Pink ball test: India were nine wickets away from a 2-0 series win, Sri Lanka were 28-1 by the end of Matchday 2, chasing an unlikely target of 447 and with three days left.
IND vs SL, Pink Ball Test: India sniffs heroics by Bumrah, Pant, Iyer on day two (AP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Sri Lanka was reduced to 28 for one on stumps on day two
- India has set Sri Lanka a record goal of 447 runs to win the Pink Ball Test
- Shreyas Iyer (67) and Rishabh Pant (50) had the best scores in the 2nd inning
India pacesetter Jasprit Bumrah put the hosts on course for a series win against Sri Lanka with early goals in Sunday’s pink ball test at Bengaluru’s M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Sri Lanka chased 447 for an unlikely win and was reduced to 28-1 by stumps on the second day of Sunday’s Bengaluru Test against India. Bumrah held Lahiru Thirimanne (0) from the stumps in the very first over, but Kusal Mendis and Dimuth Karunaratne went undefeated in a 28-run streak for the second wicket.
India vs. Sri Lanka, Pink Ball Test Day 2: Highlights
This comes after India set Sri Lanka a record 468 runs goal to win the Pink Ball Test in Bengaluru after declaring their second inning at 282/9 during the final session on Day 2. Shreyas Iyer scored India’s best with a knock of 67, while Rishabh Pant brought up the quickest Test fifty by an Indian with just 28 balls.
Sri Lankan spinner Praveen Jayawickrama took crucial wickets to dismantle India’s middle order and he finished the game on counts of 4/78 while Lasith Embuldeniya entered with three wickets.
Earlier, India had lost Mayank Agarwal after an opening 42-run stand, but skipper Rohit Sharma and Hanuma Vihari kept the momentum going with the game’s first 50-run partnership. Sharma appeared poised to reach his first fifty as captain but it was not to be as he dropped to 46 after being caught by Angelo Mathews in the depths of Dhananjaya’s bowling. Shortly thereafter, Vihari was cleaned up by Jayawickrama, who returned having previously left the field with a foot injury.
Rishabh Pant walked in and immediately unleashed fireworks, but watched as Kohli walked away on the other end. The former India captain was finished off by a similar dismissal as in the first innings, where the ball stayed low and hit him straight forward.
However, Pant took the game away from the lankers by going bowling as soon as he went to the crease, and the wicketkeeper quickly brought up his fifty with seven fours and two sixes. Made from 28 balls, his half-century was the fastest by an Indian batsman, beating Kapil Dev’s record 40 years ago.
Earlier, Sri Lanka had progressed at 86/6 but their resistance lasted just 27 minutes as Jasprit Bumrah (5/24) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2/30) cleaned up the end to give the hosts a 143-run before the second inning. to gain advantage.
Bumrah’s fiery spells earned him his eighth move with five wickets, but his first on home soil on a pitch that favors the spinners heavily.
