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Sri Lanka strike early as India chase 176 for victory
Chandimal scores his fourth Test century to frustrate India
India were 23 for the loss of one wicket in their second innings at stumps on Day 3 of the first Test against Sri Lanka, in Galle, on Friday.
Chasing a target of 176 for an outright victory in the first of the three-match Test rubber, the tourists started poorly, losing opener Lokesh Rahul (5) cheaply before Shikhar Dhawan (13) and night-watchman Ishant Sharma (5) ensured there were no more hiccups by the end of the day.
Earlier, the Lankans fought back from a a precarious 95 for five at one stage, after conceding a 192-run first innings lead, as Dinesh Chandimal came up with an unbeaten 162. His career-best score enabled them score 367 in the second innings.
India seemed to be cruising towards an innings victory after picking up three wickets in the morning but wicketkeeper-batsman Chandimal (162 not out) and Lahiru Thirimanne (44) stemmed the rot by adding 125 for the sixth wicket.
Chandimal, 25, stitched together another 82-run stand for the seventh wicket with Jehan Mubarak (49) during his 169-ball knock, which included 19 boundaries and four sixes, before the hosts were all out for 367 in their second innings.
- Galle Test: Chandimal's resilient ton makes India bat a second time
The right-handed batsman walked into bat with Sri Lanka on 92-4 and it became 95-5 in the next over forcing him to launch a counterattack.
Chandimal, who was reprieved by a wrong decision by the umpire with him on single digit, played the sweep shot ferociously against the spinners and also employed the reverse sweep to good effect and picked up boundaries at will while registering his fourth Test hundred.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who picked up six wickets in the first innings, took his third in the second by sending back Thirimanne after a catch by Ajinkya Rahane at slip.
He also clean bowled number 11 batsman Nuwan Pradeep to finish with a match haul of 10 wickets.
Sri Lanka, bowled out in their first innings for 183, resumed the day on five for two wickets after dismissing India for 375 but lost nightwatchman Dhammika Prasad (three) on the first ball of the morning by fast bowler Varun Aaron.
Prasad could not handle the steep bounce Aaron extracted off the Galle International Stadium pitch and gloved the ball to Rahane at gully.
The dismissal brought home captain Angelo Mathews to the crease and he stitched together a defiant 87-run stand for the fourth wicket with retiring stalwart Kumar Sangakkara.
Mathews (39) suffered a painful blow to his body off fast bowler Ishant Sharma early in his innings and decided to take the attack to the Indian bowlers.
The experienced duo managed to keep the tourists at bay for over 90 minutes in the session before Rahane pulled off an excellent catch at slip off Ashwin to send back Sangakkara (40).
The 37-year-old, who will retire after the second test against India in Colombo, walked off to a standing ovation.
India captain Virat Kohli then introduced Amit Mishra, who had taken a wicket in his first over on Thursday evening, and the leg-spinner took out Mathews, who edged a catch to Lokesh Rahul at silly mid-off.
Mishra, playing his first Test for India in four years, should also have had the wicket of Thirimanne after the left-hander fell to a bat-pad catch but the umpire ruled it as not out.
Mishra, playing his first Test for India in four years, should also have had the wicket of Thirimanne after the left-hander fell to a bat-pad catch but the umpire ruled it as not out.
The left-hander, who was yet to open his account, got an inside edge onto his pads before being caught in the close-in cordon but umpire Nigel Llong thought otherwise.