India vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test, Day 1, Nagpur, live scorecard
India's day
Even though India lost KL Rahul at the stroke of stumps, still it has been India's day by some distant. They bowled Sri Lanka out for just 205 after they opted to bat first on a pretty good Nagpur wicket. Ravichandan Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ran thorugh the inexperienced Sri Lankan middle order with discplined bowling. Speaking of that, there was no one more discplined that comeback man Ishant Sharma, who got three important wickets incleding the first one of the day.
For Sri Lanka, there were two promising half centuries from Dimuth Karunaratne and captain Dinesh Chandimal but both of them fell just after reaching their milestone.
Stumps on Day 1
A confident push off the backfoot by Pujara and that's stumps on Day 1 with India reaching 11 for 1 in reply to Sri Lanka's 205. Sri Lanka would be happy with to see the bakc off Rahul but they need more on the second morning to make a comeback into this Test match.
BOWLED'EM
Rahul will be very very disappointed with that. Drags a wide one onto his stumps to give Gamage and Sri Lanka their first break through, not what India wanted late on Day 1. IND: 7/1
Thuderous drive to begin
SHOT! Now that's how you face the first ball. Who said India would bat for the day? Certainly not Rahul. A superb straight drive offering the full face of the bat to a Lakmal losener and he is off the mark with a boundary. India are away.
Indian openers KL Rahul and Murali Vijay make their way out into the centre. Their first job will be to bat through the day without a loss and then start afresh on Day 2.
A brilliant bowling performance from India has seen them bundling out the Lankans for a paltry, 205. They lost an important toss but have done exceedingly well to restrict the visitors. They were without their two strike bowlers and haven't let their team miss their absence. Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav bowled with a lot of heart with the former being in terrific rhythm. Then the spin duo of Ashwin and Jadeja took over then reins and Sri Lanka found it really tough to counter them.
Sri Lanka bowled out for 205
And Ashwin wraps it up! 4-fer to him and a much satisfying performance from him, considering that he went wicket-less in the last game. Sticks to around the wicket and nicely loops it up outside off. Herath comes forward to run it down but ends up guiding it straight into the hands of Rahane at first slip. SRI LANAK BOWLED OUT FOR 205!
Ishant has his third
Too good from Ishant! Pitches right on middle stump and moves away slightly, Lakmal had nowhere to go. He gets the faintest of edges to Saha and to give the lanky fast bowler his third wicket of the day. It has a great comeback for Ishant Sharma and Sri Lanka are nine down.
Ashwin gets the Lankan captain
India use the review system to their advantage now to see the back of the Sri Lankan skipper. Chandimal falls for an atrocious shot, which he would be rueing in the dressing room. Ashwin loops it up around off, Dinesh gets down and misses his reverse sweep attempt. The ball strikes him on the right pad. India appeal but the umpire doesn't think that's out. Ashwin knows he has his man. Asks about the impact to Saha and then says that he himself feels it's very close. This convinces Kohli to go upstairs. Hawk Eye signals the end of Chandimal's innings by returning three red marks. Ashwin gets his third. India hastening the end now.
Shanaka goes
OUT! Timber! Shanaka's forgetful outing with the bat continues. Just a while back Sanjay Manjrekar was comparing the non-turning deliveries of Ashwin and Jadeja and here is the former striking with the one that doesn't spin. Continues round the wicket to Dasun and lands it around off. Shanaka goes back to play for the turn that is absent. Finds that the off stump is pegged back. Looks like a darts session where the bull's eye has been hit through the only visible area, as the stumps weren't really visible. The off spinner's joy is visible and why won't it! Sri Lanka slip further.
Dickwella commits suicide
OUT! Dickwella commits a blunder! Tries to take Jadeja on but the move doesn't pay off. Jaddu floats it around off, the wicketkeeper-batsman charges down the track and looks to go big on the on side. Ends up getting a leading edge which makes the ball go a long way up in the air. Ishant settles under it at mid off and pouches it safely. Once more Niroshan has failed to make his start count. Sri Lanka lose half their side now.
TOSS
Sri Lanka win the toss and chose to BAT first.
PITCH REPORT
Matthew Hayden observes that although there is a grass covering on the pitch, this one is a dry surface and there is no moisture on it like Eden Gardens. The previous Test here vs South Africa was a dustbowl and this isn't so, observes VVS Laxman. He is of the view that as the game progresses the cracks will widen and hence the spinners will come into play. Reckons it will be tough for the batsmen.
A bright and sunny weather in Nagpur welcomes us for the second game of the series.
MATCH PREVIEW
Denied by the ‘Weather Gods’ in the opening Test, a supremely confident India are set to make some strategic changes to ensure that their dominance of Sri Lanka continues unchallenged in the second match starting here on Friday.
Having earned the psychological edge by blowing the Sri Lankan top and middle order during the final session of the drawn first Test, the hosts will once again play on a green track at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Jamtha.
The hint of grass on the pitch is in keeping with the team's preparation for the gruelling South African tour which starts next month.
A decent cover of green on the match strip is a marked departure from what has been a traditionally low and slow batting belter over the years. However, till the first ball is bowled, it will be difficult to presume the kind of bounce that will be on offer.
"It seems to be a good pitch. It will be helpful for the fast bowlers at least on the first two days," said India skipper Virat Kohli.
For India, the challenge will be to produce an improved performance in trying conditions even though it is expected that the challenge to score runs on this track will be a wee bit less than what it was at the Eden Gardens under overcast conditions.
Kohli has shown how to take a bull by its horn with the magnificent ton in a pressure situation and his men will be itching to do the same against Suranga Lakmal and company.
India's most technically equipped opener Murali Vijay will be making a comeback into the playing XI as Shikhar Dhawan has taken a break for personal reasons.
Experts felt that Vijay’s compact technique was missing during the first two days as Dhawan is known to be a bit edgy early on. The Delhi left-hander did score 94 in the second innings but it was when batting had become easier during the fourth afternoon.
Vijay’s ability and clarity on where his off-stump is makes him a valuable asset in the longest format as he has the patience to leave a lot of deliveries.
Another certainty in the playing XI is Ishant Sharma - the most capped player in the current Test squad with 77 matches in whites.
With Bhuvneshwar Kumar getting married, the lanky speedster is expected to get two shots to keep the other pace bowling contenders in the playing XI for South Africa tour on tenterhooks.
Ishant has done his hard yards in the domestic circuit with 20 wickets from four Ranji Trophy games. He has bowled 116 overs in all, which has been a commendable effort as he was leading the side in all those games.
But it will be interesting to see if India persist with two spinners, especially Ravindra Jadeja, who made very little contribution with the ball and had a lukewarm match as a batsman.
If it’s a case of variation in spin bowling, chinaman Kuldeep Yadav is an option but in case there is good carry, rookie Vijay Shankar could be handed his maiden Test cap.
Shankar’s bowling is still not menacing, he is at best a military medium pacer with a speed of nearly 120 kmph as his 27 wickets in 32 first-class games would suggest. But it is his batting average of 49.16 with five hundreds and 10 fifties that makes him a contender.
With Hardik Pandya missing from the set-up, Shankar has a chance of fitting into the jigsaw puzzle, bringing the required stability that comes with a No.6 batsman.
A total of 118 runs (with a century) and six wickets from three Ranji Trophy games will not warrant an India call-up unless someone is summoned for a specific role.
While KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Kohli will come into the game brimming with confidence, Ajinkya Rahane will be looking to quickly hit the straps after his twin failure in Kolkata.
Sri Lanka on their part will be happy that they have not lost the first Test after initially dominating the home team for the better part of first four days.
There is a high chance that pacer Lahiru Gamage will lose his place in the playing XI after an indifferent performance on a seamer-friendly Eden Gardens track, where he went for 156 runs in two innings with only a wicket to show for his efforts.
If Sri Lanka continue to play three pacers, then left-arm pacer Vishwa Fernando could be an option. And in case they want to go with extra slow bower, then chinaman Lakshan Sandakhan is waiting in the wings.