Tea India 238 for 3 (Pujara 89*, Rahane 41*) v Sri Lanka
01:22
Dasgupta: India will take this start any day
In addition to all the runs, a contest came India’s way in Colombo, and they were ready for it thanks to the aptitude of KL Rahul and the appetite of Cheteshwar Pujara. Fifties to two of their top three batsmen, and 238 first-innings runs by tea on the first day is the position a team 1-0 up in a three-match series would want. Especially on a pitch that doted on the spinners.
The conditions – they weren’t drastic, but certainly challenging – fostered high-quality cricket. The scoring rate was a healthy 4.1 per over, but the outside and inside edges bore far more red marks of the Indian batsmen bore far more red marks than they had done in Galle. Only one of them proved fatal though – the captain Virat Kohli was caught splendidly by Angelo Mathews at slip for 13 off Rangana Herath. The rest were smuggled wide of the fielders skillfully and carefully.
At the forefront of this operation was a man conferred with an Arjuna award on the day he was playing his 50th Test and securing his 4000th Test run. Pujara found the spotlight rather amenable, except for a moment in the middle session when he ran out his partner.
Rahul had spent his first few days on the tour locked in hospital, staring at flourescent lights. He had been told he would have the chance to finally play some cricket, out in the sun, with fresh air and no doctors. So naturally he wanted to stay outside for as long as possible and so well was he accomplishing that aim that he scored his sixth successive fifty in Test cricket, equalling the Indian record set by GR Viswanath and Rahul Dravid.
But a mix-up – Rahul hit to short cover and wanted the single, Pujara did too, then he changed his mind, and Rahul was forced back indoors, under the glare of the flourescent lights again. The dismissal of the set batsman should have offered Sri Lanka a foothold. But out came Ajinkya Rahane with 41 off 60 balls, Pujara rocketed from 19 off 69 to 89 off 140 and the momentum was stolen away.
More to follow
Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo