Upbeat after a demolition act in the second Test in Nagpur, Virat Kohli-led India will be eager to carry forward the momentum when they take on a below-par Sri Lanka in the third and final Test match at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi on Saturday. The Kotla track may not be as flat as the one at Jamtha, where India scored a mammoth 610/6 declared but it also won't be a green top like the one they got at the Eden Gardens. The last time New Delhi hosted a Test match was in 2015. At that time, it was rated as the best pitch in display during the series as the match against South Africa went deep into the fifth day. (Live Scorecard)
After the flop show in the first innings of the first Test, Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul enjoyed a fruitful second innings with scores of 94 and 79, respectively. Murali Vijay, who was surprisingly kept out of playing XI for the opening Test, came into the side in the second game in Dhawan's absence and scored a brilliant 128. Now with Dhawan back in the squad, it is indeed a happy problem for skipper Kohli, who has to choose two quality openers among three. India are 1-0 up in the series which could have easily been 2-0 had Kohli and his men got an extra 45 minutes on the final day of the rain-curtailed first Test that ended in a draw.
Catch live score and updates of the 3rd Test, Day 1 between India and Sri Lanka straight from Delhi
10:25 IST: FOUR! Flighted delivery from Perera. Vijay picks the ball nicely and sends it towards long-on for a boundary.
10:23 IST: Cheteshwar Pujara is the new man at the crease.
10:18 IST: WICKET! Dilruwan Perera strikes, Shikhar Dhawan departs for 23 runs. Perera claims his 100th Test scalp. Dhawan tries to play a sweep, gets a top edge and gives catch to Lakmal at backward square leg. India 42/1 in 10 overs.
10:15 IST: FOUR! Dhawan plays this beautifully towards third man. The openers have set the tone for India. Excellent batting by Dhawan and Vijay this morning.
10:08 IST: FOUR! Shikhar Dhawan sends Dilruwan Perera towards square of the wicket for a boundary. India 35/0 in 7.4 overs.
10:07 IST: Spin has been introduced by Sri Lanka captain.
10:03 IST: FOUR! Murali Vijay plays this with a soft bottom hand. The opener guides the ball towards third man for a boundary. India 28/0 in 6.4 overs.
09:59 IST: FOUR! Dhawan opens the face of the bat and sends the ball towards sweeper cover region for a boundary. India 22/0 in 5.4 overs.
09:55 IST: Dhawan sends Lakmal towards mid-on for a quick single. He will keep the strike. India 18/0 in 5 overs.
09:50 IST: Maiden over from Lahiru Gamage. India 17/0 in 4 overs.
09:44 IST: FOUR! Shikhar Dhawan comes a bit forward and sends Suranga Lakmal towards sweeper cover region for a boundary.
09:41 IST: FOUR! Murali Vijay plays this with straight bat. It was a gentle push straight down the ground. India 13/0 in 1.4 overs.
09:37 IST: FOUR! Vijay sends Lakmal towards fine leg this time. Back-to-back boundaries for the right-hander. India 8/0 in 0.5 over.
09:36 IST: FOUR! First boundary of the match. Murali Vijay uses the pace, opens the face of the bat and cuts the ball towards backward point for a boundary.
09:34 IST: Suranga Lakmal will open the attack for Sri Lanka. Here we go......
09:32 IST: India openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan are making their way to the middle. Sri Lanka team are in a huddle.
09:30 IST: Players are out for national anthems.
09:22 IST: Coach Ravi Shastri is giving pep talk to the team ahead of the third Test at Feroz Shah Kotla.
All set! #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/iHbqNTU07o
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 2, 2017
09:08 IST: Playing XIs:
Sri Lanka: Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (captain), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Roshen Silva, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lakshan Sandakan, Lahiru Gamage
#TeamIndia Playing XI for the 3rd Test #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/h6TsLnXC5z
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 2, 2017
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma
09:05 IST: Two changes for India:
Mohammed Shami and Shikhar Dhawan in.
Umesh Yadav and KL Rahul out.
Three changes for Sri Lanka:
Lakshan Sandakan, Roshen Silva and Dhananjaya De Silva in.
Thirimanne, Shanaka and Herath out.
09:03 IST: TOSS: India captain Virat Kohli wins toss, opts to bat against Sri Lanka at Feroz Shah Kotla.
Captain @imVkohli wins the toss and elects to bat first in the 3rd and final Test against Sri Lanka #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/OvQh9fTPxO
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 2, 2017
08:40 IST: The ongoing Test series initiated with India, Sri Lanka registering a draw in the rain-marred first match. Later, in the second game, the hosts thumped visitors to clinch victory by a mammoth innings and 239 runs.
With a 1-0 series lead #TeamIndia is here in Delhi for the third and final Test against Sri Lanka #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/mmK5PtaIPD
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 1, 2017
08:38 IST: It will be interesting to see whether captain Kohli returns to his old composition of fielding five batsmen, five bowlers and a wicket-keeper. He had fielded four bowlers in the Nagpur Test and all of them delivered.
08:37 IST: The Kotla wicket might offer a traditional display of Test cricket with the pitch sustaining the wear and tear over the five days.
08:36 IST: India will also eye on equalling a record of most consecutive Test series wins. Currently they are on a eight-series winning streak and a win or a draw in Kotla will pull them level to the record which is jointly shared by Australia and England.
08:35 IST: After taking an unassailable 1-0 lead, India will aim to clinch the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
08:30 IST: Hello and welcome to the Live coverage from the opening day of the third Test between India and Sri Lanka at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.
The year 2018, starting with three Tests against South Africa followed by the two marquee away series -- five matches against England and four against Australia at the back-end of the year -- will define Kohli's character as a leader and also his ability of his team. Therefore, it will be a good chance for the likes of Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin to rack up some more enviable numbers which will do a world of good to their confidence. Facing a Sri Lankan side, which has been nothing short of an embarrassment, is not the greatest of challenges but for world's No 1 Test side, it will be an opportunity to get some much required match practice, which they unfortunately won't get in South Africa save a two-day game.
