Backed by Rishabh Pant’s quintessential 66, India’s bowlers displayed ruthless efficiency to reduce Sri Lanka to 84 for four at stumps on the fourth day as the visitors positioned themselves for a massive victory in the first Test on Tuesday. Pant, Devdutt Padikkal (44) and KL Rahul (35) pulled in their combined weight to take India to 193 in their second innings, raising an improbable target of 372 in front of Sri Lanka, who are still 288 runs away from that mark. For the hosts, skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (31) and first innings century-maker Sonal Dinusha (25) were manning the crease at close. For a better understanding of the huge mountain in front of Sri Lanka, the highest ever successful chase in Test cricket at the Galle stadium is 344 by Pakistan in 2022, and a 200-plus target was surmounted only twice at this venue since 1998.
If anyone was ever in doubt over Pant’s place in the Test side, this knock would give them an evidence of the left-hander’s value in red ball format. The left-hander swept and cut spinners at will, giving India some valuable runs to break away from the home side.
He has just one fifty in the last eight Test innings, and that is too lean for an opener assigned to give his team a solid start. Shubman Gill too did not last long, falling leg before to Jayasuriya, and the Indian skipper will certainly take a hard look at his game against spin on abrasive surfaces ahead of the second Test.
Jaiswal, now largely a one-format player, will have to find a way to register some serious runs under his belt before the patience of bigwigs wears thin.
