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With Unbeaten135* Cheteshwar Pujara steered India to a respectable 292 for eight until rain forced play to be
called off for the day, late in the third session of Day 2 of the third
Test in Colombo.
Resuming on the overnight total of 50 for two, the
visitors lost Virat Kohli early in the morning and Rohit Sharma at the
stroke of Lunch. However, anchoring the innings Pujara persisted to help to keep the team in the fray even as they lost three more
wickets in the second session as Sri Lankans bowled a tight line to keep
the batsmen in check. He found an able ally in Amit Mishra (59) and
the pair stitched a crucial 104-run stand and kept the Sri Lankan
bowlers at bay. At stumps, Pujara, who had come out to open the innings
for the visitors in the ongoing match was batting with Ishant Sharma.
Earlier, after only 15 overs of play on the first day due to heavy showers, the match resumed under bright and sunny weather on the second day.
Earlier, after only 15 overs of play on the first day due to heavy showers, the match resumed under bright and sunny weather on the second day.
India got off to a sedate start as the Sri Lankan attack tested the batsmen with a disciplined line. Dropped on eight on the first day, Kohli continued to battle against the pacers after resuming on 14 on the second day. The India captain picked four past point but those were the only runs he added to the total before departing during the first hour of the day. With the visitors on 64, his opposite number forced an edge through to the wicketkeeper, and Kusal Perera took the catch to send the No 4 batsman back for 18.
With the SL bowlers dominating Rohit joined Pujara, who was stoically holding up one end. Batting in the middle-order his first runs came off a mistimed aerial shot over mid-on that made to the fence for four. The No 5 bat then settled in to stitch a partnership with Pujara in an effort to bail India out. Coming down the track he lofted Rangana Herath for six over mid-on and slammed the bowler to the boundary in his next.
Opening the innings Pujara, who had bided his time at the crease at the other end too opened up later in the first session. He drove and cut Tharindu Kushal to the fence for three successive fours to enter the forties. He brought up a hard earned fifty with single to the mid-wicket area off Tharindu after fighting it out in the middle for 127 balls under trying circumstances.
With runs flowing in more freely Pujara and Rohit moved forward until the latter fell nicking Dhammika Prasad to the slips signaling the end of the session.
The pacer trapped Stuart Binny lbw off the first ball of the second session and was on a hattrick. However, Pujara defended the hattrick delivery and kept Prasad from becoming second SL bowler to claim the landmark.
Naman Ojha, who replaced Binny in the middle then got off the mark with a single down the ground off Prasad. Gaining in momentum, the opener scored at a brisker pace. The debutant looked in good nick as he settled down to build a much required partnership with the opener. However, with the partnership on 54 Ojha went down on one knee in an attempt to clear the ropes but departed holing out to long-on off Tharindu.
Seven runs later, Ravichandran Ashwin edged Prasad to Perera behind the stumps. Brought back into attack, the pacer left India on 180 for seven with the first delivery of his new spell. Hitting the deck hard he welcomed Amit Mishra with a short-pitched delivery but the batsman rallied on.
As he soldiered on, Pujara inched into the 90s and took the team past 200 with the lower-order bat. Mishra at the other end was kept on his toes by the spinners who were getting assistance from the wicket as they looked to make further dents in the line-up.
While Mishra negotiated his way forward, Pujara squeezed in a single off Herath to reach his second century away from home as he saw the team through another hard fought session.
Three overs into the last session of the day, the hosts took the new ball as soon as it was due but the batsmen negotiated the new ball wielding Prasad and Co to add valuable runs on the board. While Pujara motored on, Mishra grittily held up the other end to help extend the innings. Playing determinedly the pair stitched the highest partnership of the innings which is also now India’s highest eighth-wicket stand against SL.
While they looked to consolidate the partnership further, Pujara’s mistimed hook off Mathews was dropped by Nuwan Pradeep running in to the long-leg region. While the opener survived on 117, Mishra reached his half-century with a boundary off Herath in the next.
However, the century stand was ended with Mishra stepping out to Herath edged the ball behind the stumps, and couldn’t make it back into his crease in time and was stumped.
With the team on a respectable 284 for eight, Ishant Sharma joined Pujara in the middle. The opener farmed the strike as he worked to keep the innings afloat. With the stand all of eight runs, rain stopped play and though the sun was out couldn’t be resumed with little time left to end of day’s play.
End of Day 1: India 1st inn 50/2 in 15 overs (C Pujara 19*, V Kohli 14*, D Prasad 1/16, N Pradeep 1/16)
End of Day 2: India 1st inn 292/8 in 95.3 overs (C Pujara 135*, A Mishra 59, D Prasad 4/83)
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News Source- BCCI.TV
Image Source- BCCI.TV
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