SL vs Ind, 1st Test: India continues its dominance; SL 154/5 at stumps

Galle: Sri Lanka has lost its half side already against vehement Indian bowling attack. Sri Lanka was 154/5 at stumps on Day 2 of the opening Test match of the three-match series at Galle International stadium here on Thursday. SL is trailing by 446 runs.

Mohammed Shami dealt crucial blows to register figures of 2/30 while fellow pacer Umesh Yadav and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin bagged a wicket each.

Sri Lanka team rode on some fine knocks of Upul Tharanga and Mathews which came when the side was losing wickets on regular interval.

Tharanga started his innings on a high note. He hit 10 fours in his 64-run knock. Mathews is unbeaten at 54. His 91-ball knock was studded with eight fours and one six.

Earlier, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami’s six-hitting fest helped India amass 600 runs in its first innings.

Losing a wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne (2) in the hands of Umesh Yadav, Sri Lanka is 38/1 at tea with Upul Tharanga (24) and Danushka Gunathilaka (12) at the crease.

It was the aggressive approach of Pandya and Shami with a flurry of fours and sixes which made India reach a mammoth total despite losing four crucial wickets in the first session on Day 2.

Three sixes hit by Hardik Pandya so far is the most by an Indian player on Test debut.

The Sri Lankan bowlers, however, hit back after a rather lacklustre opening day with pacer Nuwan Pradeep returning figures of 6/132.

The day began in a promising fashion for the Indians with Cheteshwar Pujara crossing the 150-run mark before Ajinkya Rahane brought up his half-century in style, stepping out to hit a Rangana Herath delivery to the mid-on boundary.

But the tide was destined to turn soon. Pujara was the first to go when Pradeep produced an excellent delivery which moved slightly away after pitching at a perfect length on the off-stump.

Pujara was totally outfoxed as the ball took the outer edge on its way into the gloves of Lankan wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella.

Rahane was the next to go. The Mumbai batsman mistimed an attempted drive off Lahiru Kumara only to see the ball take the outer edge and Dimuth Karunaratne pull of a superb diving effort at first slip.

The visitors plunged into further trouble when Wriddhiman Saha and Ravichandran Ashwin also went back in successive overs.

Ashwin had started in nervous fashion, almost handing Pradeep a wicket when he edged the first ball he faced. But the ball dropped just short of the fielder at gully. Aswhin enjoyed another piece of luck immediately after when he hit out at the next ball and was lucky not to offer an easy top edge behind the stumps.

The Chennai lad settled down gradually and notched up a well made 47 off 60 balls before a poor piece of shot selection to a short pitched delivery by Pradeep denied him his half-century.