India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test, Day 2: Highlights

Sri Lanka paceman Suranga Lakmal breathed fire on a green track to rock India on a stop-start opening day of the rain-hit first Test. Follow live cricket score and updates.

IndiaToday.in  | Posted by Jepher Christopher Nickels
November 17, 2017 | UPDATED 16:41 IST
Reuters PhotoReuters Photo

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the second day of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka. (Scorecard)

India 1st Innings:

14.40 IST: Play has been called off for the day!It's STUMPS, DAY 2! Something that the farmers look forward to but not the cricket stakeholders has ensured that there is no further play in the day today after the tourists had the hosts on the mat. India would count themselves fortunate to have got away with this. In fact, close to two days getting washed out could mean that the game could head towards a draw.

In the limited time for which play was possible, Sri Lanka's seam bowlers continued to make life tough for the Indian batters. If yesterday it was Lakmal, today it was Shanaka who snaffled the two wickets to fall in the day. Like yesterday Pujara is still unbeaten, holding one end up. Hopefully tomorrow is a better day with respect to the weather. Till then, adios, take care!
13.10 IST: There's no great improvement in the weather as such. The super soppers are moping the water accumulated on the covers. It is pretty gloomy at Eden Gardens.

12.04 IST: Start of post lunch session delayed due to rain.

11.45 IST: It has been Sri Lanka all the way. They have been successful in inflicting misery on the hosts. Rahane was the first to depart after looking fidgety for a while. Ashwin too failed to spend considerable time at the crease before departing to a very loose shot, something that he could have done away without. Pujara is the only one standing between the tourists and an Indian batting collapse. He has largely looked untroubled which bodes well for India, who are in a mush.

11.35 IST: An early lunch has been taken.

11.02 IST: The covers are called on the field and the pitch and the central area are covered.

10.55 IST: 31.4 Karunaratne to Saha, FOUR. Now Saha gets into the act. Gets off the mar with a boundary. Karunaratne bowls it on a shorter length around off, Saha goes back and punches it through point. The ball speeds away to the fence.

10.52 IST: 31.1 Karunaratne to Pujara, FOUR. Pujara isn't someone who will let a freebie pass by especially when he is set. Karunaratne, at his pace, cannot imagine himself to be a Steyn. He does so and bangs it short. Pujara has ample time to go back and pull it through deep mid-wicket for a boundary.

10.43 IST: 29.1 Karunaratne to Pujara, FOUR. After countering all the better bowlers early on, this is a gift for Pujara. Short and wide outside off, Pujara goes back and slaps it powerfully through covers for a boundary.

10.33 IST: 26.5 Gamage to Pujara, FOUR Cheteshwar Pujara has really looked solid out there. Perhaps the county experience helping him more in India! Whatever is the case, he's countering it well. Full length ball outside off, he leans into the shot and drives it through wide mid off for a boundary.

10.26 IST: 26 Shanaka to Ashwin, OUT. FIFTY for half the side. Mind games are a thing in the sport and it shows. Shanaka created some doubts by banging an odd delivery short and also copped a blow to Ashwin. Here Ashwin was hanging on the back foot and sensing that Dasun hurls in a fuller delivery around off. Ashwin looks to drive it and gets it off the outer half straight to Karunaratne at backward point who makes no mistake. The umpires check for the front foot no ball but the bowler is just fine there. So, his persistence with fuller deliveries has again reaped rewards. Though this is a poor shot from the no.6. He played away from the body and that has brought his downfall. He walks away with a forlorn face but he is himself to be blamed here. India slip further, half the side back in the hut.

10.22 IST:  25.1 Shanaka to Pujara, FOUR. Fuller delivery outside off, Pujara gets a small stride forward and just caresses it through covers. There's no stopping that.

10.06 IST: 23.5 D. Shanaka to Pujara, FOUR BYES. The amount of inswing on that delivery. Shanaka delivers it around middle and leg and the ball goes down the leg. It moves more and beats the dive from the keeper after beating Pujara who looks to flick it. Runs away to the fine leg fence.

09:52 IST: 19.1: D Shanaka to Pujara, FOUR. Aah! Glorious! It seems Pujara is batting in altogether different conditions than the other Indian batsmen. Shanaka serves a full delivery around off, Pujara drives it through mid off for a boundary. Replays show that he got it off the inner half as he looked to go a bit more towards covers.

09:42 IST: Ravichandran Ashwin walks in at number 6. If there was any better time to show his batting prowess, now's it. India are in trouble and really need him to bail them out. Will he be able to do so?

09:42 IST: WICKET! 17.2: D Shanaka to Rahane. Shanaka strikes to end Rahane's misery. India 30/4 (17.2 overs) vs Sri Lanka

09:29 IST: 14.5: S Lakmal to Rahane, FOUR. First runs off Lakmal's bowling! And it's a boundary that gets it. Though Rahane wasn't in control of that. This is bowled outside off, Ajinkya plays it away from the body and gets it through point. The ball has enough legs to go to the fence. Rahane gets off the mark with this.

09:25 IST: 13.6: D Shanaka to Pujara, FOUR. One brings two! Yesterday Gamage struggled from this end and today Shanaka. Bowls a full delivery outside off, Pujara drives it through mid off a la yesterday and helps himself to another boundary. He's on 16 now and all runs have been due to boundaries - unlike Che. India 25/3 (14 overs) vs Sri Lanka

09:16 IST: The star of Day 1, Suranga Lakmal to steam in from the other end. He has bowled 6 overs so far and all have been maidens. They have three slips for him, coming down from the four slips that they had yesterday, apart from a gully.

09:15 IST: 11.6: L Gamage to Pujara, Starts off with a 136 kmph straight delivery, outside off on a fuller length. Pujara watches that closely and lets it go.

09:12 IST: We are all set to get underway. Matthew Hayden rings the bell at the Eden Gardens today. Sri Lanka are in a final huddle to discuss their final plans - much of which could be pace related. They run out to the centre to take their respective places on the ground. The Indian batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane walk out to bat. They have their tasks cut out. Remember, 98 OVERS have to be bowled today. Lahiru Gamage will run in to bowl a delivery that'll complete the over. Three slips and a gully in place.

08:57 IST: Pitch Report! Simon Doull doing the pitch report says that the track is still grassy albeit a bit of it is trimmed and it will be tough batting conditions. But the sunny conditions later on would mean that the batting could be easier then. The moisture on the surface will play it's role, given it is an early start, opines Sunil Gavaskar. He goes on to add that it is important for the Sri Lankan bowlers to get the batsmen committed to the front foot as that's where more chances of getting the edge lie. Thus, pitching it further up to the batsman is the key he feels.

Hello and welcome to Day 2 of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens. For starters, the weather seems clear enough to have the scheduled early start on time. Although there is rain forecast later on, nothing's a given until it really happens.

With India rocked back in the limited period of play on Day 1, it is up to Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to bail India out of troubled waters and get to a respectable total. The former is at the crease with a typical Pujara-esque innings so far and the latter is yet to get going.

The Sri Lankans would ensure regular fuel supply to Suranga Lakmal's ammunition, which is menacingly firing. Stay with us for what promises to be an intriguing day's play.

Yesterday was all about being left wanting more. Today it seems that the unquenched thirst of the cricket enthusiasts would be satiated.