Day 2: Pant helps India grab initiative

Sri Lanka lost the veteran Thirimanne before stumps as the second Test will most likely end on day 3.

Bumrah wrapped up the Sri Lankan 1^st innings on only 109 runs with his outstanding 5-wicket haul.

Shreyas Iyer again played a crucial knock and scored his second fifty of the match. He was well supported by Rishabh Pant who scored a 28 ball half-century to put the Lankan bowlers under pressure.

Bumrah again struck in the very first over of the innings to dismiss Thirimanne for a duck.

Sri Lanka ended day 2 on 28-1 and still requires 419 runs to win the game with 3 days left.

India    1^st innings   252 all-out

1. Iyer 92 Jayawickrama 3-84 R. Pant 39              Embuldeniya 3-94

Sri Lanka    1^st innings    109 all-out

Mathews 43          Bumrah 5-24                                                                                                                                    Dickwella 21          Shami 2-18

India    2nd innings   303 all-out

1. Iyer 67    Jayawickrama 4-78                                                                                                                                R. Pant 50              Embuldeniya 3-87

Sri Lanka    2nd innings   28-1

Mendis 16                Bumrah 1-9                                                                                                                                                Karunaratne 10

It has been a horrible performance from Sri Lanka throughout the series, their bowlers are not taking advantage of the conditions and the batters are looking totally out of color.

We might see the result of the second test on the 3^rd day of the match.

India has set a target of 447 runs and put Sri Lanka to bat only 30 minutes before stumps to face the in-form Bumrah under lights and guess what Bumrah didn’t disappoint his skipper and got rid of Lahiru Thirimanne for a duck in his very first over.

Bumrah’s excellent 5-wicket haul

Jasprit Bumrah was brilliant with his line and lengths in this match.

He bowled beautifully against the Sri Lankan batting lineup to claim his first five-wicket haul in India.

Bumrah is now the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship with 38 wickets in 9 matches.

The Indian openers started confidently in the second innings and played some aggressive shots in their 42 run opening stand.

Mayank Agarwal smashed 5 beautiful boundaries before getting dismissed by the spinner Embuldeniya.

Rohit Sharma played some astonishing reverse sweeps but again he got out after getting a good start.

He was dismissed on 46 runs and fell only 4 runs short of his half-century. Hanuma Vihari was bowled out by Jayawickrama after scoring his second 30 plus score of the match.

The wait for a ton continues:

The wait for watching Virat Kohli’s 71^st International cricket is getting longer and longer as he again failed to cross the 3 figure mark and for the first time since 2017, Virat’s average has fallen below 50 in Test cricket.

The former skipper once again got LBW out against a spinner and his fans will have to wait more to watch him score his 71^st International hundred.

Pant’s quick-fire and record-breaking half-century

India lost some quick wickets in the middle before Rishabh Pant started his show with the bat.

Pant played another aggressive knock to put the Lankan bowlers under pressure.

The left-handed batsman is taking hard-hitting to its extreme in the longest format and he is becoming a fear to the opposition bowling lineup.

Rishabh Pant smashed the fastest fifty in Test match cricket by an Indian batsman. By completing his fifty in only 28 deliveries including 7 fours and 2 sixes.

Shreyas Iyer continued his form and scored another superb half-century in this match.

Iyer helped India to score 303 runs and get a lead of 447 runs in the second innings.

The right-handed batter scored 67 runs off just 87 balls before getting LBW out by Lasith Embuldeniya.

The left-arm orthodox spinner Praveen Jayawickrama picked up 4 wickets while Lasith Embuldeniya grabbed 3 scalps.