Daijiworld Media Network

Galle, Aug 14 : It is a big day for the hosts. Having already lost Silva and Karunaratne, they have their backs against the wall and they needed more than just Sangakkara and Mathews to step up. A lot will depend on the likes of Thirimanne, Chandimal and Mubarak. Yes, the pitch is offering assistance to the spinners, but these players were brought up on these conditions. They must find a way to cope with India's spin trio. Will they be able to do so? Or will the Indian spinners continue to torment the hosts' batsmen? Answers coming up as we gear up for the start of the first session.

On a day where India consolidated, Dhawan registered his 4th hundred - his slowest in Tests, while Kohli scored his 11th and 4th as captain. The Delhi pair were involved in a record 3rd wicket partnership of 227 runs. They batted through the morning session and had seen off the first hour in the second session before Kaushal sent back the Indian skipper. The offie then got into his groove and picked a 5-wicket haul. A fighting fifty from Saha saw India stretch their lead close to 200. Kohli started with spin and he was rewarded for that as Ashwin and Mishra sent back the Sri Lankan openers for nought.

All the talk in the Indian camp leading up to the Test series was play aggressive cricket and pick 20 wickets to win the Test. Well, they are on course to achieving that. Hello and welcome to day 3 of the first Test of the Cricbuzz Cup. Before we go any further, here's an update about the weather from our man Ganesh, 'Drizzling very briefly but the sun is still out. Could be just a passing cloud but groundstaff pulling the covers on.' In a few minutes he goes on to say, 'In a matter of seconds it has stopped. Groundstaff milling around not knowing what to do by the looks of it. Pitch covered still but not rest of the ground.'

India are in the driver's seat. They couldn't have asked for a better start than this to the Cricbuzz Cup. If they can get Sangakkara and Mathews early tomorrow, surely they can wrap things up inside three days and take a 1-0 lead. Will they be able to do so?

Just when Sri Lanka looked set to bowl out the tourists, Saha frustrated them with a fighting fifty, before Pradeep prised him out. However, on replays it showed that the ball went off the helmet. Varun Aaron was the last man to be dismissed. As they have already lost a couple of wickets, the hosts have a gargantuan task in front of them. India will be pleased with how the first two days have progressed and are right on top in this game.

For the hosts, Tharindu Kaushal was the chief wicket-taker. He ended up with five scalps to his name. The pacer, Nuwan Pradeep, picked up three. On Day 1, the off-spinner had struggled for rhythm. He though, put up a better show today. It was Kaushal, who ended the stand between Kohli and Dhawan by snaring the former's wicket. He followed it up by dismissing Ajinkya Rahane. Pradeep then strung together a few tight overs and was rewarded with the scalp of Dhawan.
A 227-run stand between Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan propelled India to a sizeable first innings lead. To make it a great day for them, Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva were cleaned up by Ashwin and Mishra for no score, respectively. Earlier, Kohli and Dhawan played through the first session of the day. Dhawan was the more aggressive of the two, but Kohli, too, checked in some fine shots to keep the scorecard ticking. Both notched up hundreds. However, Dhawan had his share of luck, as a couple of catches were dropped.

Sangakkara goes up to Kohli and congratulates him. Always a true gentleman. The Indians are delighted with their brief outing. Plenty of handshakes going on and they seem a happy bunch as they make their way to the pavilion.