Suranga Lakmal with 3 for 0 has India reeling on 17 for 3 on weather hit opening day

On a day when only 11 overs was possible Sri Lankan pace bowler Suranga Lakmal reaped a golden harvest of 3 wickets for no runs to have India reeling on 17 for 3 wickets on a highly overcast opening day’s play of the first Test match between Sri Lanka and India at Eden Gardens, Kolkotta on Thursday.

In the sparse time of play that commenced after lunch at 1.38 p.m. Lakmal was to hog the entire spotlight as the lean and lanky athletically built Sri Lankan paceman turned the gloomy day in to gold for himself. There he was spearheading the Sri Lankan bowling attack with first use of the new ball sending back K.L. Rahul, Sikhar Dhawan and prize batsman Indian skipper Virat Kohli in about of devastating swing bowling without conceding a run.

Lakmal, bowling to a tight close in field of four slips, two gullies, catching cover  set by Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal, first accounted for Rahul in his very first ball. It was a peach of a delivery pitched on the batsman’s off stump and ripped away late. It squared up Rahul left pole axed in the crease by the extra bounce and edging to wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella to latch on to a straightforward catch. for good measure. What a start India 1 for 0 in one delivery after being put in to bat by Chandimal who had read the pitch right seeking to capitalize on a bowler friendly seaming wicket. Next to go was the dangerous Shikhar Dhawan, the scourge of Sri Lankan bowlers in India’s 3-0 series triumph when the two sides met in Sri Lanka over two months ago. Dhawan was completely beaten by a Lakmal delivery that castled him well and truly to find the stumps.

He was gone for 8 in 11 balls managing just the boundary and India had skid to 2 for 13 in 6.2 overs. Lakmal had indeed transformed in to a demon bowler with figures of 2 for 0 in just 4 overs. The Sri Lankan prime new ball operator had by now reveled working himself in to a pitch that did put India on the back foot in their own den. Virtually unplayable by impeccable swing bowling either side of the wicket making the ball to swing to good effect Lakmal was to transcend in to a rocket force when he added the prize wicket of Virat Kohli for a duck. It was another brilliant delivery in to the batsman that had the Indian captain playing on off stump line and beaten plumb to be rapped on the pad to a negative stroke. The review taken by Kohli left no doubts with the ball spot on going to hit leg stump. Kohli had lasted shakily for 11 balls but failing to get off the mark.

It was ideally Suranga Lakmal’s days brief as it was with the occasional stoppages that compelled the umpires to call off play at 3.38. The 30-year old medium paceman from down South Matara displayed a tremendous improvement with a beautiful run up and follow through rotating his body on the follow through to generate on the spot line and length.

It was a day frustrating to the Sri Lankans who were on fire and pressing to further decimate India with Lakmal on song.

Sri Lanka went in to the match with six specialist batsmen and four specialist bowlers with all-rounder Dasun Shanaka making the final eleven. For the 26-year old hard hitting SSC batsman hailing from Negombo, who packs the long handle and who self admittedly derived shot power by hitting the softball with a badminton racket as a kid, it was a big break. With a solitary Test appearance against England at Leeds in 2016, Shanaka was given the nod by the selectors as the third paceman to beef up that area.

SRI LANKA XI:

F.D.M. Karunaratne, S. Samarawickrema, L.D. Chandimal (Capt). A.D. Mathews, H.D.R.L. Thirimanne, M.D. Shanaka, N. Dickwella, M.D.K. Perera, H.M.R.K.B. Herath, R.A.S. Lakmal, P.L.S. Gamage.