India vs Sri Lanka, third Test Day 2: Ishant gets rid of the struggling Dhananjaya de Silva and now Sri Lanka have lost two in six overs. Mathews gets off the mark with a boundary and it is time for tea.
Day 1 report: Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay put on 283 runs for the third wicket as India reached 371-4 at stumps on Day one of the third Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
At close of play, Kohli was unbeaten on 156 and Rohit Sharma was 6 not out. Vijay scored 155 runs for his 11th Test century.
India's Virat Kohli and Sri Lanka's Dinesh Chandimal. Agencies
Kohli reached his half-century off 52 balls. In doing so, he crossed 5,000 career runs in his 63rd Test. After tea, Kohli brought up his 20th test hundred off only 110 balls. He became the first Indian batsman - and sixth overall - to score hundreds in all matches of a three-Test series.
Kohli also became the first Indian batsman to score three hundreds in a test series since Rahul Dravid managed this feat against England in 2002.
Kohli extended his partnership with Vijay in the final session as the duo continued to plunder runs in New Delhi. They brought up the 200-run stand off 272 balls while India crossed 300 in the 72nd over.
Vijay reached his 150 off 251 balls, but was stumped off Lakshan Sandakan (2-110) toward the end of the day's play. This was his second-highest score in test cricket after 167 versus Australia in 2013. Overall, he faced 267 balls and hit 13 fours. Vijay and Kohli took India from 78-2 to 361-3.
Sandakan struck a quick second blow as Ajinkya Rahane (1) was stumped as well, giving Sri Lanka something to smile about.
Kohli reached 150 off 178 balls and then batted out the day in Sharma's company.
Earlier, India reached 116-2 at lunch, and 245-2 at tea, after winning the toss and making good use of the batting-friendly wicket at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan (23) put on 42 runs for the first wicket. The latter was out in an attempt to attack the bowling and was caught at square leg off Dilruwan Perera (1-33), his 100th test wicket.
Vijay and Dhawan were India's third opening pair in three tests. Lokesh Rahul and Dhawan had opened in Kolkata, while Rahul and Vijay had paired up in Nagpur.
"We are very clear that only form counts when we look at our openers. We also look at the right attitude of the batsmen," said Sanjay Bangar, India's assistant coach. "We are looking to rotate them, and it is a good thing that whoever is getting a chance, he scores runs. All our openers are in form."
Vijay then added 36 runs with Cheteshwar Pujara (23) for the second wicket. Pujara got out against the run of play as he clipped Lahiru Gamage (1-68) straight to leg gully and was caught.
India leads the three-match series 1-0 after winning the second test in Nagpur by an innings and 239 runs. The first test in Kolkata was drawn.
"It was another tough day. But you try to tell the bowlers about sessions of play where they bowled well," said Rumesh Ratnayake, Sri Lanka's bowling coach. "You try to tell them if they can do so more consistently, then we can put the batsmen under pressure."
With inputs from AP
HIGHLIGHTS
OUT! Ishant collects his first wicket! A seam up delivery that comes back and Dhananjaya de Silva plays the wrong line to get rapped below the kneeroll. Umpire Wilson has no hesitation to give him out. The batsmen discuss about DRS but Perera rightly asks de Silva to not opt for it. He walks back for 1.
OUT! Would you believe it? Karunaratne bags a golden duck. Shami angles in a back of a length delivery and the ball holds its line to take Karunaratne's edge. Saha does the rest. The Indians are ecstatic and the Delhi crowd is buzzing.
OUT! Kohli's mammoth innings comes to an end. Sandakan, from around the wicket, bowls a chinaman and the Indian captain misses it completely. Sri Lanka appeal and the finger goes up. Kohli reviews but to no avail. Three reds and he will have to walk back. India lose a review. Kohli out for career-best 243.
OUT! Well, well the break has resulted in a wicket. Ashwin slices a Gamage length delivery straight to Dilruwan Perera at gully. He falls for 4.
We might just see the play get interrupted due to pollution. Gamage started coughing after bowling his third ball, he rubbed his chest and signalled that he is finding it difficult to breath. The physio rushes out instantly.
OUT! Rohit Sharma plays one too many shot. Rohit tries to steer it to third man, but misses and nicks it to Dickwella. The umpire raises his finger and Rohit reviews it straightaway. Replays suggest that it had indeed hit the toe-end of the willow. Rohit departs for 65 and Lunch has been taken.
FIFTY! Some way to raise your fifty. Rohit Sharma shimmies down the ground and smokes it over the bowler's head for a six.
200! Kohli pulls it through midwicket and there it is! Sixth double hundred in the last 17 months. This has been a tremendous year for the Indian captain.
Sri Lanka take the second new ball. Suranga Lakmal is back into the attack.
FOUR! Perera is not going to change his game. Sees a full ball outside off and thrashes it over covers.
Welcome back. Dilruwan Perera and Angelo Mathews have arrived at the crease. Shami to begin the proceedings in the final session.
At tea, Sri Lanka 18/2
The deficit hasn’t dipped below the 500-run mark and the Lankans have already lost a couple of wickets. Both pacers helping themselves to a wicket each in a testing spell. Hard times ahead for the visitors, who have already earned the wrath of the locals.
After 6 overs,Sri Lanka 18/2 ( Dilruwan Perera 12 , Angelo Mathews 4)
Ishant gets rid of the struggling Dhananjaya de Silva and now Sri Lanka have lost two in six overs. Mathews gets off the mark with a boundary and it is time for tea.
Dhananjaya put out of misery by that lbw to Ishant Sharma. He looked so unconvincing against the fast bowlers that he could have been dismissed thrice over. 14 for 2.
OUT! Ishant collects his first wicket! A seam up delivery that comes back and Dhananjaya de Silva plays the wrong line to get rapped below the kneeroll. Umpire Wilson has no hesitation to give him out. The batsmen discuss about DRS but Perera rightly asks de Silva to not opt for it. He walks back for 1.
After 5 overs,Sri Lanka 14/1 ( Dilruwan Perera 12 , Dhananjaya de Silva 1)
This might get interesting. Shami pinged de Silva on the pads and India appealed in unison. The umpire Nigel Llong gave it not out and signalled that there was an inside edge (not sure whether he should be doing that). Anyways, the replays suggest that de Silva would've been out had India reviewed. Four runs follow: a single and a brace off a no ball. Perera edges the third ball but it doesn't carry to Pujara at first slip. What a busy over!
After 4 overs,Sri Lanka 10/1 ( Dilruwan Perera 10 , Dhananjaya de Silva 0)
Ishant begins with a back of a length delivery and Perera looked to flirt with it. He did and inside edged it onto his thighs. The second delivery roars past Perera's outside edge. But Perera sees out the rest of the over safely.
After 3 overs,Sri Lanka 10/1 ( Dilruwan Perera 10 , Dhananjaya de Silva 0)
De Silva is looking uncomfortable against Shami. Has tried to pull a couple of balls without proper intent. When he attempted a similar shot on the fourth ball, he got hit on the box, but looked good enough to continue. Back-to-back maidens for Shami.
After 2 overs,Sri Lanka 10/1 ( Dilruwan Perera 10 , Dhananjaya de Silva 0)
Perera is showing aggressive intent. He is not shying away from playing his shots. Scores a brace and two boundaries.
FOUR! Another boundary. Pitched up and outside off, Perera drives it aerially through covers.
FOUR! Ishant strays one on the hips and Perera helps it on its way to the long leg fence.
Timing in the declaration was superb. Had Kohli delayed by even 10 minutes the umpires would have called for early tea and that break would have put the Lankan batsmen in the right frame of mind. Timing was everything.
The declaration was a masterstroke. It caught the Lankans off guard. Openers would not have been mentally prepared for batting. They were pushed into it and thus lost opener Karunaratne.
After 1 overs,Sri Lanka 0/1 ( Dilruwan Perera 0 , Dhananjaya de Silva 0)
A top, top over from Shami. But a couple of ridiculous shots too. Dhananjaya de Silva tried to pull his first ball over midwicket and almost edged it to the keeper. A wicket-maiden first up.
The unforgiving Delhi crowd welcomes the Sri Lankan openers with the ‘loser chant’, and bring it right back after Karunaratne is caught behind off the first ball of the innings. Kohli, too, doesn’t shy away from a sendoff.
OUT! Would you believe it? Karunaratne bags a golden duck. Shami angles in a back of a length delivery and the ball holds its line to take Karunaratne's edge. Saha does the rest. The Indians are ecstatic and the Delhi crowd is buzzing.
The Sri Lankan openers Dilruwan Perera and Karunaratne walk out to bat. Shami to bowl the first over of the second innings.
Another of the several delays taking place today, and this one ends with captain Kohli calling Saha and Jadeja back to the dressing room, declaring on 536/7. SL counterpart Chandimal halted play after being told of only 10 players taking the field. “Loser, loser” go the spectators here, presumably losing patience with Sri Lanka’s delays.
The problem seems to be that Sri Lanka are short of fielders. But hold on, India have declared. Virat Kohli has made an angry decision.
Well another hold up in play. Sri Lanka were playing with only 10 players. Gamage, Lakmal and Sadeera Samarawikcrama are off the field.
After 127 overs,India 530/7 ( Wriddhiman Saha (W) 4 , Ravindra Jadeja 4)
Three runs came off the over. Sri Lanka are in a midst of a problem. Both their pacers aren't on ghe ground right now.
Play will continue. Dilruwan Perera will finish the over.
Even Ravi Shastri walks out, has a word with the umpires and goes back.
And so ends Kohli’s dominant innings, getting trapped leg-before by Sandakan and reviewing it in vain. Gets a standing ovation on his way back to the pavilion, having made the match all the more special with his dazzling knock.
Now, Lakmal is walking off the field. Both the Sri Lankan pacers are not on the ground.
After 126 overs,India 527/7 ( Wriddhiman Saha (W) 1 , Ravindra Jadeja 4)
Guess, the breaks in play have affected India's momentum. But that shouldn't be an excuse, Sri Lanka have quietly scalped two wickets. Can they bowl out India under 550 here?
FOUR! Jadeja doesn't err much. Goes back and pulls Sandakan over midwicket.
Guess all the breaks in play helped Lankans break momentum and get rid of Kohli. Trapped in front. A lapse in concentration accounted for skipper's wicket.
Kohli justified in expressing unhappiness at the time being wasted by Lanka. Too few overs have been bowled since lunch and Kohli displeased at fewer opportunities in having a go at the bowling.
OUT! Kohli's mammoth innings comes to an end. Sandakan, from around the wicket, bowls a chinaman and the Indian captain misses it completely. Sri Lanka appeal and the finger goes up. Kohli reviews but to no avail. Three reds and he will have to walk back. India lose a review. Kohli out for career-best 243.
The floodlights are being lit as I type, as it continues to remain overcast here at the Kotla. Also pretty chilly right now.
After 125 overs,India 523/6 ( Virat Kohli (C) 243 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 1)
Gamage bangs it short and Kohli tries to whip it from outside off but it takes a leading edge and falls in no man's area near covers. Times the next ball crisply and a misfield allows him to run one. It is quite hazy right now and the floodlights are on. Lakmal to continue Gamage's over and bowls three dots on the trot.
And Gamage’s leaving the field now, having had enough out there. Kohli looked extremely put off with the second delay.
Gamage is once again struggling to find his breath. Umpire Wilson hands the cap to Gamage and he is walking off.
After 124 overs,India 522/6 ( Virat Kohli (C) 242 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 1)
Kohli angrily comes down the wicket and slams one down the wicket. It ricochets off Sandakan's hand and hits the stumps at the non-striker's end. They take it upstairs and replays show that Saha had made his ground. They collected a single. Two more singles off the remaining five balls. Three off the over.
After 123 overs,India 519/6 ( Virat Kohli (C) 240 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 0)
What didn't we see in this over? A break, pollution discussions and an untimely wicket. One came off the over.
Play resumes, with umpire Joel Wilson giving the crowd at the South End a friendly wave, and Ashwin holes out to gully first ball after the resumption of play. Perhaps the lengthy break led to a loss of concentration. Out walks a fine Test batsman in Saha. Let’s see if this pair takes India past 600 today.
OUT! Well, well the break has resulted in a wicket. Ashwin slices a Gamage length delivery straight to Dilruwan Perera at gully. He falls for 4.
The 16-minute break has come to an end and the play is going to be resumed.
Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal was having a talk with the team manager Asanka Gurusinha. Right now, he is having an animated chat with the umpires.
There is a doctor in the match referee's cabin and is having a talk with David Boon.
Kohli, though, doesn’t look happy. He’s nearing the 250-mark, and such a long delay could hamper his momentum (though players of his stature usually get back into the groove right away). Keeper Dickwella tries entertaining the crowd in the meantime, eliciting a cheer from the North End.
The play has been held up for quite some time after Gamage complains of breathing difficulty. The pollution levels have affected the national capital in many ways. Let’s hope it doesn’t ruin this Test.
We might just see the play get interrupted due to pollution. Gamage started coughing after bowling his third ball, he rubbed his chest and signalled that he is finding it difficult to breath. The physio rushes out instantly.
This is now Virat Kohli's highest score in Test cricket. His previous highest was 235 came against England at Mumbai in 2016.
Quite a few Sri Lankans sporting anti-pollution masks right now. Had spotted Kuldeep Yadav wearing one in the first session. The pollution levels in this city are alarming, and one cannot quite blame the players for taking precautions. Meanwhile, Kohli eclipses his previous best score of 235 vs England at the Wankhede. We’re witnessing something historic right now.