India’s spinners ripped through Sri Lanka’s top order with a devastating display of spin bowling as the visitors reduced the hosts to 99/5 in 28 overs at lunch on day three of the first Test at the Galle International Stadium in Galle on Monday.
Suthar made an instant impact by striking with his very first delivery – drawing Dinesh Chandimal forward with an immaculate piece of drift and spin and catch the glove edge, with Rishabh Pant completing a sharp catch behind the stumps. Suthar continued to press and built pressure with relentless accuracy and dismissed Lahiru Udara for 27, after he mistimed a cut off a bouncing and turning delivery to give a simple catch to backward point.
At 53/3, Sri Lanka needed a partnership to stabilise their innings, but Indian captain Shubman Gill produced a moment of brilliance in the field to dent the hosts further. Diving full length to his left at short extra cover, Gill plucked a stunning one-handed catch inches above the turf to dismiss Kamindu Mendis for 14 on Kuldeep’s bowling. Operating with a tight stump-to-stump line, Jadeja extracted sharp turn to catch the outside edge of Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva (21), with KL Rahul diving low at first slip to complete the catch and get another session in India’s favour.
Jadeja then joined in to complete a dominant display in the first session just three minutes before the lunch break.
