towards extra cover, gets a couple of runs. Last ball of the over, a huge lbw shout but the Umpire turns him down. IND 38/0 in 7 overs
10:24 IST Herath continues, Dhawan takes a single off the first ball. Rahul on strike, he is playing Herath cautiously. FOUR! Rahul drives the ball with perfection, gets a boundary towards the offside. FOUR! Rahul gets down the track and makes room for himself, gets a boundary towards long off. IND 32/0 in 6 overs
10:21 IST Pradeep continues, starts off with a ball pitched outside offstump, a dot ball. FOUR! Dhawan pulls the ball with perfection, keeps it down and gets a boundary. Dhawan plays the next one towards mid on, a dot ball as it gets fielded inside the circle. Dhawan drives the ball fiercely and finds the fielder, still gets a single as it was struck too hard for the fielder to hold on. The ball came in to Rahul, an lbw appeal but turned down by the Umpire. IND 23/0 in 5 overs
10:16 IST Herath continues, Rahul leaves the ball alone, that was too close to the stumps, narrow escape for him. Rahul shuffles a bit and tries to flick the ball, a dot ball as it was fielded by short leg. Rahul pushes the next one towards mid on, a dot ball. Rahul cuts but fielded by Chandimal at point, another dot ball. He defends the next ballon the back foot. He plays the last ball towards mid on, a maiden over from Herath. IND 18/0 4 overs
10:12 IST Pradeep continues, bowls an outswinger to Dhawan, he leaves it alone. Dhawan is being cautious against Pradeep, he took a 6-fer in the first Test. Dhawan plays the third ball towards short covers, a dot ball. Swing and a miss, Dhawan tries to cut the ball but it goes past him, a dot ball. FOUR! Dhawan plays that one close to the body, cuts it away for a boundary towards backward point, another boundary for him. A dot ball to finish off the over. IND 18/0 in 3 overs
10:08 IST Rangana Herath introduced in the second over only? Sri Lankans have a devised a few strategies here. Rahul on strike, the ball takes an inside edge and goes towards fine leg, a couple of runs off that ball. Rahul drives the next ball through covers, takes a single. Edged and safe again, that was just short of the first slip, he has been lucky today. He punches the next ball towards point, a dot ball. SIX! Dhawan releases the pressure in style, gets down the track and hits it with the spin, a maximum for him. Last ball of the overhe plays it towards mid on, takes a single. IND 14/0 in 2 overs
10:03 IST Nuwan Pradeep will be opening the bowling for Sri Lanka, comes round the wicket from the first ball. Dhawan is happy leaving the new ball alone, dot balls after dot balls from the Sri Lankan strike bowler. FOUR! Edged and goes past the second slip, Dhawan gets lucky in the first over. IND 4/0 in 1 over
09:59 IST KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan have come out to bat.
09:57 IST The players are in the field for the first session of play.
09:45 IST Sri Lanka have opted for three spinners in the second Test, Malinda Pushpakumara comes into the side.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Dimuth Karunaratne, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal(c), Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella(wk), Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Malinda Pushpakumara, Nuwan Pradeep
India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav
09:35 IST Abhinav Mukund out, KL Rahul in, pretty much expected, this change.
09:30 IST Virat Kohli wins toss, elects to bat first!
#TeamIndia win the toss and will bat first. @klrahul11 comes in place of Abhinav Mukund #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/gRdHTvSw34
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 3, 2017
09:30 IST TOSS TIME!
09:25 IST As expected the pitch is entirely different from the one at Galle. We might see a different Sri Lanka today.
KL Rahul’s return
KL Rahul was out of the Test side due to an injury that he suffered in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at home earlier this year. He was phenomenal in that series scoring half century after half century. Rahul was supposed to open at Galle as well but he was a little under the weather. Kohli confirmed his return on August 2, he is likely to replace Abhinav Mukund in the side.
Pitch Report:
This is not an ideal pitch for batting. The Colombo pitch had grass on it, that’s why Kohli said in the press conference that they might be looking forward to bowling on a pitch like that. But things have changed overnight, the grass has been removed and it’s a hard and dry surface.
It is not expected to be a high-scoring affair like the previous one but a low-scoring one. Expect this Test to wrap up early as spin might come into play. With spin coming in handy Sri Lankans have a chance of making a comeback in the Test series as they will be playing to their strengths.
Weather Report:
No threats whatsoever. The conditions might seem gloomy in the latter half of the day but there are barely any chances of even a passing shower at Colombo. Rain would not be able to play spoilsport this time around.
And…off we go #TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/ub0FOy0bCi
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 3, 2017
What’s @ashwinravi99 doing with his better half @prithinarayanan with a microphone in his hand? COMING UP on https://t.co/Z3MPyesSeZ pic.twitter.com/uA5h5oxANI
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 2, 2017
Squads:
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Abhinav Mukund, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal(c), Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Niroshan Dickwella(wk), Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Lakshan Sandakan, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Vishwa Fernando, Malinda Pushpakumara
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