Sri Lanka 21/1 in second innings after India amass 610/6 decl. on Kohli double ton and Sharma’s ...

Sri Lanka was on 21 for 1 wicket that  of Sadeera Samarawickrema for a duck in reply to India’s massive 610 for 6 wickets declared at the end of the third day’s play of the second test match at Nagpur. Trailing India by a massive 405-run deficit on the first innings it was a tall task for Sri Lanka to stave off defeat as hosts India took a stranglehold of the match.

Dinesh Chandimal’s frontline batsmen will need to front up a herculean batting performance if they are to do so with two solid days more left and with India’s dangerous looking bowling attack moving in for the kill. At the wickets were Dimuth karunaratne on 11 off 30 balls having hit 2 boundaries with Lahiru Thirimanne on 9 off 22 with an equal number of boundaries. The dismissal of Samarawickrema was a disastrous start for Sri Lanka of 1 for 0 as the right hander did not offer a stroke to the second delivery of the innings bowled by Ishant Sharma as he shouldered with bat raised up as the ball pitched on a good length on the off to rock in to his off stump.

Given India’s batsmen ride on an avalanche of run making on the back of three centurions in M. Vijay, C. Pujara, and Rohit Sharma with the skipper Virat Kohli slamming a whirlwind double century 213 off 267 balls inclusive of 17 boundaries and two sixes, Sri Lanka’s inauspicious start to the second innings reflected lack of application by Samarawickrema’s inaction to a delivery where he should have put bat to ball to fend it. As it was India’s overnight pair of Pujara and Kohli extended their third wicket alliance going on to add 183 runs before Pujara exited bowled by dasun Shanaka for 143. His knock took 362 deliveries and contained 14 boundaries. India lost the fourth wicket at 410 when Rahane was caught by Karunaratne off the bowling of Dilruwan perera for 2. But Kohli  went on to dazzle with perfect shot placement as he hoisted a further 173 runs for the fifth wicket with Rohit Sharma before being dismissed by Perera to a catch by Karunaratne. It was Kohli’s fifth double century.  Sharma was unbeaten on 102 off 160 balls inclusive of 8 boundaries and six when the Indian captain declared on the stroke of his ton.

Dilruwan Perera was Sri Lanka’s most successful bowler with 3 for 202 off 45 overs in that grind.

By Srian Obeyesekere

-The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sri Lanka Cricket-