Day 1, Stumps!
17:24 IST Fernando continues, the first one was down the leg side. He takes a single off the next ball. Pandya takes a single after facing a dot ball. Saha defends the next ball of the over. Last ball of the Day 1. Saha lets the ball go to Dicwella. Saha and Pandya will walk back to the pavilion unbeaten. IND 329/6 in 90 overs
17:17 IST Hardik Pandya comes to bat but Saha on strike.FOUR! Goes through the slips, gets a boundary. He takes a single off the next ball. IND 327/6 in 89 overs
17:10 IST WICKET! Ashwin c Dickwella b Vishwa Fernando 31(75) IND 322/6 in 88 overs
17:05 IST Kumara continues, Ashwin takes a quick single off the first ball. Saha leaves the along, picks up a single off the next. Ashwin takes a couple of runs off the fifth ball of the over. IND 319/5 in 87 overs
17:01 IST Pushpakumara continues, first two balls are defended by Saha on the front foot. A maiden over from the left-armer. IND 315/5 in 86 overs
16:58 IST The new ball has been taken, Ashwin defends the first ball from Fernando. FOUR! That was worked away for a boundary towards fine leg, easy picking for him. A huge lbw shout off the next ball, Chandimal opts for a review, that was a clear inside edge. That was a pathetic review. A dot ball to follow. A couple of runs off the last ball of the over. IND 315/5 in 85 overs
16:52 IST Pushpakumara continues, just one single from the over for Ashwin. He is struggling against the left-arm spinner. IND 309/5 in 84 overs
16:48 IST Saha on strike, Sandakan continues, he is trying to push him on the back foot forcing an error when the ball’s spin varies. Sah sweeps the ball on the full, takes a single off the fourth ball of the over. Ashwin goes back into the crease and guides the ball towards cover-point, takes a single. Saha plays the ball towards long off, takes a single. IND 308/5 in 83 overs
16:45 IST Another good over, just 2 singles from the over. Saha and Ashwin will have to take the innings forward and ensure that India score more than 500 here. IND 306/5 in 82 overs
16:42 IST Sandakan continues, Saha and Ashwin knock the ball around for singles 7 runs from the over. IND 304/5 in 81 overs
16:39 IST Pushpakumara continues, just a single off the second ball of the over. Four dot balls to end the over. IND 297/5 in 80 overs
16:37 IST Wriddhiman Saha comes to bat, the first ball was reviewed but turned down by the Umpire. Three dot balls to follow. IND 296/5 in 79 overs
16:30 IST WICKET! Kohli c Karunaratne b Sandakan 42(84) IND 296/5 in 78.2 overs
16:28 IST Pushpakumara and Sandakan have stopped the flow of boundaries. Kohli and Ashwin have been successful so far in defending and not throwing away their wicket. 7 runs from the 2 overs. IND 296/4 in 78 overs
16:22 IST Pushpakumara continues, Ashwin works the ball into the gap, the outfield is still slow, a couple of runs taken. Two dot balls to follow. A single taken off the next ball towards midwicket. IND 289/4 in 76 overs
16:18 IST Sandakan continues, he plays the ball towards short fine leg, takes a couple of runs. Kohli pushes the ball towards long on, takes a single. Two dot balls to follow. A single taken off the last ball of the over. IND 286/4 in 75 overs
16:15 IST Pushpakumara continues, Kohli once again takes a single. Ashwin is a bit struggling against the bowler. IND 282/4 in 74 overs
Drinks Break!
16:09 IST Kumara continues, Kohli takes a single off the first over, he is just rotating the strike. Ashwin is on a block-a-thon here, defends the last five deliveries. IND 279/4 in 73 overs
16:04 IST Kohli on strike, he takes a single off the first ball off Pushpakumara’s over. Ashwin has not been able to play the ball past the 30-yard circle. IND 278/4 in 72 overs
16:01 IST Lahiru Kumara has been introduced into the attack, first ball is defended by the batsman. Ashwin picks up a single off the next ball, he falls on the non-striking end trying to come back for a couple of runs. A dot ball to follow as Kohli defends. Kohli takes a single off the next one, he has moved to 31 now, looking calm and composed in the crease. Ashwin defends the ball towards covers. A fuller delivery to end the over, a dot ball. IND 277/4 in 71 overs
15:55 IST Pushpakumara continues, Ashwin is keen on defending, he takes a single off the third ball of the over towards midwicket. Kohli defends the ball on the front foot. He defends the next two balls. IND 275/4 in 70 overs
15:53 IST Sandakan continues, Kohli takes a single off the first ball of the over. Ashwin is knocking the ball around now, a couple of runs taken two times from the over. A single to end the over. IND 274/4 in 69 overs
15:50 IST Pushpakumara continues, Kohli takes a single off the first ball. Ashwin refrains from taking him on, just a single from the over. IND 269/4 in 68 overs
15:47 IST Sandakan continues, not asking too many questions from the new batsman. Three singles from the over. Sri Lanka have made a terrific comeback on Day 1. IND 267/4 in 67 overs
15:43 IST Ravichandran Ashwin comes to bat, he defends the two balls from Pushpakumar. IND 264/4 in 66 overs
15:39 IST WICKET! Rahane b Pushapkumara 17(48) IND 264/3 in 65.4 overs
15:38 IST Another good over from Sandakan, just one single from it. IND 261/3 in 65 overs
15:36 IST Pushpakumara continues, just a single for Rahane, the Sri Lankan is putting pressure on the Indian batsman. IND 260/3 in 63 overs
15:32 IST Sandakan takes a review on the first ball of the over but turned down the by the Umpire. FOUR! Rahane replies with a boundary, good shot from him. Just 4 runs from the over. IND 259/3 in 62 overs
15:27 IST Fernando continues, Kohli on strike, three dot balls to the skipper. FOUR! He finds a boundary on this occasion, turns a good over into a fruitful one. Two more dot balls to follow. It seems Fernando pulled his hamstring there. IND 255/4 in 61 overs
15:21 IST Sandakan continues, runs have been hard to come by in his over now. Just a couple of runs from the over. IND 251/3 in 60 overs
15:18 IST Fernando continues, Rahane lets the ball go to Dickwella. Another dot ball to follow. Rahane takes a single off the third ball of the over. Kohli on strike, he decides to take the defensive approach. IND 249/3 in 59 overs
15:15 IST Sandakan continues, a single taken by Rahane. Kohli could not take a single off the remaining five deliveries. IND 248/3 in 58 overs
15:11 IST Fernando continues, Kohli uses his wrists and picks up a couple of runs. A dot ball to follow. FOUR! No problem whatsoever just pushes it away for a boundary, the fielder had no chance to cut that one off. Another cover drive but extra cover fielder collects it, a dot ball. Kohli lets the next ball go to Dickwella. Another one left alone. IND 247/3 in 57 overs
15:07 IST Sandakan continues, Rahane drives the ball through covers, takes a couple of runs. Two more couple of runs from the over, 6 runs from it. IND 241/3 in 56 overs
15:01 IST The players are back in the field for the third session of the play.
14:55 IST The second session belonged to Sri Lanka as they picked up three crucial wickets. They are making a comeback in the game. Pressure is on Kohli-Rahane in the third session of the game.
Tea Break!
14:44 IST Fernando continues, Kohli on strike, he is trying to make the Indian skipper play every ball. Good fielding from the Sri Lankan fielder ensures that he does not get off the strike. He leaves the next ball. He offers no shot off the next ball as well, not looking to take chances with three slips in place. Last ball before the tea break left alone. IND 235/3 in 55 overs
14:39 IST Kohli was defending the ball off the front foot. He took a single off the fourth ball. Two dot balls to Rahane. IND 235/3 in 54 overs
14:38 IST Rahane on strike, just a couple runs off Fernando’s over, not looking to lose any wickets before the tea break. IND 234/3 in 54 overs
14:33 IST Sandakan is putting pressure on Rahane, just a single off the last ball of the over. IND 232/3 in 53 overs
14:30 IST Vishwa Fernando comes to bowl, Kohli works the ball for a couple of runs towards sweeper cover, a dot ball to follow. Kohli is defending, he knows his wicket holds value now. Just 2 runs from the over. IND 231/3 in 52 overs
14:24 IST Ajinkya Rahane comes to bat, he defends the first ball. He goes into the crease and defends again. The next one hits his pads, a mild appeal but turned down. Another dot ball to end the over. IND 229/3 in 51 overs
14:21 IST WICKET! Pujara c Mathews b Sandakan 8(33) IND 229/3 in 50.1 overs
14:19 IST Pushpakumara continues, he defends the first ball. FOUR! First boundary for Kohli as he goes down the ground. A single taken off the 5th ball of the over. A dot ball to Pujara. IND 229/2 in 50 overs
14:16 IST Sandakan continues, Pujara and Kohli are being cautious as the tea break is drawing near. IND 223/2 in 49 overs
14:13 IST Virat Kohli comes to bat, he defends the first four balls and takes a single off the last ball and gets off the mark. IND 220/2 in 48 overs
14:08 IST WICKET! Dhawan c Chandimal b Pushpakumara 119(123) Dhawan sweeps the ball, Chandimal gets that one flying in the air. IND 219/2 in 47.1 overs
14:06 IST Lakshan Sandakan comes to bowl, Pujara on strike. Edged and goes past the fielder, another one the fielder could not get his hand to, three runs taken off that ball. Dhawan on strike, he plays the ball towards covers, a dot ball. Pujara plays the ball towards sweeper cover, takes a couple of runs. Pujara uses his feet and flicks the ball towards midwicket, takes a single. Dhawan defends the ball on the front foot. Dhawan goes back into the crease and works it away for a single. IND 219/1 in 47 overs
14:03 IST Pushpakumara continues, Dhawan tries to sweep the ball, misses, a dot ball. He takes a single towards deep midwicket. Pujara pushes the ball towards mid on, a dot ball. He tries to flick the ball off the back foot but could not get much of bat on it. Pujara flicks the ball towards short leg, a dot ball. A quick single off the last ball of the over. IND 213/1 in 46 overs
13:59 IST Kumara continues, Dhawan plays it into the gap, gets a couple of runs off the first ball. FOUR! Short ball from Kumara and he dispatches it on the front foot, pulls the ball for a boundary in front of square. He flicks the misdirected ball towards fine leg, takes a single. Pujara on strike, he defends the ball towards mid on, a dot ball. Two more dot balls to follow as Pujara is in no mood to rush. IND 211/1 in 45 overs
13:56 IST Pushpakumara continues, Dhawan defends the first ball. He tries to paddle sweep the next one, three runs through byes as Dickwella could not hold on to it. Pujara struggles against the spinner early on. IND 204/1 in 44 overs
13:51 IST Pujara on strike, Kumara continues, a maiden over for him. IND 201/1 in 43 overs
13:47 IST Pushpakumara continues, Dhawan on strike, he defends the first ball. FOUR! Dhawan gets to his century in style, 100 for Gabbar! He celebrates in style, though we are not sure whether it is a victory sign or signalling for two centuries in the series. FOUR! He goes on the back foot and drives the ball towards covers for a boundary. He plays the next one towards midwicket. He pushes the ball towards long on. IND 200/1 in 42 overs
13:42 IST Kumara continues, he takes a single off the first ball and moves to 99. Pujara on strike, he works the ball towards onside, takes a couple of runs. He defends the next ball, a dot one. He pushes the ball towards covers, a dot ball. Pujara defends the next ball towards onside, a dot ball. Short ball and it hits Pujara on the helmet. IND 191/1 in 41 overs
13:39 IST Cheteshwar Pujara comes to bat. He defends the next three deliveries. IND 188/1 in 40 overs
13:36 IST WICKET! Rahul c Karunaratne b Pushpakumara 85(135)
13:35 IST Malinda Pushpakumara has been introduced into the attack. Dhawan takes a single and moves to 98. Rahul punches the ball but straight to the bowler. WICKET! Rahul comes down the wicket and tries to clear the mid on, Karunaratne catches it. IND 188/1 in 39.3 overs
13:31 IST Kumara continues, a dot ball to start with. He takes a single, moves to 96. Rahul works the ball towards midwicket, takes a single. Dhawan takes a single towards deep midwicket. Rahul plays with a straight bat, fielded at mid on, no run. He defends another one. IND 187/0 in 39 overs
13:26 IST Sandakan continues, a single off the first ball of the over. A dot ball to follow, two singles to follow. Another dot ball. Edged but safe, another dot ball to end the over. IND 181/0 in 38 overs
13:22 IST Lahiru Kumara comes back into the attack, a dot ball to start with to Dhawan. He plays the next ball towards midwicket. Rahul defends the ball on the front foot with a straight bat. Another dot ball to continue, he plays the next one towards deep midwicket, three runs off that one. Dhawan plays the ball towards mid on, a dot ball to end the over. IND 180/0 in 37 overs
13:17 IST Sandakan continues, a single off the first ball of the over. Dhawan punches the ball towards back foot, a dot ball. FOUR! Here comes another boundary from Dhawan, he has moved into the 90s now. A dot ball to follow, a single taken off the next ball. A dot ball to end the over. IND 176/0 in 36 overs
13:14 IST Fernando continues, Dhawan plays the ball towards extra cover, a dot ball. He plays the next one towards offside, another dot ball. FOUR! Dhawan finally finds a boundary to end the over. IND 170/0 in 35 overs
13:09 IST Sandakan continues, FOUR! Dhawan is showing no mercy to the youngster, hits him for another boundary. FOUR! It just keeps getting better and better, sweeps the ball for a boundary. Dhawan works the next ball towards covers. A dot ball to follow. No runs scored off the last two balls. IND 166/0 in 34 overs
13:05 IST Fernando continues, short ball to Dhawan, FOUR! that one was wide and short, gets a boundary off the first ball. He dabs the ball towards short cover, takes a quick single. Rahul defends the next ball, a dot one. Next ball, that one beats the batsman, some late swing from him. Two more dot balls to follow. IND 157/0 in 33 overs
13:01 IST Sandakan continues, the first ball spun away from Dhawan beating the outside edge off the bat. Dhawan wildly sweeps the ball and hits the short leg fielder on the helmet. Nothing to worry about as he laughs it off, a dot ball. He takes a single off the next ball. Rahul tries to work the ball towards square leg, a dot ball as he could not get bat on that. Rahul goes back into the crease and plays the ball towards covers, a dot ball as it gets fielded inside the circle. Another dot ball to end the over. IND 152/0 in 32 overs
12:56 IST Fernando continues, FOUR! Rahul hammers the good length for a boundary. The youngster is trying hard but not able to ask questions from the batsmen. Two dot balls to follow. NO BALL! He oversteps. Rahul takes a single off the next ball, 150 up for India! One more single from the over. IND 151/0 in 31 overs
12:51 IST Sandakan continues, a single taken off the second ball. He is bowling much better after the lunch break. Two dot balls to follow to Dhawan. He takes a single off the next ball towards backward square leg. Rahul takes another single. IND 144/0 in 30 overs
12:46 IST Fernando continues, Dhawan plays a dot ball, he takes a single off the second ball of the over. Rahul defends the next two balls. He takes a single off the next, a quick one. Dhawan lets the next ball go to Dickwella. IND 141/0 in 29 overs
12:44 IST Dilruwan Perera starts the proceedings after the first session. Dhawan takes a single off the second ball. FOUR! Rahul gets another boundary, he is using the crease well. Just 5 runs from the over. IND 139/0 in 28 overs
12:43 IST Players are in the field for the second session of play.
12:10 IST So far the story of the third Test has been same as the last two. KL Rahul will be looking to convert this one into a 100. He has not scored a century in a long time. Dhawan too has made the dropped chance count and pounce on the Sri Lankan bowlers. Dinesh Chandimal needs to revise his strategies to put Indian openers under pressure otherwise they might be looking at another 600 plus score in the first innings on Day 2.
Back to work! #TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/kcYcLGXIdz
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 12, 2017
Lunch Break!
12:01 IST Perera continues, Rahul takes a single off the first ball of the over. Dhawan defends the next ball followed by a single towards fine leg. FOUR! Rahul goes on the back foot and cuts the ball away for a boundary, another one for him. FOUR! Here comes another one, that was full from Perera and put away for a boundary. A dot ball to finish off. IND 134/0 in 27 overs
11:57 IST Sandakan continues, Dhawan on strike, he is bowling a tight line now. Dhawan too is not trying to do anything extraordinary, just knocking the ball around in search for singles. FOUR! That was a full toss from Sandakan, the ball was smacked by Dhawan for a boundary. Dhawan plays the ball with his pad. IND 124/0 in 26 overs
11:54 IST Perera continues, Rahul on strike, he is being cautious ahead of the lunch break. Not looking to lose his wicket once again after scoring 50. A couple of runs off the last ball of the over. IND 120/0 in 25 overs
11:52 IST Lakshan Sandakan comes to bowl, replacing Rangana Herath in the team. Dhawan goes on the back foot and plays the ball towards offside, a single taken off the first ball. A fuller delivery from Sandakan, Rahul plays it towards covers. He defends the last ball of the over on the back foot. Next ball, he turns it for a single towards square leg. Dhawan flicks the ball for a single towards square leg. Rahul pushes the ball for a single. IND 118/0 in 24 overs
11:47 IST Perera continues, Rahul on strike, he is trying to get the ball past the offside fielders, two dot balls to start with. He comes forward and tries to play the ball towards point, another dot ball, sends Dhawan back. He defends the next ball. He tries to play the ball fine but mistimes, a dot ball. Another one defended, a maiden over for Perera. IND 114/0 in 23 overs
11:44 IST Kumara continues, Rahul defends the first ball towards offside, a dot ball. Rahul plays the next ball towards the offside as well, it was a bit shorter from Kumara. A dot ball to follow as Rahul lets the ball go. Good over from Kumara so far, no runs scored. A single off the last ball of the over. IND 114/0 in 22 overs
11:39 IST Perera continues, a single taken by Dhawan on the first ball. Rahul goes into the crease and takes a single towards square leg. Dhawan adn Rahul are happy to take singles and keep the scoreboard moving. A dot ball to end the over. IND 113/0 in 21 overs
11:36 IST Half an hour to go before the lunch break and Indian openers are still dominating. Kumara continues, two dot balls from him to Dhawan. He takes a single off the next ball. Rahul works the ball into the gap, takes a couple of runs, 50 for Rahul! A single taken off the next ball as Rahul pulls. Dhawan takes a single and retains strike. IND 109/0 in 20 overs
11:31 IST Perera continues, Rahul takes a couple of runs off the first ball, he is nearing his half century as well. He defends the next ball. Whoa! that one was able to beat Rahul, lucky that he survived. He takes a single towards square leg off the next ball, moves to 48. Dhawan comes down the track on the last ball of the over, takes a single, retains strike. IND 104/0 in 19 overs
11:26 IST Kumara is back into the attack, Rahul on strike, FOUR! Rahul plays the ball towards extra cover, he moves to 44 with that shot. A single off the next ball, Dhawan on strike, he is on 48. Dhawan wanted a quick single and had to return as Rahul said no. Good call from Rahul. FOUR! Dhawan gets a boundary through a cover drive, 50 for Dhawan. 100 up for India as well. He plays the next ball towards mid off, a dot ball. Meanwhile a chunk off Dhawan’s bat comes off. IND 100/0 in 18 overs
11:21 IST Perera continues, Dhawan and Rahul take singles off the first two balls. Dhawan comes down the track and gently pushes the ball towards long on, takes a single. Rahul defends the next ball. One more single from the over. IND 91/0 in 17 overs
11:17 IST Karunaratne continues, a quick single for Rahul, good running between the wickets. Dhawan defends the ball on the front foot. He takes a single off the next ball towards covers. Rahul takes another single. Dhawan plays the ball towards covers, a dot ball. Dhawan tries to suffle, at the end takes just a single from the last ball. IND 87/0 in 16 overs
11:14 IST Perera continues, Dhawan on strike, FOUR! He comes down the wicket and hits it down the ground for a boundary, he is not holding back. Two dot balls to continue, Dhawan is once again dominating the Sri Lankan bowling attack. FOUR! Short ball and put away for a boundary, he moves to 43, nearing another half century. He flicks the ball for a single towards square leg. Rahul goes on the back foot and takes a single towards long on. IND 83/0 in 15 overs
11:09 IST The drinks break is over. Karunarante continues, Rahul on strike, he mistimes the ball going down the leg side, a dot ball. He works the next ball towards square leg, takes a single. Two dot balls to continue to Dhawan. The next one came back in to Dhawan, good delivery from Karunaratne. Dhawan plays the ball towards midwicket, misfielding causes 3 runs. IND 73/0 in 14 overs
Drinks Break!
11:04 IST Dilruwan Perera comes to bowl, a no ball to start with, freebie to India. Rahul plays the next ball towards mid wicket, a dot ball. He finds the gap on the next one, takes a single. Just two runs from the over. IND 69/0 in 13 overs
10:58 ISTKarunarante continues, Rahul pushes the ball towards mid off, a dot ball. Next ball, it was played towards covers, a dot ball. In the air and dropped! Rahul goes for the big shot but survives as Kumara drops the ball going back. Both the openers have been dropped in the first session, poor fielding from Sri Lankan fielders. Three runs off the next ball for Rahul, that will cool him off. Dhawan pushes the ball towards covers, a dot ball. FOUR! Dhawan scores another boundary, Karunaratne will not be happy with that. IND 67/0 in 12 overs
10:53 IST Fernando continues, Rahul tries to play it towards offside but could not time it, a dot ball. He plays the ball towards onside, takes a single. Dhawan pulls the short ball for a single towards square leg. Rahul is a little watchful off the next ball, defends it on the back foot. A lovely shot from Rahul, a couple of runs off that one, should have been boundary. Rahul robbed off a boundary due to the wet outfield. A quick single to end the over. IND 58/0 in 11 overs
10:47 IST Karunarante continues, Dhawan picks up a single, 50 up for India! In just 47 minutes. Whoa! that one missed the outside edge off the bat, a dot ball. He defends the next ball on the back foot. Next ball worked away through the slips, Rahul will get a couple of runs off that one towards the third man. A quick single to end the over. IND 53/0 in 10 overs
10:44 IST Fernando continues, Dhawan defends the first ball, a dot one. FOUR! Dhawan cuts it away for a boundary towards square, that was an easy picking for him. Dhawan takes a single off the next ball towards midwicket. He has scored 26 runs off 19 balls so far. Rahul plays the ball towards mid off, a dot ball. Two more dot balls from the over. IND 49/0 in 9 overs
10:39 IST Dimuth Karunaratne comes to bowl, Rahul defends it on the front foot. He lets the next ball go, two dot balls to start with. He plays the next one towards fine leg, takes a single. Dhawan cuts the ball away for a single towards square of the wicket. That one was shaping away from Rahul, he plays it towards point, a dot ball. Last ball pushed towards short cover fielder, a dot ball. IND 44/0 in 8 overs
10:34 IST Fernando continues, Rahul plays the ball on the back foot, takes a quick single. Next ball, came into Dhawan and hit his pads, an appeal from the bowler but it was going high and missing the leg stump. Dhawan lets the next ball go to Dickwella, a dot ball. Dhawan wants a quick single but sent back by Rahul. Dhawan plays a cover drive, it should have gone towards the boundary but the outfield is wet, three runs taken off that one one, good running between the wickets. Rahul takes another quick single. IND 42/0 in 7 overs
10:29 IST Kumara continues, Dhawan on strike, FOUR! That was short and wide and slapped away for a boundary, he would not miss those. Dhawan plays a similar shot but could not time it well, picks up three runs towards square of the wicket as Perera cuts it off just before the boundary line. FOUR! Rahul plays an on drive and gets another boundary, runs have been coming easy once again for India. I know it’s a bit premature but another 600 on cards? FOUR! Rahul pulls the short ball, back-to-back boundaries for him. He lets the next ball go, no shot offered. A quick single from Rahul-Dhawan on the last ball. IND 37/0 in 6 overs
10:22 IST Fernando continues, Rahul plays the ball towards midwicket, a dot ball. Rahul comes forward on the next one and defends it, a dot ball. An inside edge off the next ball as Rahul plays away from the body and hits his thigh pads, a dot ball. Next ball was drifting past the leg stump, another dot ball. He plays the next ball towards midwicket, a dot ball. A maiden over from Fernando. IND 21/0 in 5 overs
10:18 IST Kumara continues, Rahul on strike, FOUR! That was full and wide, Rahul does well to guide it towards the third man boundary. He defends the next ball. Rahul lets the next ball go, late swing on that ball, goes away from wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella, a single taken as Umpire signals byes. FOUR! Dhawan goes on the back foot and hits the ball for a boundary towards square of the wicket. He goes on the back foot again and pushes the ball towards covers, picks up a quick single. A yorker from Lumara, Rahul defends it and picks up a single. IND 21/0 in 4 overs
10:14 IST Fernando to Dhawan, he has not offered any shot for the first three balls. Fernando is hitting the right line and lengths unlike the first over. Dhawan is happy to leave another one, good pace from the youngster, he is getting there slowly. Edged and FOUR! Dhawan pushes the ball hard and ends up edging it, the ball goes between the slip fielders for a boundary.A dot ball to end the over with. IND 10/0 in 3 overs.
10:09 IST Lahiru Kumara comes to bowl, a back of the length delivery to start with, Rahul defends it on the back foot. He lets the next ball go to the wicketkeeper. He plays the next ball back to the bowler. Good bowling from Kumara, unlike the first Test, he is hitting the right areas. Next one came into the batsman, a mild lbw appeal but turned down. A maiden over for Kumara. IND 6/0 in 2 overs
10:05 IST Dhawan on strike, he takes a single off the first ball from Vishwa Fernando. A fuller delivery to Rahul, he digs it away for a couple of runs towards square leg. Rahul defends the next two balls. Rahuls works the next ball towards square leg again, takes a couple of runs. So far Fernando has looked to attack the stumps. A leg bye to finish off the over. IND 6/0 in 1 over
And…we are off #TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/mPZLZwmLp6
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 12, 2017
09:58 IST Rahul and Dhawan are in the field for the first session of play.
09:57 IST Meanwhile, this is Wriddhiman Saha’s 100th First-Class appearance. This shows how experienced he is.
09:51 IST India have not played against Vishwa Fernando, he might be the X-factor Sri Lanka need to get past the Indian batting lineup.
09:46 IST KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan will be walking out to bat for India and open the innings.
09:40 IST Dinesh Chandimal makes three changes in the side. Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara to play the third Test.
Playing XIs-
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal(c), Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella(w), Dilruwan Perera, Malinda Pushpakumara, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav
.@imkuldeep18 seems all set and ready for the Kandy Test! #TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/4w61K25UGI
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 12, 2017
09:33 IST Kuldeep Yadav replaces banned Ravindra Jadeja in the side!
09:31 IST Virat Kohli once again wins the toss, elects to bat first!
Toss done. #TeamIndia win the toss and will bat first. Just one change – @imkuldeep18 in place of Jadeja #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/yHDr1J7nR0
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 12, 2017
TOSS TIME!
Pitch Report: The pitch is dry, much like Colombo. It is going to favour the batsman in the first few days. It is expected to assist the spinners on Day 4 and Day 5.
Three cheers to the silent but smiling @Wriddhipops on his 100th First class appearance #TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/Ww9DghFOHj
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 12, 2017
09:26 IST Stay tuned for the toss update, it is going to be a crucial one.
09:22 IST With Rangana Herath ruled out of the Test series, Lakshan Sandakan is much likely to replace him. Though a seamer might play in his lieu as well.
Welcome to inUth’s live digital coverage of India vs Sri Lanka 3rd Test at Pallekele. Sri Lanka impressed with their batting in the second innings of the second Test while following on. That was positive they gained from the previous game and will be looking to reciprocate that in the last Test of the series and avoid a whitewash at their home from the No.1 ranked Test team. Virat Kohli who has registered 8th series win on the trot as a captain will be hoping to make it a memorable one and aim for a whitewash. Though toss plays a crucial as the team winning the toss will be looking to bat first.
Who will replace Ravindra Jadeja?
The question which has been there since the ban imposed on him by ICC for his wild through at Malinda Pushpakumara in the second Test. Kuldeep Yadav seemed to be the next in line to play the third Test but Axar Patel has been called in as Jadeja’s replacement. Kohli in the pre-match press conference kept the selection under the covers. But, he accepted that Kuldeep has a good chance of playing in the final encounter.
Weather Report
The weather report does not look promising at all. The weather throughout the day is expected to be cloudy. Also, thunderstorms are expected, the players might have to go back and forth which might disturb the momentum of the game. In short, rain threat looms over the last Test.
Squads
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Axar Patel, Abhinav Mukund, Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal(c), Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dilruwan Perera, Malinda Pushpakumara, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Gamage, Lakshan Sandakan, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne
Copyright © 2024 IE Online Media Services Private Ltd. All Rights Reserved.