The moving day i.e. Day 3 of the Test match belonged to two youngsters in Sonal Dinusha and Pasindu Sooriyabandara as the duo applied themselves and defied India to make sure Sri Lanka don’t get bowled out by the end of the day. Rain made its presence felt as well but we got good quality cricket as the two youngsters of Sri Lanka defied the Indians throughout the day and have increased the chances of a draw in this Test match with rain expected to play a part and aid them as well. Sonal is still batting on 85* while Pasindu made 80.
India had their moments and showed their dominance in the afternoon session but couldn’t finish the job or clean up the tail. They had Sri Lanka at 173/7 but could not bowl them out. Manav Suthar picked up 3 wickets but the off-spinner Saransh Jain has been disappointing and ineffective to say the least. India still ahead in the Test match for sure, but the hosts have shown character to push India and the Test match possibly till the end.
Pasindu Sooriyabandara’s impressive half-century defies India even as they take two wickets in the morning session
Kamil Mishara and Pasindu Sooriyabandara resumed the proceedings for Sri Lanka while Prasidh Krishna had the ball in hand for India. Mishara began on a positive note as he hit it between backward point and point for a boundary. Sooriyabandara tucked the ball square of the wicket for a triple while Mishara drove it past extra cover for a boundary. Mohammed Siraj had the ball in hand from the other end and he bowled a tight over. Krishna continued as Sooriyabandara played the late cut through backward point for a boundary.
Siraj continued and conceded a wide but bowled a decent over. Krishna continued as Mishara square drove the ball through backward point region for a boundary. Siraj continued as Sooriyabandara drove the ball between point and covers for a triple. Siraj bowled a decent over. Krishna continued and got the first breakthrough of the morning for India as he removed Mishara for 19 off 25 balls with 3 fours to his name by the extra bounce that surprised him as Jurel did the rest behind the stumps. Kamindu Mendis came out to bat next.
Debutant Saransh Jain came into the attack next and he started with a no ball. Sooriyabandara played a reverse sweep through backward point region into the gap. The fielder pulled it bag, but the batters ran four between the wickets. Krishna continued as Sooriyabandara played it late to beat the gully fielder for a boundary. Jain continued as Kamindu hammered it through the off-side over short covers for a boundary.
Krishna continued as the 50 came up for Sri Lanka in 13.4 overs. Jain continued and delivered a maiden. Siraj came back into the attack as Kamindu got a thick outside edge that flew past gully and away for a boundary to vacant third man region. Sri Lanka reached 58/3 in 16 overs as we paused for the Drinks Break in the morning session. Jain continued after the break and conceded 3 leg byes towards fine leg region. Siraj continued as Sooriyabandara plays it late to get the gap between gully and backward point for a boundary.
Jain continued and bowled a maiden. Manav Suthar now came into the attack next as Kamindu took him on and launched the slop sweep over wide long-on for the maximum. Jain continued as Sooriyabandara was in the zone as he stepped outside the crease to get to the pitch of the ball and launched it over the umpire’s head for a boundary. Ravindra Jadeja finally came into the attack in this innings so far. Jadeja bowled a tight first over.
Suthar changed ends as the 50-run stand came up between Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis. Suthar bowled a decent over. Jadeja continued and overstepped again plus Pasindu survived a run out at the keeper’s end as a better throw would have had the batter. Suthar continued as Mendis broke the shackles with a sweep down on one knee to deep square leg fence for a boundary. Kamindu guided the ball past third man for a triple. Sooriyabandara was in his zone as he got down on one knee and swept it hard to deep square leg for a boundary.
Jadeja continued and overstepped again as the 100 came up for Sri Lanka in 25.1 overs. Sooriyabandara rocked back and opened the bat face to punch it between backward point and point for a boundary. Sooriyabandara soon reached his maiden Test fifty in 76 balls. Suthar continued as Sooriyabandara rocked back and pulled it away over midwicket for a boundary. Suthar bowled a decent over after that. Jadeja continued as Sooriyabandara drove it crisply through the point region as the ball won the race in the end. Suthar continued and bowled a decent over.
Prasidh Krishna returned and he got rid of Kamindu Mendis for 32 off 58 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name against the run of play. The short ball was pulled straight to Jadeja at short midwicket who made no mistake. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva came out to bat next. Saransh Jain came back into the attack next. Sooriyabandara punished him by rocking back and cutting it to deep point for a boundary.
Krishna came to bowl the last over before Lunch as Dhananjaya got on top of the bounce and pulled it away with disdain for a boundary at deep square leg fence. Sri Lanka were 130/4 in 32 overs with Sooriyabandara unbeaten on 65 off 93 balls alongside Dhananjaya de Silva unbeaten on 4 off 6 balls as they went into Lunch at 130/4 at the Eden Gardens.
India hit back with a few wickets in the afternoon sessionÂ
Rain lashed Colombo in the interval, but it stopped soon after. Play was delayed by 30 minutes for the resumption with the match resuming at 1:10 PM IST. Pasindu Sooriyabandara alongside Dhananjaya de Silva resumed proceedings for Sri Lanka after Lunch. Suthar bowled a good first over. Prasidh Krishna came back into the attack next. He bowled a quiet over at this stage. Suthar continued as de Silva reverse swept it to the left of mid-on for a boundary.
Suthar finally provided the breakthrough for India and broke this frustrating stand as Dhananjaya looked to defend and got the outside edge towards to KL Rahul at first slip who made no mistake and took it on the rebound. Dhananjaya fell for 8 off 14 balls with 2 fours to his name. Sonal Dinusha came out to bat next. Krishna continued and bowled a maiden over. Suthar continued and bowled a decent over. Krishna continued and bowled a tight over.
Suthar continued and bowled a quiet over. Krishna continued as Dinusha shuffled across and pulled it away to the deep backward square fence for a boundary. Suthar continued as Dinusha took him on and shuffled down the track to smoke it over long-on for the maximum. Mohammed Siraj came back into the attack next and bowled a decent over. Suthar continued and bowled a decent over. Siraj continued and bowled a good over.
Ravindra Jadeja came back into the attack and overstepped yet again. But he provided the breakthrough for India as he removed the set batter Sooriyabandara for 80 off 133 balls with 9 fours to his name. Keeper batter Niroshan Dickwella came out to bat next. Siraj continued and overstepped. But he removed Dickwella for a bronze duck caught down the leg side a strangle as Jurel made no mistake. Keshara Nuwantha came out to bat next as Drinks was taken in the afternoon session.
Jadeja continued and bowled a maiden. Siraj continued and bowled a full toss which he leaned forward and hit it past mid-off for a boundary. Jadeja continued and bowled a tight over. Siraj too kept things under check. Jadeja continued and bowled a quiet over. Saransh Jain returned to the attack as Dinusha took him on and played the slog sweep over midwicket for the maximum. Jadeja continued and bowled a good over. Jain bowled a rare maiden over. Jadeja followed up with another maiden over.
Jain continued as Nuwantha took him on and launched it over wide long-on for the maximum. Dinusha got into the act as he flicked it past leg gully for a boundary past Padikkal as the 200 came up for Sri Lanka in 56.1 overs. Manav Suthar returned to the attack and bowled a decent over. Jadeja continued and burnt a review against Nuwantha for LBW as there was a clear inside edge on replays. Suthar continued and bowled a decent over.
Jadeja continued and bowled a quiet over even as Dinusha was suffering from cramps it seemed. Suthar continued and had a shy at the stumps at the striker’s end which resulted in four bonus runs for the Lankans. Jadeja continued and bowled a maiden. Suthar continued as Dinusha stood tall and tickled the ball past the keeper towards the fine leg fence for a boundary. Dinusha reached yet another half-century in 82 balls.
Jadeja came to bowl the last over before Tea as Sri Lanka went into the Tea Break at 216/7 in 65 overs with Dinusha unbeaten on 52 off 84 balls while Nuwantha was with him on 13* off 65 balls. Players left the field for the Tea Break.
Sonal Dinusha’s stupendous innings frustrates India as rain curtails the final session of playÂ
Sonal Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha came out to resume proceedings for Sri Lanka while Saransh Jain had the ball in hand for India. Dinusha cleared his front leg and slogged it away to deep midwicket fence to heap more misery on Saransh Jain. Manav Suthar operated from the other end as Nuwantha shuffled down the track to swing through the line to send it over mid-on for a boundary. Jain continued and bowled a better over.
Suthar continued and finally struck for India as he removed Nuwantha for 18 off 74 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name as the batter hit it uppishly towards mid-off with Jain taking the catch. Lahiru Kumara came out to bat next as the over ended as a wicket maiden. Jain continued and bowled a better over. Suthar continued and bowled a probing over.
Jain continued and bowled a decent over. Suthar continued and bowled a decent over. Ravindra Jadeja came back into the attack Dinusha got down on one knee and swept it past long-on for a boundary. Dinusha was in the zone as he slog swept the ball again towards deep midwicket for a boundary. Kumara joined in the fun as he pushed at the ball and got the outside edge wide of slip for a boundary as the 250 came up for Sri Lanka in 74 overs.
Suthar continued and bowled a decent over. Jadeja bowled a decent over as well. Saransh Jain returned and bowled a better over. Jadeja bowled a decent over as well. Jain bowled a maiden. Jadeja continued and bowled a miserly over. Jain continued and thought he had his first Test wicket as Dinusha was given OUT LBW. The batter reviewed and an inside edge was detected and the decision was overturned to NOT OUT. Sri Lanka reached 262/8 in 81 overs as we paused for the final Drinks Break of the day.
Prasidh Krishna with the second new ball came back into the attack post the break and bowled a decent over. Saransh Jain continued and bowled a decent over. Jadeja returned as the light had dimmed and bowled 4 balls of the 84th over when the drizzle arrived and covers were brought onto the ground. The drizzle turned into a downpour and it resulted in play being called off for the day.
Dinusha was unbeaten on 85 off 137 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes to his name while Kumara was unbeaten on 8 off 50 balls with one four to his name. 12 extras given by India as Sri Lanka ended the day at 265/8 in 83.4 overs still trailing by 238 runs and 39 runs to avoid the follow-on.
India had to toil hard for their wickets today. Prasidh Krishna was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/47 in 14 overs. Manav Suthar chipped in with 3/83 in 21 overs. Mohammed Siraj finished with 1/33 in 11 overs. Ravindra Jadeja finished the day with 1/45 in 19.4 overs. Saransh Jain on debut ended the day with 0/51 in 18 overs and looked ineffective to say the least.
What Lies Ahead on Day 4
It was a good day for Sri Lanka if we look at the day in isolation as they won two out of the three sessions that was played out. The two youngsters showed great character to defy India. India still have their noses in front in the game and can still win the game. But with this resistance and weather being a factor, a draw is very much on the cards. Sri Lanka fighting hard to save the game which they can as the forecast for the next two days have rains in it.
India needs to take the last two wickets as soon as possible. It is unlikely that the follow-on would be enforced by India even if the option arises. India then might have to bat quickly and then put Sri Lanka back in or get bowled out cheaply. So, a lot riding on Day 4 weather permitting fingers crossed. Play is set to start 15 minutes early at 9:45 AM IST and Local Time. Let’s see how the penultimate match of the Test and series unfolds for us.
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