Indian spin-duo, Ravichandran Ashwin (4/67) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/56) starred on day one in the second Test match between Sri Lanka and India in Nagpur on Friday.
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Ashwin and Jadeja were at their best picking up seven scalps on a pitch which had a layer of grass but offered turn and bounce as India bowled out Sri Lanka for just 205 after the visiting captain, Dinesh Chandimal opted to bat first. In reply, India were 11 for 1 at close of play.
Chandimal top-scored with a fighting 57 off 122 balls while opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne made a fighting 51 and in the process, became only the second batsman to surpass 1000-run barrier in 2017 after South African Dean Elgar.
Fast-bowler Ishant Sharma who was brought into the side in place of Mohammed Shami who picked up a niggle before the start of play was fantastic with the new ball dismissing young Sadeera Samarawickrama cheaply who unnecessarily wafted at a full ball nicked it to Cheteshwar Pujara at first slip.
Lahiru Thirimanne, at number three battled hard for 58 balls before attempting a wile slog-sweep and got castled off Ashwin just before lunch.
Angelo Mathews was trapped LBW by Jadeja which brought together Karunaratne and Chandimal in the middle. They allayed fears of a collapse with plenty of grit and some luck. After being dropped on 15, Karunaratne was stumped on 21 by Wriddhiman Saha, but Jadeja had bowled a no-ball.
Chandimal hoping for miracle to break India duck
After posing some serious problems to India initially in the..
Karunaratne became only the second Sri Lankan opener (after Sanath Jayasuriya) to score 1000 Test runs in a calendar year while Chandimal had a milestone of his own too, moving to 3000 Test runs.
Sharma struck once again trapping Karunaratne right in front of the stumps and his exit in the second session brought the entertaining Niroshan Dickwella to the middle. Dickwella also tried to resist before falling to Jadeja’s left-arm spin.
After being 160 for 4 at one stage, the visitors lost their last six wickets for just 45 runs in the final session. Chandimal then was left wondering as wickets kept falling from the other end.
The lower order faltered against the quality spin bowling display by Ashwin and Jadeja as India who went in with only four bowlers completely dismantled the lethargic Lankan batting unit.
KL Rahul failed to keep out the final 8 overs of the day when he chopped one onto the stumps off Lahiru Gamage in the tricky final half-hour.
