India are 51 for 2 at lunch in their second innings on the fourth day of the third Test match played at Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi. Ishant Sharma got the breakthrough early in the morning by dismissing Dinesh Chandimal for career-best 164 as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 373 in their first innings. India lost Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane early in the second innings but Cheteshwar Pujara looked at his fluent best in his brief stay at the crease with Shikhar Dhawan before players went off for lunch. India have extended their lead to 214 runs with eight wickets in hand. (Live Scorecard)
Earlier, despite resilient performance with the bat from Chandimal and Angelo Mathews, India were still on top at the end of Day 3. India were ahead by 180 runs and they had only one wicket left to take. It was good to see the visitors not giving up so easily, but to expect them to win a Test from here would be futile. Captain Chandimal, who batted the whole day scoring 147 off 341 balls with 18 boundaries and a six, was unbeaten and looked to reduce India's lead as much as possible.
The Indian bowling attack was rewarded for its perseverance on a lifeless track as the hosts reduced Sri Lanka to 356 for nine after defiant hundreds from Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal in the final Test on Monday. Ravichandran Ashwin (3/90 in 35 overs), who has been Virat Kohli's 'Go To Man' in home conditions, got quick breakthroughs in the final session as the tourists ended the third day's play of the third Test 180 runs behind. Ashwin's victims included Mathews (111), Roshen Silva (0) and Niroshan Dickwella (0), as India wrested back the advantage from the islanders, who frustrated the bowlers in the first two sessions. The other highlight for India was Wriddhiman Saha asserting himself as the best wicketkeeper in world cricket with stunning catches off Ishant Sharma (2/93 in 27 overs) and Mohammed Shami's (2/74 in 23 overs) bowling.
Catch the live action and updates of India vs Sri Lanka, 3rd Test, Day 4, straight from Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.
13:47 IST: Four! Kohli gets into the act. Beautiful work of the wrists and it will get him a boundary. All Gamage can do is to stand and watch it go to the mid-wicket boundary.
13:45 IST: Four! Not short enough to pull, Rohit goes for it and gets a top edge. Luckily it has gone down the third man boundary. Gamage can't believe his luck.
13:43 IST: Gamage comes back on for Sri Lanka.
13:41 IST: Rohit Sharma is the new man in, joins his skipper Kohli.
13:40 IST: Wicket! One too many for Dhawan. Once again comes down the wicket but this time Sandakan is up to the task as Dickwell behind the stumps removes the bails in a flash. Dhawan stumped Dickwella b Sandakan 67
13:35 IST: Four! This time Dhawan brings out the sweep shot. The result, the same. Another boundary. de Silva running out of ideas here.
13:34 IST: Four! Dhawan oozing in confidence at the moment. Uses his feet once again to the off-spinner and splits the gap between cover and long off. Nothing de Silva could have done to change that. Saw Dhawan coming down the track, dropped it a bit short but the young left-hander goes through with the shot.
13:32 IST: Six! Great use of the feet from Dhawan. Gets to the pitch of the ball and hits Sandakan out of the ground.
13:31 IST: Short from Sandakan and Dhawan whips it off his legs for a single. Gets to his fifth half-century with India leading by 286 runs.
13:30 IST: Sandakan comes into the attack.
13:29 IST: Dhawan picks up a single. Moves to 49.
13:25 IST: Four! Short and wide from Lakmal. Dhawan takes full advantage of the lose ball and cuts it over point for a boundary. Good over for India. 12 coming of that Lakmal over.
13:22 IST: Four! Lovely shot from Dhawan. Comes down the track and hits Lakmal right through the line. Not a fielder moved. That went to the fence like a rocket.
13:21 IST: Virat Kohli is the new man in for India.
13:20 IST: de Silva came round the wicket and got it to straighten after pitching. Pujara just opened the face of the bat and Angelo Mathews holds on to a very good catch at first slip.
13:19 IST: Wicket: de Silva strikes for Sri Lanka. Removes Cheteshwar Pujara. India lose their third wicket with the score on 106.
13:16 IST: Pujara picks up a couple of twos that takes him to 49.
13:10 IST: 100 comes up for India. Lead by 265 runs at the moment.
13:08 IST: Lakmal comes round the wicket to Dhawan and the Indian opener works it off his legs for a couple.
13:04 IST: Dhananjaya de Silva comes in to the attack. Concedes five singles in that first over. Both Dhawan and Pujara have added 70 runs so far.
12:58 IST: Lakmal finishes one more economical over.
12:55 IST: In the last 10 overs, India have scored 40 runs. That is a very healthy run rate and if they can go at the same rate, a declaration is on the cards right after tea.
12:53 IST: Four! Perera bowls it short outside off stump and that was beautifully played by Dhawan. Played it late and the man at point tried his best to save the boundary but in the end it was not good enough.
12:49 IST: Only one coming of that Lakmal over. India 85 for 2.
12:45 IST: Suranga Lakmal comes back into the attack.
12:40 IST: Another poor review! Perera comes round the wicket. Pujara comes forward but seems to be pad first. Replays confirm it is pad first. But the ball just didn't spin enough to come back and hit the stumps. There was always that element of doubt. Never really looked out. Sri Lanka lose their review.
12:36 IST: Four! Pujara again comes down the track and finds the gap between cover and mid off. The mid off is standing quite deep there but still couldn't prevent the ball from going to the fence. Great batting. Nothing much Perera could have done with that.
12:32 IST: Dhawan coming down the wicket, hits it through the line and a good bit of work at mid off saves a boundary. Gamage again guilty of overstepping on that occasion.
12:28 IST: Four! Pujara comes down the track and beats mid off easily. Good intent there from Pujara. He is certainly looking for quick runs here. Perera tossing it up and Pujara up to the task.
12:25 IST: Another quiet over from Gamage. Sri Lankans are not giving away any easy runs to India.
12:22 IST: Perera tossing it up a bit more here. Trying to entice the batsman to go for the big hits.
12:18 IST: Five coming of that Gamage over. India 60 for 2.
12:13 IST; Four! Pujara goes for the drive and a poor piece of fielding at covers will give him a boundary. Gamage is not happy.
12:12 IST: Runs coming in ones and twos in the first over after lunch.
12:11 IST: Perera to start things off after lunch. Pujara to take strike.
12:10 IST: Welcome back after lunch. This will be an important session for the Indians. They would like to get a move on and may be declare just after tea.
11:30 IST: The players are heading for lunch break. India 51 for 2 at lunch, lead by 214 runs. Dhawan 15*, Pujara 17*
11:25 IST: So India getting a move on here. A good couple of boundaries for the home team.
11:22 IST: Four! Two back to back boundaries for Cheteshwar Pujara. First came down the track and hit it straight past the bowler which was followed by a beautiful back foot drive of a shortish ball. Using the depth of the crease to perfection here Pujara.
11;17 IST: Great delivery from Lakmal. Angled into the right hander and just about straightens enough to beat the bat.
11:13 IST: Pujara gets off the mark with a single.
11:12 IST: Cheteshwar Pujara is the new man, joins Dhawan in the middle.
11:11 IST: Wicket: Just as we speak. Rahane tries to go for the big one but finds the man at long on. Perera gets the wicket for Sri Lanka. India have lost their second wicket.
11:10 IST: India would certainly have a crack at the Lankans after tea. Would ideally like to give themselves close to four sessions to bowl out the visitors.
11:10 IST: Lakmal continues to probe away. India playing sensibly here but at some point they would like to up the ante.
11:05 IST: India 28 for 1 after 12 overs. Dhawan 9*, Rahane 10*
10:57 IST: Good news for Sri Lanka. Lakmal comes back on to the field and immediately gets the ball.
10:56 IST: Another play and miss from Rahane. Gamage bowls it wide and Rahane throws his bat at it. Misses it completely.
10:48 IST: Poor review! Perera bowls it a touch short again and Rahane transfers his weight to the back foot, looking to get it away through the on side only to miss the ball. Big shout for leg before but the umpire was not convinced. Sri Lanka went for the review and the replays suggest that it would have just kissed the leg stump. So the on-field decision stays.
10:46 IST: Four! Short from Perera and Rahane cuts it through cover point for a boundary. That was a poor delivery from Perera.
10:44 IST: Gamage completes another quiet over. India 19 for 1.
10:39 IST: Four! Rahane comes down the wicket and lofts Perera over mid off for a boundary. That's a good way to get back into form or rather hit your way back to form.
10:36 IST: Dilruwan Perera comes on, replacing Lakmal.
10:35 IST; Sri Lanka still struggling with the pollution in Delhi. The first to fall prey to that is Suranga Lakmal who is vomiting on the ground. The physio is out once again and looks as though he will have to leave the field. This is a bit of a blow for the Lankans. Lakmal was in the middle of a very good spell and was troubling Rahane. Dasun Shanaka will come out to field in place of Lakmal who is slowly walking off.
10:34 IST: Gamage bowls an economical over. Rahane still looking a bit tentative.
10:29 IST: This time Lakmal gets it to move away. Rahane feeling for that one. Luckily it missed the edge.
10:25 IST: Lakmal gets it to move back into the right handed Rahane. Rapped on the pads and a huge shout for leg before. The umpire raises the finger and Rahane goes for the review. Replays suggest that the ball was missing leg. Also a touch too high to be given out.
10:21 IST: India 12 for 1 after 4 overs.
10:17 IST: Rahane gets off the mark with a single.
10:16 IST: Ajinkya Rahane is the new man in for India. No Chesteshwar Pujara at No 3. Clearly the Indians are looking for quick runs.
10:15 IST: Wicket: Vijay playing away from his body to a ball that just moved away a bit, gets a thin edge and the keeper makes no mistake. Lakmal strikes for Sri Lanka. India lose their first wicket with the score on 10. Vijay gone for 9.
10:11 IST: Gamage gets it to move back into the right-hander, Vijay trying to play on the up, gets beaten as the ball just misses the inside edge.
10:09 IST; Dhawan gets off the mark with a single. So both the openers are off and away.
10:08 IST: Lahiru Gamage to share the new ball with Lakmal.
10:07 IST: Four! Vijay gets another one. This time through the vacant third man region. Expensive first over from Lakmal.
10:06 IST: Four! Back of a length and Vijay played it on the up through cover point. First boundary for India and Vijay in the second innings.
10:05 IST: Lakmal right on the money first up. Bowls a beautiful away swinger to start off the first over. Vijay left it alone.
10:04 IST: Suranga Lakmal to take the new ball. Vijay to take strike.
10:00 IST: The Sri Lankan fielders are out there in the middle. Most of them wearing masks again. For India, Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay will open the innings.
9:54 IST: Wicket! Ishant bowls it short, outside off stump and Chandimal (164) went for it, gets a top edge and Dhawan at third man makes no mistake. Sri Lanka bowled out for 373, trail India by 163 runs.
9:51 IST: Sandakan negotiates the last three balls of the Jadeja over without any trouble.
9:50 IST: Chandimal tries to work it on the on side, gets a leading edge and takes a single.
9:48 IST: First change of the morning. Jadeja comes on. Chandimal to take strike. This will be interesting. Will the Sri Lankan captain go for the big one or take the single that is on offer. Almost everyone is at the boundary.
9:46 IST: This time Ishant gets it to move away from the right handed Sandakan, who pokes at it but no damage done.
9:45 IST: Ishant comes round the wicket and bowls a quick bouncer. Sandakan ducks under it.
9:44 IST: Sandakan plays and misses at that one. Ishant would be looking to bowl that line more often.
9:40 IST: Four! Another boundary for Chandimal. Runs are coming thick and fast for Sri Lanka in the morning. Chandimal moves to his highest Test score. Batting on 163 at the moment.
9:39 IST: Four! Shami drifting down the leg side and Chandimal helps it round the corner for a boundary.
9:35 IST: Sandakan negotiates the last two balls of the Ishant over. Sri Lanka 364 for 9.
9:32 IST: Four! Wide outside off stump and Chandimal gets it fine through third man which is a lot squarer. Ishant needs to get closer to the stumps.
9:32 IST: Ishant Sharma to share the new ball with Shami.
9:31 IST: 3 coming of the first over of the day.
9:31 IST: Chandimal guides it for a single to the third man region. Gets a single and brings up his 150.
9:30 IST: Worked it off his legs for a couple. Chandimal moves closer to 150.
9:38 IST: Shami to start the proceedings for the hosts. Chandimal to take strike.
9:26 IST: Hello and welcome to the fourth day's play of the third and final Test match between India and Sri Lanka played at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.
Sri Lanka on their part, would be happy to have saved follow-on, which will ensure that they don't need to bat long enough in the second innings in order to save the Test match. In the previous five Test matches which lasted 16 and half days out of 25, this was the first time that the Lankans put up some resistance courtesy their two senior pros. The Indians will have something to worry about as this innings has been one of their worst fielding efforts with as many as five catches being dropped. The Indian bowlers could not be faulted despite little assistance from the track. Ishant got some of the deliveries to rear up awkwardly, but the Lankan duo did not do anything impetuous, leaving most of them alone. Ishant, in particular, bowled a testing spell to Mathews, with some of the deliveries coming into him after hitting the seam. However, his short deliveries most of the times could be left alone as they were not pitched in the right areas.
After the first hour, Kohli brought back Shami to make good use of the old ball, but there was not much reverse swing on offer. Ishant got a reward in the final session when Sadeera Samarawickrama (33) nicked one for Saha to take a brilliant one-handed catch. Saha repeated the act, but that was a two-handed effort off Shami's bowling to dismiss Suranga Lakmal.
