It was an emphatic performance from the Sri Lankan batsmen Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis as they resurrected their batting lineup on Day 3 of the second Test at Colombo. The first session belonged to India as they picked up 8 wickets in the extended first session and asked Sri Lanka to follow on, little did they know that the hosts will pull off a fight back like this. The hosts were bundled out for 183 in the first innings with only Niroshan Dickwella scoring a half century. It was the second and third session which kept the Indian bowlers at bay, especially Ravichandran Ashwin who picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings, his 26th.
They are currently trailing by 230 runs, Mendis departed after scoring a brilliant 110 off 135 balls. Hardik Pandya got the breakthrough. Dimuth Karunaratne is still rock solid and batting on 92 from 200 balls along with Malinda Pushapakumar, the Night Watchman of Sri Lanka.
Day 1, Stumps!
17:07 IST Jadeja continues, trying to spin the ball close from the Night Watchman. The field is set for any snicks and edges. He is trying to lure him to play the ball every time. A maiden to finish off the proceedings of Day 3. SL 209/2 in 60 overs
Good fight back from Sri Lanka and #TeamIndia applaud a good day of Test cricket #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/XyAqZyDvW8
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 5, 2017
17:05 IST Ashwin continues, Karunaratne on strike, FOUR! He gets a boundary off the first ball, good shot from the set batsman. 5 dot balls to follow after that. SL 209/2 in 59 overs
— Cricvids (@Cricvids1) August 5, 2017
— Cricvids (@Cricvids1) August 5, 2017
17:02 IST Jadeja continues, once again Pushpakumara holds fort, just a single from the over. SL 205/2 in 58 overs
17:00 IST Ashwin comes to bowl in an attempt to get the Night Watchman out. Just a couple of runs from the over and a lot of oohs and aahs. But Pushpakumara survives. SL 204/2 in 57 overs
16:57 IST Jadeja comes to bowl, Karunaratne tries an unnecessary reverse sweep, lucky that it did not take a top edge. FOUR! He gets it past the leg slip fielder, a boundary for him. He comes down the track on the next ball, no run. Karunaratne defends the next ball on the front foot, he tries to turn the next towards square leg, another dot ball. Edged but safe, SL 202/2 in 56 overs
16:54 IST Malinda Pushpakumara comes to bat, he defends the fuller delivery from Pandya. SL 198/2 in 55 overs
16:51 IST WICKET! Mendis c Saha b Hardik 110(135) Saha takes an amazing catch, Mendis departs after a well-fought innings. SL 198/2 in 54.5 overs
16:51 IST Pandya continues, Mendis on strike, No ball, FOUR! A boundary for him, he is on song now, not looking to do too much and playing freely. Pandya comes back well after that, three dot balls for him. Inside edge and out, Kusal Mendis is walking off the field, WICKET! Pandya gets the breakthrough for India. SL 198/2 in 54.5 overs
16:46 IST Shami continues, seam bowling from both ends now. Mendis takes a single off the first ball of the over. A dot ball to follow. Karunaratne takes a couple of runs off that delivery. Shami is bringing the ball into the batsman, he might be looking to create that doubt in the mind of the batsman. SL 193/1 in 54 overs
16:42 IST Pandya is hitting the deck hard, just one run from the over and through a no ball. Pandya is trying to bring the ball in. SL 190/1 in 53 overs
16:37 IST Ashwin continues, just two singles from the over. It seems like Sri Lanka will go into Day 4 with 9 wickets intact. SL 189/1 in 52 overs
16:34 IST Pandya is not creating any pressure on the Sri Lankan duo except the yorker he bowled, just one run from the over. SL 187/1 in 51 overs
16:30 IST Ashwin continues, Mendis sweeps the ball for a single towards fine leg. Karunaratne defends the ball on the front foot, a dot ball. Karunaratne has been batting like a wall today, defends the rest of the deliveries. SL 186/1 in 50 overs
16:26 IST Pandya continues, he starts off with a WIDE! That was too short. Mendis takes a single off the next ball. Two more singles from the over. SL 185/1 in 49 overs
16:21 IST Ashwin comes to bowl again, Karunaratne on strike. He is defending every delivery on the front foot. Karunaratne is batting on 75, he has shown similar application to that of Pujara post a few boundaries he scored at the start of the innings. FOUR! He pounces on the short ball and hits it for a boundary towards square of the wicket. SL 181/1 in 48 overs
16:19 IST Hardik Pandya has finally been introduced into the attack, will he get India the much-needed breakthrough. Pandya is hitting the right areas, Karunaratne is taking his time, takes a single off the fifth ball of the over towards the third man. Mendis defends the ball on the front foot with a straight bat. SL 177/1 in 47 overs
Kusal Mendis gets his 3rd Test century! 100* (120b) SL 183 & 176/1 (46.0 Ovs) Sri Lanka trail by 263 runs. https://t.co/U9icN1eKqE #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/CTlYhqRLCU
— Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) August 5, 2017
16:14 IST Jadeja continues after drinks break, Mendis sweeps the ball for a single, moves to 96. Karunaratne on strike, a huge appeal for caught behind but the Umpire says no, Kohli takes the review but the decision remains unchanged! He plays the next one towards square leg, a dot ball. Reverse sweep from him, picks up a couple of runs. He takes a single off the next ball towards midwicket. Mendis on 96. FOUR! Mendis sweeps and reaches his 100. Good resilience from the young batsman, he is celebrating his ton. SL 176/1 in 46 overs
Drinks Break!
16:06 IST Shami continues, Karunaratne again gets off the strike on the second ball he faces. Mendis takes a single after defending one delivery, Shami has not posed much of a threat to the Sri Lanka batsmen. He comes round the wicket to Karunaratne, he defends the ball with a straight bat. He lets the last ball of the over got to Saha. SL 168/1 in 45 overs
16:02 IST Jadeja continues, a single off the over from Karunaratne. FOUR! Mendis ends the over with a boundary, he has entered the 90s now and does not look nervous at all. SL 166/1 in 44 overs
15:59 IST Another maiden over from Shami, created a few problems with ball hitting the pads and pitching it up.SL 161/1 in 43 overs
15:54 IST Jadeja continues, Kohli has not introduced Hardik Pandya into the attack yet. Three dot balls from Jadeja, he is trying to create that area of uncertainty for Mendis. Just three runs from the over. SL 161/1 in 42 overs
15:51 IST Mohammed Shami comes to bowl, with no wickets falling Kohli had to go to his strike bowler. He comes round the wicket to Karunaratne, he plays him cautiously, a maiden over for Shami. SL 158/1 in 41 overs
15:49 IST Runs have dried up to an extent but wickets have not. 4 runs from 2 overs. Karunaratne-Mendis have done exceptionally well to keep Jadeja-Ashwin at bay. SL 158/1 in 40 overs
15:43 IST Ashwin and Jadeja have not been able to put pressure on Sri Lankan batsmen. They have played themselves in and frustrating the spin bowlers. SL 154/1 in 37 overs
15:37 IST Ashwin continues, Karunaratne on strike, he faces three dot balls and takes a single after. One more single from the over, 150 up for Sri Lanka. SL 150/1 in 36 overs
15:34 IST Ravindra Jadeja comes to bowl, two singles from the first three balls. FOUR! Mendis gets another boundary, he is batting on 79 now. Two more dot balls to follow. SL 148/1 in 35 overs
15:26 IST Umesh continues, Karunaratne cuts the first ball fine, FOUR! That was too fast for the square fielder to cut off, Kohli is not happy with that effort. A dot ball to follow after that. Karunaratne tries to play the ball towards fine leg but could not get bat on it, a dot ball. A slower ball from Yadav, well read by Karunaratne who flicks it towards square leg for a single. A dot ball to finish off. SL 140/1 in 34 overs
15:22 IST Ashwin continues, he pitches two deliveries into Karunaratne, two dot balls. Karunaratne guides the next one towards fine leg, takes a single. FOUR! Mendis reverse sweeps, once again finds a boundary, he is heading towards his century now. A couple more runs from the over. SL 135/1 in 33 overs
15:17 IST Meanwhile, there is some problem with the ball, it is getting replaced. Strange that it is being replaced after 32 overs.
15:15 IST Umesh Yadav continues, he is trying to put Mendis under pressure, not giving him much room. He is not giving easy singles to the batsman so that the pressure releases. An attacking field for him as well. A maiden over for him. SL 128/1 in 32 overs
15:12 IST Ashwin continues, Mendis gets a couple of runs off that ball. Just one more single from the over. Ashwin still looking for that edge which might get him the wicket. SL 128/1 in 31 overs
15:10 IST Umesh Yadav to start the proceedings, Mendis flicks it away for a couple of runs towards square leg. He plays the next one on the up, a dot ball. Mendis drives but straight to the extra cover fielder, a dot ball. He guides the next ball towards the third man, takes a single. Umesh comes round the wicket to Karunaratne. FOUR! A boundary to end the over, positive attitude from the Sri Lankan batsmen. SL 125/1 in 30 overs
15:01 IST The players are back on the field for the last session of Day 3. Will this session belong to India or Sri Lankan batsmen continue to counter attack? Stay tuned to find out.
At Tea on Day 3, Sri Lanka on 183 & 118/1 (29.0 Ovs) Mendis 61*, Karunaratne 55*, Partnership: 111(156). https://t.co/U9icN1eKqE #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/2ezFjXAeU5
— Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) August 5, 2017
Tea Break!
14:42 IST Ashwin continues, Karunaratne on strike, he plays the ball with his pad, a dot ball. This is the last over before the tea break. Karunaratne once again uses his pads to play that ball. He defends the next one on his front foot. He defends the next ball getting on the back foot. Another dot ball to end the over, a maiden over for Ashwin. SL 118/1 in 29 overs
14:39 IST Just two singles from Umesh’s over, Karunaratne is not trying to attack the fast bowler. Kohli needs to devise strategies to get these two out. SL 118/1 in 28 overs
14:34 IST Ashwin continues, just two singles and a couple of runs from the over. SL 116/1 in 27 overs
14:30 IST Umesh Yadav comes to bowl, Mendis is beaten on the first ball. He times the next two balls from the middle of the bat. He tries to find the gap on the offside but could not get it past the point fielder. FOUR! Mendis gets that one in the gap, plays it between cover-point, gets a boundary. SL 112/1 in 26 overs
14:25 IST Ashwin continues, Kohli trusting his spinners. Mendis takes a single after playing two dot balls. The spinners are getting turn but the wickets are not coming. Karunaratne plays the next ball towards deep midwicket, gets a couple of runs. FOUR! Karunaratne gets a boundary, 50 for him! That’s a good reply from Sri Lanka after being asked to follow on. A dot ball to end the over. SL 108/1 in 25 overs
14:22 IST Jadeja continues, that one was played on the front foot, a dot ball. FOUR! Mendis pierces the field on the offside, gets a boundary. 50 for Mendis. He takes a single towards deep square leg off the next ball. An lbw appeal off the next ball, Jadeja wanted a review on that one, a dot ball. Another lbw appeal from Jadeja, once again the impact was outside. Another dot ball to end the over. SL 101/1 in 24 overs
14:18 IST Ashwin continues, Karunaratne looks to defend every ball in the over. Another maiden for Ashwin. SL 96/1 in 23 overs
14:15 IST Jadeja continues, Karunaratne takes a single off the first ball. Mendis defends the first ball. FOUR! He sweeps the ball in front of the square and gets a boundary, he has done reasonably well today. He takes a single off the next ball, batting on 49 now from 50 balls. SL 96/1 in 22 overs
14:11 IST The counter attack is on from the Sri Lankan batsmen. Despite the pitch assisting the spin bowlers they have found a way to release pressure. Mendis took on Jadeja and scored four boundaries from his over. Indian bowlers will have to try hard in order to find a breakthrough here. IND 89/1 in 21 overs
Drinks Break!
13:46 IST Jadeja continues, Mendis takes the attacking approach once again, FOUR! The ball goes towards midwicket boundary, that will release some pressure off him. He defends the next ball. Massive turn on that ball, goes past the outside edge. A similar one, this one turned from a fuller length. That one darted back in, a dot ball. Another dot ball to end the over. SL 56/1 in 16 overs
13:43 IST Ashwin continues, spin from both ends is putting pressure on the batsmen. The ball is turning away from the batsman and that too sharply. He has not been able to hit the ball. Another maiden over from Ashwin. SL 52/1 in 15 overs
13:41 IST Jadeja continues, Mendis on strike, he is bowling dot balls after dot balls putting pressure on the batsman. SL 52/1 in 14 overs
13:37 IST Ashwin continues, this time he is not giving any room to Karunaratne, mixing up his pace. A maiden over from Ashwin. SL 52/1 in 13 overs
13:35 IST Jadeja comes to bowl, Karunaratne on strike, he defends the first ball. FOUR! Another reverse sweep, this time around he gets a boundary. He takes a single off the next one. Mendis defends the next two dot balls. FOUR! He takes on Jadeja and hits him for a boundary over mid on. SL 52/1 in 12 overs
13:31 IST Shami continues, Mendis plays it past the mid on fielder, 3 runs for him, good running between the wickets. Two dot balls to follow, Karunaratne plays the ball towards backward square for a single. Two dot balls to follow. SL 43/1 in 11 overs
13:27 IST Ashwin continues, a dot ball to start with. FOUR! Mendis works the ball away for a boundary past the mid off fielder who puts in a dive. FOUR! This time he gets underneath the ball and hits it towards deep midwicket boundary. A single off the next ball towards long on. FOUR! Another boundary to end the over, this has been an expensive one. SL 39/1 in 10 overs
13:22 IST Mohammed Shami comes to bowl, Karunaratne defends the first two balls. FOUR! That one came into the batsman and he works it towards on side for a boundary. Three dot balls to continue.SL 26/1 in 9 overs
13:18 IST Ashwin continues, Mendis on strike, he takes a single off the second ball of the over. Karunaratne did not offer a shot at that time, lbw shout from the fielders but turned down. He takes a single off the next ball towards midwicket. Dropped! Kohli drops the ball in front of him. Mendis survived that one. SL 22/1 in 8 overs
13:14 IST Umesh continues, Karunaratne on strike, FOUR! Pull shot from the batsman, gets a boundary off the first ball of the over. Karunaratne is looking determined to defend the ball and standing his ground. The sun is out now, they were passing clouds after all. A dot ball to end the over. SL 20/1 in 7 overs
13:11 IST Ashwin continues, Karunarante misses it altogether, that one drifted away from him. FOUR! Edged and goes past the slip fielder, reverse sweep from the batsman. That one hit him on the arm guard. Ashwin is squaring him up, it seems like sooner or later he is going to get a wicket. He is using the variation, dropping a few arm balls darted into the batsman and tweaking the another. A single for Karunaratne to end the over. SL 16/1 in 6 overs
13:07 IST Mendis is taking his time now. Meanwhile, dense clouds are hovering over the stadium, rain is expected at Colombo and the ground staff is gathering around. Umesh Yadav is creating problems for Mendis keeping him guessing. Swing bowling display from Umesh. A maiden over from him. SL 11/1 in 5 overs
13:03 IST Kusal Mendis has come to bat once again. So far 9 wickets have fallen on Day 3. The way second innings has started, it seems like the number is only going to increase. Karunaratne on strike, he pushes the ball towards mid off, a dot ball. An lbw appeal off the next ball but he lunged way too much, a dot ball. Whoa! that one was close as well. FOUR! Overpitched delivery, Karunaratne made full use of it and flicked it towards deep midwicket for a boundary. Sharp turn there, beats the batsman, a dot ball. Another dot ball to end the over. SL 11/1 in 4 overs
12:59 IST WICKET! Tharanga b U Yadav 2(9)
12:59 IST Umesh Yadav continues, Karunaratne tries to slice the ball but could not connect, a dot ball. The next one was shaping into the batsman, he defends it, a dot ball. He takes a single off the next ball towards on side. Tharanga on strike for the first time in this Test against Umesh Yadav. He defends the first ball he faces awkwardly towards on side. Tharanga pushes the next ball off the back foot, gets a couple of runs. BOWLED! Tharanga once again gets out cheaply, Yadav draws first blood in the second innings. SL 7/1 in 3 overs
12:54 IST Ashwin will be opening the attack from another end. He is coming round the wicket to Upul Tharanga. Four fielders in catching position, they are surely looking for a catch similar to that off first innings. Tharanga is not at all looking comfortable against Ashwin. A maiden over from him. SL 4/0 in 2 overs
12:52 IST Dimuth Karunaratne comes to bat, Umesh Yadav will open the bowling once again. He lets the first ball go and defends the next, a dot ball. Karunaratne works the ball towards square leg, picks up a couple of runs. He plays the next one towards mid off, could not time it that well. A couple of runs to end the over. SL 4/0 in 1 over
12:45 IST Players are back in the field for the second session of play. Sri Lanka are still trailing by 439 runs.
Happy Bunch! Eight wickets fall in the morning session and #TeamIndia enforce the follow-on #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/tzg6qkBFNX
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 5, 2017
Lunch Break!
12:09 IST Virat Kohli has decided to enforce follow on for a change. Maybe it’s because of the way the pitch is helping the spinners and the fact that India has a lead of 439 runs in the bag.
12:08 IST WICKET! Pradeep b Ashwin 0(6)
King Coconut in the house #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/del6Hy9Iu0
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 5, 2017
12:07 IST Ashwin to Pushpakumara, he is looping the ball in the air and making the batsman reach for it. He picks up a single on the third ball of the over. Pradeep on strike, India are looking for the final wicket here and they get it. Ashwin bamboozles Pradeep, BOWLED! SL 183 all out
12:04 IST Lunch Break has been delayed by half an hour. Pushpakumara comes to bat, SIX! He slogs the ball over the heard of the bowler for a maximum, he will be going for it every time. Swing and a miss on the next ball. FOUR! Umesh Yadav drops the catch at the boundary, once again slogged by Pushpakumara. A single off the fifth ball of the over. Pradeep on strike for the last ball, he defends it. SL 182/9 in 49 overs
12:01 IST Nuwan Pradeep comes to bat despite his hamstring injury. Pradeep is defending the ball, just looking to play out the over before lunch break. SL 171/9 in 48 overs
11:58 IST WICKET! Dilruwan Perera b Ashwin 25(34)
11:58 IST Ashwin is back into the attack, Dilruwan on strike, he defends the first ball. This might be the last over before lunch break. BOWLED! Sri Lanka are nine wickets down. SL 171/9 in 47.2 overs
11:57 IST Jadeja continues, Pushpakumara is not looking to do anything but defence, a maiden over. SL 171/8 in 47 overs
11:53 IST Shami to Malinda Pushpakumara, a dot ball as it hits his chest. A single off the next ball as he pushes the ball towards mid off. Two more singles from the over. SL 171/8 in 46 overs
11:50 IST Jadeja continues, Perera is doing well and using sweep to it’s best effect. 6 runs from the over. SL 168/8 in 45 overs
11:45 IST A single off Shami’s over, Malinda almost got out there. SL 162/8 in 44 overs
11:42 IST Jadeja continues, he is darting the ball into Dilruwan, he defends the first three balls. FOUR! He sweeps the ball for a boundary, good shot from him. FOUR! That one went away from Perera, he made room for himself and gets a boundary. A single off the last ball of the over. SL 161/8 in 43 overs
11:37 IST WICKET! Herath b Shami 2(5)
11:37 IST Rangana Herath comes to bat, he is welcomed by a short ball, defended off the back foot. Two more dot balls to follow. He takes a couple of runs off the next ball. WICKET! That one went between the bat and pads, another wicket. SL 152/8 in 42 overs
11:31 IST WICKET! Dickwella b Shami 51(48) That was a poor shot off the first ball Shami bowled in the first innings. A pre-meditated scoop that went wrong. SL 150/7 in 41.1 overs
11:30 IST Jadeja continues, just a single from the over. SL 150/6 in 41 overs
11:27 IST Ashwin continues, Dickwella gets a single off the first ball. 50 for Dickwella. Perera plays a dot ball. He works the ball into the gap, gets a couple of runs. Saha misses a stumping chance there, Perera was beaten by Ashwin there. He defends the next ball cautiously. A huge lbw appeal off the next ball but turned down by the Umpire, no review taken. SL 149/6 in 40 overs
11:24 IST Jadeja continues, three singles from his over. Dickwella has moved to 49 now from 43 balls, just one away from his half century. SL 146/6 in 39 overs
11:21 IST Ashwin continues, Dickwella on strike, he defends the first ball. FOUR! Dickwella gets a boundary, he has moved to 46 now. A single off the next ball. SIX! Perera gets down the wicket and gets a maximum off the last ball, he has made up his mind as well. SL 143/6 in 38 overs
11:17 IST Jadeja continues, Dickwella on strike, FOUR! He goes down the track on the second ball of the over, he is having a good time irrespective of the wickets falling. A dot ball to follow. FOUR! Another boundary for him, just guiding it past fine leg fielder. 9 runs from the over. SL 132/6 in 37 overs
11:14 IST Ashwin continues, Dickwella has become cautious now, takes a single off the fifth ball. Perera defends another delivery. SL 123/6 in 36 overs
11:12 IST Dilruwan Perera comes to bat, he defends the first ball. SL 122/6
11:07 IST WICKET! Dhananjaya de Silva b Jadeja 0(1) That one went straight through the gate, de Silva was dumbfounded there. SL 122/6
11:07 IST Dhananjaya de Silva comes to bat but he is off strike. Dickwella goes for a reverse sweep but misses the ball, a dot one. WICKET! SL 122/6
11:00 IST WICKET! Mathews c Pujara b Ashwin 26(33) Mathews’ little cameo has been cut short by Ashwin, Sri Lanka are in deep trouble with half the side back into the pavilion. SL 117/5 in 35 overs
11:00 IST Ashwin continues, Dickwella defends the ball staying in the crease. FOUR! Dickwella picks the short ball and goes back into the crease, a boundary for him towards point. He plays the next ball towards mid on, a dot ball. In the air again but safe, a couple of runs for Dickwella as he mistimes the sweep. A single off the next ball. Edged and gone! That’s a wonderful catch by Pujara, excellent work from him. SL 117/5 in 34 overs
10:55 IST Jadeja continues, Mathews on strike, SIX! He hits that one over long on, that was timed with perfection, a maximum for him. Massive turn there, Mathews was beaten on that delivery. He flicks the next ball towards square leg, takes a single. Dickwella sweeps the ball in front of square, takes a single. SIX! Mathews goes big again, this time hits it straight past the bowler for a maximum. SL 110/4 in 33 overs
10:50 IST Ashwin comes in to bowl, darts the ball into Dickwella as he sweeps it for a single. Mathews goes into his crease and plays it towards midwicket, Kohli throws it back quickly, saves a single. Mathews plays the ball towards mid on, a dot ball. He defends the next ball on the front foot. Mathews sweeps, it was in the air but safe, Shami fields it, a single off that delivery. SIX! Dickwella goes down the track and hits the ball with the spin. SL 96/4 in 32 overs
10:47 IST Jadeja continues, Dickwella on strike, that one turned a mile, a single as he goes on the back foot and works it towards cover-point. Mathews pushes the ball towards mid off, a dot ball. Turn and bounce! He lures Mathews into the shot and the ball turns away from him. Mathews plays the next ball towards gully, a dot ball. Mathews takes a couple of runs towards sweeper cover. Three runs from the over. SL 88/4 in 31 overs
10:43 IST Yadav is still looking to bowl fast and bring more variations creating problem for the new batsmen. Just a single from his over. SL 85/4 in 30 overs
10:39 IST Jadeja continues, a fruitful over for Sri Lanka as Mathews and Dickwella have taken a rather attacking approach. 7 runs from the over including a boundary. SL 84/4 in 29 overs
10:35 IST Umesh Yadav continues, he has bowled with pace and bounce today showing a different side of the Indian bowling attack. FOUR! Dickwella slices that one away for a boundary, just four runs from the over. SL 76/4 in 28 overs
10:31 IST Jadeja continues, it seems like he is going to bowl a long spell. Five dot balls from the over. FOUR! Mathews goes for a wild slog, gets a boundary towards deep midwicket. SL 72/4 in 27 overs
10:27 IST Niroshan Dickwella comes to bat, he defends the first ball on the back foot. FOUR! Dickwella drives the ball through covers, gets a boundary on the second ball he faces. SL 68/4 in 26 overs
10:23 IST WICKET! Kusal Mendis c Kohli b U Yadav 24(64) Mendis makes a mess, the ball is hung up in the air and Kohli makes no mistake, a wicket for Umesh Yadav and Sri Lanka are in deep trouble. SL 64/4 in 25.4 overs
10:21 IST Angelo Mathews comes to bat, once again he has the responsibly of Sri Lankan side on his shoulders. Edged and dropped! Kohli drops the catch diving to his left, Mathews survives. FOUR! Mathews guides the ball fine, gets a boundary and off the mark. SL 64/3 in 25 overs
10:16 IST WICKET! Chandimal c Hardik Pandya b Jadeja 10(34) He picked the fielder with perfection, Chandimal’s comeback was not an ideal one. SL 60/3 in 24.1 overs
10:16 IST Chandimal takes a single off the second delivery, a run added to Sri Lankan scoreboard after 13 dot balls. A couple of runs taken off the last ball of the over. SL 60/2 in 24 overs
10:11 IST Jadeja extracts too much turn on that occasion, Mendis defends all the deliveries from the over, another maiden. SL 57/2 in 23 overs
10:09 IST Umesh Yadav comes to bowl, edged and safe again, that one was short of the slip fielder, Chandimal survives. He plays the next one towards mid on, a dot ball. Swing and a miss, that one was full and moved away from the batsman. He nips the next one back into the batsman, a dot ball. Chandimal plays the next two balls cautiously. SL 57/2 in 22 overs
10:04 IST Ravindra Jadeja to start the proceedings, Chandimal defends the first three deliveries, letting himself get an idea of the pitch, he takes a single off the fourth ball. Edged and safe, FOUR! Mendis edges the ball through the slip fielders, the gully was too close to the batsman. Mendis works the ball towards deep midwicket, picks up a couple of runs. SL 57/2 in 21 overs
Big day for the bowlers on Day 3. How much can #TeamIndia restrict the hosts to? #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/ZU0K5L83lo
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 5, 2017
09:59 IST Players are in the field for the first session of play.
09:49 IST The match is expected to start at it’s usual time. Stay tuned for live updates from Colombo.
09:33 IST No signs of rain yet, clouds look harmless at this point of time. Meanwhile, Jadeja does a Murali Karthik impersonation in the practice session.
09:16 IST Ashwin will be riding high on the two wickets he got in the third session, he will be raring to bag a five-wicket haul in the second Test.
09:09 IST Will rain play spoilsport on Day 3 of what has been a one-sided affair? Stay glued to catch all the updates.
When @imjadeja did a @kartikmurali impersonation #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/MVRm2VbaOY
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 5, 2017
Pitch Report:
The pitch has shown signs of wear and tear in the third session of Day 2. With Ashwin getting help from the pitch it is expected that Ravindra Jadeja reciprocates his efforts as well. The dry pitch of Colombo will assist the spin bowlers giving India a fair chance to bowl Sri Lanka out on Day 3.
Weather Report:
The weather forecast does not look much promising for the Indian side. It is expected to be mostly cloudy at Colombo with a few rain showers expected in the second and third session of Day 3. The rain might be a blessing for Sri Lankan batsmen who will be looking to kill the time at the pitch.
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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