Sri Lanka battles India in second Test, Pasindu Sooriyabandara nears century
Sri Lanka’s Second Innings Fightback
Sri Lanka is battling to avoid defeat against India in the second Test, with Pasindu Sooriyabandara playing a significant role in their resistance. After being forced to follow-on, Sri Lanka reached 199/3 at tea, trailing India by just 14 runs. Sooriyabandara was unbeaten on 90 at that point, nearing a century.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 290 in their first innings, falling short of India’s 503/9 declared by 213 runs. Sonal Dinusha’s century had kept Sri Lanka’s hopes alive in the first innings, but Saransh Jain claimed the final two wickets to conclude the innings, allowing India to enforce the follow-on.
India made early inroads in Sri Lanka’s second innings, picking up four wickets and leaving them at 83/2 at lunch. However, India’s spinners faced challenges after the break, which allowed Sooriyabandara to take control alongside captain Dhananjaya de Silva, who was unbeaten on 14 at tea.
Key Partnerships and Wickets
The partnership between Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis proved crucial for Sri Lanka. Mendis reached his half-century, smashing a six off Manav Suthar’s delivery. He was playing an aggressive role, finding boundaries with ease. Sooriyabandara also reached his half-century with a boundary off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling, marking his second successive fifty of the match. The third-wicket partnership between Mendis and Sooriyabandara also crossed the 50-run mark.
Prasidh Krishna eventually broke the stubborn partnership, dismissing Kamindu Mendis for 55. Shubman Gill took a catch from a short-ball tactic employed by Krishna. Despite this setback, Sooriyabandara continued his strong performance, hitting back-to-back boundaries after the drinks break, with Sri Lanka trailing by 42 runs at one point.
Later, Manav Suthar struck after tea, claiming the wicket of Dhananjaya de Silva, who had welcomed him back with a six. Suthar then bowled it wide, out of Sooriyabandara’s reach, leading to his stumping by Rishabh Pant for 92. This meant Sooriyabandara missed out on his century.
India’s Bowling Efforts
India’s bowlers, including Mohammed Siraj and Saransh Jain, started the attack after tea with a disciplined approach, searching for wickets. Mohammed Siraj maintained discipline in his overs as Sri Lanka trailed by 20 runs. Saransh Jain also claimed the crucial wicket of Niroshan Dickwella, leaving Sri Lanka six wickets down with a 5-run lead.
Manav Suthar, despite being wicketless for a period, eventually made an impact, breaking Sri Lanka’s resistance. The Indian pacers had caused trouble earlier in the innings, with Mohammed Siraj striking early in Sri Lanka’s second innings. Prasidh Krishna had also been miffed at one point during the play.
The match saw Kusal Mendis miss a sweep off Jain, with a leg before wicket appeal turned down as the impact was outside the line of off-stump. Mendis later scored a four off a wide half-volley from Jain, lofting it over the covers. He then nudged Jain for three runs to bring the deficit under the 100-run mark, taking the third-wicket partnership past 50 runs.
Sri Lanka reached 106/2 in 30 overs during their second innings. The groundstaff was ready to enter the middle as dark clouds appeared, with Sri Lanka leading by 12 runs at 225/6. Sonal Dinusha, who had scored a century earlier, remained a key player for Sri Lanka, adopting a cautious approach alongside Keshara Nuwantha as India kept things tight.
Source: m.rediff.com
