India v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Day 1 highlights: Lakmal floors IND on rain-hit day

Suranga Lakmal was the star for Sri Lanka as he took three wickets without conceding a single run on Day 1 of their first Test encounter at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The pacer took the important wickets of both the openers - KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan - and Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli to hand Sri Lanka the advantage on a rain-marred day. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were at the crease for the hosts. The visitors won the toss and opted to bowl after a delayed start and only 11.5 overs of play could take place today. Get highlights of India vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Day 1, Kolkata here. (SCORECARD) (LIVE STREAMING INFO)

16:24 hrs IST: Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane will have to stitch together a good partnership tomorrow for India to reach a respectable total in the first innings. IND 17/3

16:18 hrs IST: Play has been called off for the day. IND 17/3

15:59 hrs IST: The next three days will also see this level of rainfall according to the forecasts. IND 17/3

15:52 hrs IST: The floodlights are on at the Eden Gardens. Let’s see if that makes any difference. IND 17/3

15:46 hrs IST: Almost 40 overs remaining in the day, but still no confirmation on whether the match will resume or not. IND 17/3

15:38 hrs IST: The teams are leaving the field once again due to bad light. IND 17/3

15:34 hrs IST: Gamage has also been quite effective on the other end till now. IND 17/3

15:32 hrs IST: There are six fielders right now in catching positions behind the stump. IND 17/3

15:30 hrs IST: This has been a horrible start for India as they have lost three huge wickets. IND 17/3

15:27 hrs IST: OUT! Huge wicket for Sri Lanka as Virat Kohli departs LBW for a duck. IND 17/3

15:24 hrs IST: The Sri Lanka bowlers are consistently bowling outside the off stump in an attempt to induce the edge. IND 17/2

15:20 hrs IST: The match has resumed once again. IND 17/2

14:59 hrs IST: The covers are coming off. IND 17/2

14:49 hrs IST: Reports suggest that it is getting brighter in Kolkata. IND 17/2

14:43 hrs IST: KL Rahul was in sublime form with seven consecutive fifties. But, he was completely done by Lakmal’s delivery on the first ball of the day. IND 17/2

14:34 hrs IST: Lakmal kept bowling in the dangerous area outside the off-stump and was rewarded with two wickets on Day 1. IND 17/2

14:28 hrs IST: It is also raining in Kolkata. Looks like that will be the end of play for the day. IND 17/2

14:25 hrs IST: Looks like the game will be halted once more due to bad light. IND 17/2

14:21 hrs IST: A strong push by Cheteshwar Pujara and it’s another boundary! IND 17/2

14:19 hrs IST: Suranga Lakmal has been the star of the day till now. IND 17/2

14:16 hrs IST: Lethal delivery for Virat Kohli! The ball missed the edge by a fine margin. IND 13/2

14:12 hrs IST: OUT! Lakmal strikes again as Dhawan is castled for 8. SL 13/2

14:06 hrs IST: Quiet start for India. After 5 overs, India are 8/1

14:03 hrs IST: A short ball from Gamage and Dhawan slammed it for the first boundary of the game. IND 8/1

14:01 hrs IST: The conditions are still quite overcast and that will help the seamers. IND 4/1

13:58 hrs IST: 3 overs gone. India are 2 for the loss of one wicket.

13:56 hrs IST: Sri Lanka currently have four slips and a gully for Lakmal’s bowling. They are really going for the kill!

13:53 hrs IST: The movement off the pitch has been quite inconsistent till now and it will be a tough test for the Indian batsmen.

13:51 hrs IST: First run of the day for Shikhar Dhawan! IND 1/1

13:48 hrs IST: Cheteshwar Pujara is the next man in. Five slips and a gully. Rare sight in Indian conditions. India are 0/1 after the first over.

13:43 hrs IST: OUT! KL Rahul goes for a first ball duck. India 0/1. Suranga Lakmal it is.

13:41 hrs IST: And we’re back! KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan make their way out in the middle, and so do the Sri Lankan players.

13:30 hrs IST: And............it’s raining again. We’ll keep you posted.

13:24 hrs IST: Both teams lining up for their national anthems.

13:08 hrs IST: Here are the playing XI of both teams -

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal(c), Niroshan Dickwella(wk), Dasun Shanaka, Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Gamage

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami

13:01 hrs IST: Sri Lanka have won the toss and have opted to field.

12:50 hrs IST: Good news! Toss to take place at 1 pm IST. Hope the rain stays away.

12:42 hrs IST: All the covers have been removed. There is still chance of some play today.

12:36 hrs IST: The ground staff are still working on the practice pitches.

12:28 hrs IST: The next inspection is at 12.45 pm.

UPDATE - Most of the covers are off and the ground staff working in full flow. Next inspection at 12.45 IST #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/HKvwKHlOtc

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 16, 2017

12:14 hrs IST: The problem seems to be with the practice wickets near the boundary, where the ground staff have been poking holes to get rid of the moisture

11:43 hrs IST: The umpires were not happy with the outfield in the previous inspection and with no sun in sight, it will be difficult to get rid of the dampness.

11:34 hrs IST: There will be an inspection at 12:10pm.

11:26 hrs IST: The ground staff are making small holes in the practice pitches with nails to remove the moisture.

11:18 hrs IST: Time for lunch. The game will not take place for another one or one and a half hours!

11:14 hrs IST: Three super soppers are busy removing all the excess water.

11:06 hrs IST: The first covers to be removed are those on the outfield, the pitch and the square still remain protected.

10:54 hrs IST: The covers are coming off! Is it good news for the fans?

10:46 hrs IST: No change in situation. It can safely be said that the first session will not see any play,

10:33 hrs IST: The rain is getting heavier at the Eden Gardens.

10:29 hrs IST: 

#INDvSL | @NiroshanDikka scores a lot of his runs from the sweep shot and that will be useful for him against the Indian spinners

LIVE | https://t.co/RavBHh1Uh9 pic.twitter.com/T9EyxSOweu

— HT Sports (@HTSportsNews) November 16, 2017

10:24 hrs IST: It’s still raining in Kolkata. Chances of play look quite bleak.

10:19 hrs IST: “Winning is the most important thing. We are not differentiating in terms of where we are playing, whom we are playing... We just want to play good cricket as team. If you play good cricket, results take care of each other anywhere in the world,” said Kohli when he was asked about the Sri Lanka series.

10:14 hrs IST: An interesting way to look at the wicket-taking pattern of the Indian and Sri Lankan bowlers -

10:06 hrs IST: According to our correspondent in Kolkata, this can be the case for the next three days.

10:00 hrs IST: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may have sent history for a six by not being part of an evening which will commemorate 225 years of the sport being played in India. Find out why

09:58 hrs IST: With the rain coming in short spells, it will be very difficult for the ground staff to get the pitch ready quickly.

09:49 hrs IST: The covers are back as it’s raining once again!

09:45 hrs IST: In their last 17 outings, 8 out of 10 defeats for Sri Lanka have been by a margin of an innings.

09:40 hrs IST: 

Covers being removed at Eden. #INDvSL @HTSportsNews

— Dhiman Sarkar (@DhimanHT) November 16, 2017

09:38 hrs IST: The groundsmen have removed some of the outfield covers.

09:36 hrs IST: According to our correspondent in Kolkata, play looks unlikely before the second or the final session.

09:33 hrs IST: Sri Lanka have never won a Test match in India till now.

09:30 hrs IST: These are not seasonal rains in Kolkata and as a result, the groundsmen were caught by surprise.

09:27 hrs IST:  “Playing one format gives me more time to prepare. I would definitely love to play all the formats for India. I am improving as a batsman. I am working on a few things which will pay off. The domestic season has been good. I have played county games on challenging wickets and learnt a lot.” - Pujara during his interview.

09:21 hrs IST: The covers are still on at the Eden Gardens.

09:15 hrs IST: Virat Kohli was quite angry with the press about their questions regarding him taking a rest, but the Indian cricket team skipper made it clear that ‘he will ask for a break if he needs one’.

09:09 hrs IST: 

The Eden Gardens, less than 30 minutes before scheduled start of the first day of the first Test. #INDvSL @HTSportsNews pic.twitter.com/BgPvc7Y4uJ

— Dhiman Sarkar (@DhimanHT) November 16, 2017

09:06 hrs IST: The super soopers are out and the ground staff are trying to get the pitch ready.

09:00 hrs IST: Toss delayed due to rain at the Eden Gardens.

08:52 hrs IST: The start will most likely be delayed as the pitch is being covered with multiple layers.

08:47 hrs IST: Rain has started in Kolkata. This is not good news for the match!

08:41 hrs IST: Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be making their return for India after three months. The two experienced spinners will be looking to prove a point with Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal both producing good performances in the recent past.

08:36 hrs IST: Good news! No rain till now, but the conditions are quite overcast.

08:31 hrs IST: The last couple of days saw heavy rainfall in Kolkata and if that continues, it will be tough task for the ground staff to get the pitch ready in time for the game.

08:15 hrs IST: India have never lost a bilateral Test series at home against Sri Lanka.

08:01 hrs IST: Hello and welcome to HT’s live coverage of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

Familiarity and statistics pretty much put the India vs Sri Lanka series in perspective. While Sri Lanka struggle to emerge from a long phase of transition, India continue to rule in all formats of the game. Virat Kohli’s young team has been invincible at home.

India are unbeaten in a home series in any format since being defeated by South Africa in a one-day challenge in 2015. Sri Lanka are yet to win a Test on Indian soil, but they head for the opener in Kolkata with renewed hopes after winning two Tests against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates last month.

Sri Lanka do not have happy memories from their last encounter against the Indians. They lost all three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international at home in July-September. So any good deed will be seen as a bonus for Dinesh Chandimal’s side that is gripped by a plethora of problems.