Decisive final Test on knife edge as 15 wickets tumble

COLOMBO: The decisive third and final Test between India and Sri Lanka was on a knife edge after 15 wickets fell during a dramatic third day’s play in Colombo on Sunday.

Play ended with India on 21-3 in their second innings, an overall lead of 132 with seven wickets in hand on a seaming pitch at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

With the series locked at 1-1 and bowlers from both sides trying to press home the advantage, a fine rearguard action by Sri Lanka’s lower order stood out.

India’s makeshift opener Cheteshwar Pujara carried his bat through his side’s innings to anchor his team to a competitive 312 before their first innings ended 25 minutes after the start of the day’s play.

The hosts slipped to 47-6 in reply and were in danger of being asked to follow on before the last four wickets added 154 runs in a remarkable revival that helped them to 201 soon after tea.

Indian seamer Ishant Sharma picked up five wickets, but Sri Lanka were saved by a defiant 79-run partnership between debutant wicket-keeper Kusal Perera and tailender Rangana Herath.

The pair joined hands with the hosts still 66 away from avoiding the follow-on and with Dhammika Prasad having retired hurt after being hit on the hand by a rising ball from Sharma.

Left-handed Perera, making his Test debut after playing 48 One-day Internationals and 20 Twenty20 Internationals, smashed the Indian bowlers for 55 off 56 balls with the help of nine boundaries.

Perera was dismissed by Sharma, top-edging a pull to mid-off, but 37-year-old veteran Herath made 49 and Prasad, who returned to bat after being treated in the dressing room, chipped in with 27.

Ishant Sharma said Perera and Herath had ‘nothing to lose’ when they went after the bowling in a desperate bid to boost the total.

“Talking of Kusal Perera, he had nothing to lose and was just going after the bowling,” the lanky seamer said. “As a bowler, one really can’t do much except bowl in the right areas.

“He was slogging till the end. What we can do is set a field, set a plan and bowl according to that plan, so that the captain does not look like a fool on the ground.”

Sharma said the team had not talked of what would be a good score to defend in the fourth innings.

“To be honest, we have not yet set a score,” he said. “The situation is challenging. Hopefully we can get to what we got in the first innings and give them a good target to chase.”

Perera said it could be anyone’s match on the lively pitch.

“The wicket is quite lively and the match is wide open,” he said. “If we can take quick wickets tomorrow there is a good chance we can win this Test. The morning session will be crucial for both teams.”

Pujara, who marked his recall to the Indian Test side with an unbeaten 145 in the first innings, was bowled by Dhammika Prasad for a second-ball duck in his second knock.

Seamer Nuwan Pradeep then bowled Lokesh Rahul, who again shouldered arms, and trapped Ajinkya Rahane leg-before to leave India on 7-3. Skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma played out time before heavy rain ended play 35 minutes early.

The 27-year-old, who usually bats at No 3, notched up his seventh Test century and become only the fourth Indian after Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag to bat through the innings.

Earlier, bowling an impeccable line and length, Sharma put his team in the driving seat for a series-clinching win.

Sharma had Upul Tharanga (four) caught at second slip by Rahul, who had earlier dropped the same batsman on zero in the first over of the innings.

Tharanga could consider himself unlucky with replays showing the delivery was perilously close to a no ball but the television umpire ruled Ishant’s delivery was legal.

After opener Kaushal Silva fell to paceman Umesh Yadav for three, Dinesh Chandimal (23) launched a counter-attack.

Chandimal hit five fours in his 27-ball knock, but was given out lbw to seamer Stuart Binny with replays indicating the ball could have gone over the stumps.

Sharma returned to get Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews (one) edging behind with his first ball for debutant Indian wicket-keeper Naman Ojha to complete his first Test dismissal.

The 26-year-old Sharma had Lahiru Thirimanne caught for a duck by Rahul immediately after lunch, reducing Sri Lanka to 47-6 and in danger of following on.

But Rahul dropped his second catch of the day, putting down Perera on nine off Yadav.

The movement off the pitch soon dried up for the Indian bowlers and Perera made full use of the reprieve to complete his maiden half-century.

Tharindu Kaushal (16) was given out lbw against leg-spinner Amit Mishra although replays suggested he may have found an inside edge.

India added 20 runs in the morning to their overnight score of 292-8 to complete a solid first innings as left-arm spinner Herath bowled out tail-enders Sharma and Yadav to finish with three wickets and Prasad completed figures of 4-100.

Scoreboard

INDIA (1st Innings, overnight 292-8):

K.L. Rahul b Prasad 2 C.A. Pujara not out 145 A.M. Rahane lbw b Pradeep 8 V. Kohli c Perera b Mathews 18 R.G. Sharma c Tharanga b Prasad 26 S.T.R. Binny lbw b Prasad 0 N.V. Ojha c Tharanga b Kaushal 21 R. Ashwin c Perera b Prasad 5 A. Mishra st Perera b Herath 59 I. Sharma b Herath 6 U.T. Yadav b Herath 4

EXTRAS (LB-2, W-4, NB-7, PEN-5) 18

TOTAL (all out, 100.1 overs) 312

FALL OF WKTS: 1-2, 2-14, 3-64, 4-119, 5-119, 6-173, 7-180, 8-284, 9-298.

BOWLING: Prasad 26-4-100-4 (4nb, 1w); Pradeep 22-6-52-1 (3w); Mathews 13-6-24-1; Herath 27.1-3-84-3; Kaushal 12-2-45-1 (3nb).

SRI LANKA (1st Innings):

W.U. Tharanga c Rahul b I. Sharma 4 J.K. Silva b Yadav 3 F.D.M. Karunaratne c Rahul b Binny 11 L.D. Chandimal lbw b Binny 23 A.D. Mathews c Ojha b I. Sharma 1 H.D.R.L. Thirimanne c Rahul b I. Sharma 0 M.D.K.J. Perera c Kohli b I. Sharma 55 K.T.G.D. Prasad st Ojha b Mishra 27 H.M.R.K.B. Herath c Ojha b I. Sharma 49 P.H.T. Kaushal lbw b Mishra 16 N. Pradeep not out 2

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-2, NB-7) 10

TOTAL (all out, 52.2 overs) 201

FALL OF WKTS: 1-11, 2-11, 3-40, 4-45, 5-47, 6-47, 7-127, 8-156, 9-183.

NOTE: Prasad (1) retired hurt at 48-6 and resumed his innings at 156-8.

BOWLING: I. Sharma 15-2-54-5 (6nb, 1w); Yadav 13-2-64-1; Binny 9-3-24-2 (1w); Ashwin 8-1-33-0; Mishra 7.2-1-25-2 (1nb).

INDIA (2nd Innings):

C.A. Pujara b Prasad 0 K.L. Rahul b Pradeep 2 A.M. Rahane lbw b Pradeep 4 V. Kohli not out 1 R.G. Sharma not out 14

EXTRAS 0

TOTAL (for three wkts, 8.1 overs) 21

FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-2, 3-7.

BOWLING (to-date): Prasad 4.1-2-8-1; Pradeep 3-1-6-2; Herath 1-0-7-0

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2015