Indian bowlers met an unexpected obstacle in centurion Sonal Dinusha but the Manav Suthar-led unit carried enough grunt to establish a sizable 178-run lead over Sri Lanka on the third day of the first Test on Monday. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 284 in their first innings as Suthar (4/76) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/57) led India’s attack with skill and verve. Once the hosts were reduced to 99 for five at lunch, thanks to the early brilliance of left-arm spinner Suthar, the end seemed imminent for them.
Nishan Fernando, who was impressive for SLC XI in the warm-up match, could not handle Siraj’s away swing and bounce, snicking him to Devdutt Padikkal at first slip.
But the same cannot be said about the other batters in the Lankan top-order, who played with hard hands and drove away from body to get caught in awkward positions.
