Galle [Sri Lanka], August 18 (ANI): Despite India having built a heavy cushion of runs, Sri Lanka continued to fight back with regular wickets during the first session on day four of the Galle Test on Tuesday.
India at the end of session one was 116/4, with Rishabh Pant (21*) and Dhruv Jurel (5*) unbeaten. India leads by 294 runs.
India started the innings on a poor note, with Asitha Fernando getting the wicket of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for a three-ball duck, caught behind by Niroshan Dickwella in the first over, leaving India 0/1.
KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal continued to build a partnership, taking India to 40 runs by 10 overs, with Padikkal getting some boundaries against pace.
KL also showed some attacking intent with sixes against Keshara Nuwantha and Prabath Jayasuriya, with India reaching the 50-run mark in 12.3 overs.
Prabath managed to break the 65-run stand, getting KL caught by substitute fielder Milan Rathnayake for 47 balls, 35, with two fours and sixes each. India was 65/2.
India landed in a bit of soup when Prabath also got skipper Shubman Gill for just eight in 20 balls, sinking to 81/3.
Padikkal and Pant continued the attack, taking India to the 100-run mark in 25.5 overs, with a four by Pant against Nuwantha. However, another budding partnership was put to an end by Nuwantha, who trapped Padikkal LBW for 44 off 75 balls, with six fours. India was 111/4.
Pant and Dhruv Jurel ended an eventful first session for India.
Despite Sonal Dinusha’s maiden Test hundred on Day 3 of the first Test match, Sri Lanka could only make 284 in the first innings in response to India’s 462, and the Shubman Gill-led side took a big lead of 178 runs in Galle.
Dinusha and the wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella added 146 runs for the sixth wicket and kept Indian bowlers at bay, but the seamer Prasidh Krishna dismissed Dickwella for 80 runs in the 62nd over. Sonal stuck around to get a ton, but Suthar (4/76) and Jadeja (3/57) denied Sri Lanka a chance to score bigger.
Brief Scores: India: 464 and 116/4: (Devdutt Padikkal 44, KL Rahul 35, Prabath Jayasuriya 2/42) and Sri Lanka: 284: Sonal Dinusha 100, Niroshan Dickwella 80, Manav Suthar 4/76). (ANI)
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