1st Test: Jadeja, Prasidh strike as reduce Sri Lanka to 175/6 at lunch, India inch closer to win

Galle, Aug 19 (IANS) Ravindra Jadeja and Prasidh Krishna took a scalp each as India inched closer to achieving a resounding victory in the first Test after reducing Sri Lanka to 175/6 in 67 overs at lunch on day five’s play at the Galle International Stadium on Wednesday.

In the morning, Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Sonal Dinusha, the centurion in the first innings, exhibited huge patience and resisted the Indian bowlers well by putting on a stand of 95 runs off 202 deliveries for the fifth wicket. But once de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella fell, the outcome is now slowly moving in India’s favour in what is also their 600th Test match, as they conceded just 91 runs in 33 overs.

Resuming on a pitch offering variable bounce, de Silva and Dinusha fought valiantly through the opening 90 minutes. After bringing up the fifty of their partnership, de Silva got his fifty by cutting Ravindra Jadeja through point for four, while Dinusha launched Kuldeep Yadav over deep midwicket for a maximum to reach his half-century in style.

However, India broke the frustrating 95-run stand through Jadeja, who extracted sharp turn and bounce on a fuller ball angled at stumps to catch de Silva’s top edge on an attempted sweep and gave a comfortable catch to Manav Suthar at short fine leg to fall for 59.

One brought two scalps for India as Krishna, operating with sustained heat, removed wicketkeeper-batter Dickwella for 10. Dickwella never looked comfortable at the crease and even had a quirky exchange with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was stationed at square leg.

On the last ball of the 60th over, Dickwella shuffled across his stumps to a back-of-a-length delivery outside the leg stump, but could only give a feather edge off Krishna behind to Rishabh Pant.

Keshara Nuwantha then joined a resolute Dinusha to safely navigate the remaining overs before the lunch break arrived. With the new ball just 13 overs away, India will aim to finish the game in the second session.

Brief scores: India 462 & 193 lead Sri Lanka 284 & 175/6 in 67 overs (Sonal Dinusha 65 not out, Dhananjaya de Silva 59; Prasidh Krishna 2-16, Manav Suthar 2-46) by 197 runs

–IANS

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