India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test Day 1 Highlights: KL Rahul Century Dominates Lankans
Indian batsmen dominated the Sri Lankan bowling. KL Rahul roared back to form with a century, while Rohit Sharma also notched up a fifty. Vorat Kohli also hit a half-century. Catch all the highlights of the day.
It was a good day for Indian team in Colombo Test as opener KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma returned to form. While Rahul hit second ton, Rohit scored a brilliant fifty to take India past 300. Catch all the highlights of the day: (SCORECARD/SCHEDULE/NEWS) (All Times in IST)
17:35: STUMPS! Rohit Sharma is trapped leg before for 79 by Angelo Mathews and that will also be close of play on Day 1. India reach 319 for six in 87.2 overs. Sri Lanka will be quite happy after getting a wicket in the final over. After losing two early wickets in the morning session, Kohli and Rahul played well and had a huge partnership of 164 runs for the third wicket. Kohli missed out on a century but Rahul made use of the dropped chance and got his second Test hundred. Rohit played nicely until he was dismissed by the Sri Lankan skipper in the last over. For the Lankans, Prasad and Herath picked up two wickets each.
17:19: In Ashes, Australia openers David Warner and Chris Rogers have started strongly in Michael Clake's finale Test. Australia 72 for no loss in 24.2 overs vs England. (Catch live updates here)
17:06: Three Hundred up for India! Rohit Sharma takes India past three hundred in style. He pulls Dhammika Prasad for a six over square leg.
17:05: Second new ball has been taken. India 296 for five in 80 overs.
16:53: FIFTY! Rohit Sharma reaches his third half-century. He took 93 deliveries to reach the landmark.
16:33: WICKET! Stuart Binny falls after scoring 10. Rangana Herath gets his second wicket. Binny goes down the track and chips it straight to the fielder at long off. Easy catch for Dushmantha Chameera and he did well not make a mess of it. India are five down!
16:14: Meanwhile, in Ashes, Australia are off to a slow start after being put in to bat against England at The Oval. (Catch live updates here)
15:57: DRINKS BREAK! India lost well-set Lokesh Rahul in the session. Dushmantha Chameera bowled well and tested Indian batsmen with his short deliveries. He was rewarded for his hard work with the wicket of Rahul, who fell playing a rash shot.
15:36: WICKET! Lokesh Rahul's (108 off 190 balls) brilliant knock comes to a disappointing end. The short ball does the trick! That was short and outside off, Rahul went for the pull shot but finds a top edge which goes behind to Dinesh Chandimal for a straightforward catch. Dushmantha Chameera gets his first wicket of the match. Stuart Binny comes ahead of Wriddhiman Saha. India 231 for four in 59.2 overs.
© AFP
15:34: FIFTY PARTNERSHIP! Lokesh Rahul (106*) and Rohit Sharma (30*) have added 50 runs for the fourth wicket. India reach 227 for three in 57 overs.
15:14: CENTURY! Lokesh Rahul notches up his second Test hundred. He took 180 balls to reach the landmark, including 13 fours and a six.
15:04: Rohit Sharma to face first delivery post tea. Dushmantha Chameera starts proceedings in the third session.
© BCCI
14:40: TEA! That's the end of second session and India have reached 206 for three in 53 overs. Lokesh Rahul (98*) is eyeing his second hundred, while he is joined by Rohit Sharma (17*) in the middle. Skipper Virat Kohli (78) missed out on a hundred. It has been a good session for India. They have played 27 overs, scoring 109 runs with the loss of one big wicket. The skipper looked good until he was out thanks to a splendid attempt by his opposite number, Angelo Mathews.
14:03: WICKET! Virat Kohli gone for 78 (107 balls) and it's a massive wicket. Sri Lanka needed that badly and Rangana Herath finds success in breaking the 164-run partnership. Angelo Mathews takes a splendid catch at first slip. That was fullish outside off, Kohli rocked to his back foot and went to cut it past slip. Mathews at first slip dived to his right and stretched to catch it with one hand. That was an amazing effort by the skipper and it will lift the spirits of the team. Rohit Sharma joins KL Rahul at the crease.
13:53: 150-PARTNERSHIP! It's testing time for Sri Lankan bowlers as Virat Kohli (77*) and KL Rahul (80*) stitch together 158-run stand for the third wicket to put India in a dominant position. India 170 for two in 41 overs.
13:43: DRINKS BREAK! There's nothing much from the pitch to offer and bowlers are clearly seen struggling against dominant Kohli and Rahul.
13:40: Lokesh Rahul is scoring at will now. This time he comes down the track against Rangana Herath to hit him for a huge six over long on.
13:30: Angelo Mathews has come back into the attach, replacing Dhammika Prasad.
13:20: Virat Kohli and Lokesh Rahul have batted beautifully so far and have kept the scoreboard moving. The duo has played freely and has added over 100 runs for the third wicket.
13:05: Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik has credited his Indian tennis player wife Sania Mirza for reviving his career in the national team, saying her hardwork, dedication and success as a professional athlete has driven him to lift his game and make a successful comeback. (Read full story here)
© AFP
12:56: FIFTY! Lokesh Rahul reaches his maiden fifty in style, drives Dhammika Prasad through covers for a four. He took 94 balls to achieve the feat. That was his eighth boundary of the innings. It also brings up 100-run partnership between Rahul and captain Kohli.
12:49: FIFTY! Virat Kohli scores his 11th Test half-century off 63 balls. He hit four fours and a huge six. Captain is certainly leading from the front.
12:43: Off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal to start proceedings for post.
© AFP
12:02: LUNCH! That's the end of first session on Day 1 and India have reached 97 for two in 26 overs. After early blows, Virat Kohli (48*) and KL Rahul (39*) led India's fightback with a solid 85-run stand for the third wicket. For Sri Lanka, Dhammika Prasad picked up two wickets. It was an eventful first session. Sri Lanka had the upper hand in the very first over of the match when Prasad trapped Vijay in front for a duck and then sent back Rahane cheaply to put India in some serious trouble. It would have been worse had Mubarak pouched Rahul's catch when he was batting on 11. At one stage they were 12 for 2, but the opener Rahul and the skipper Kohli from there have taken their team to a good total by stitching an important stand. The spinners have now come into the attack and the ball is coming nicely on to the bat.
11:48: It's getting overcast in Colombo and groundsmen are ready with the covers. It's almost time for lunch break as well.
11:31: FIFTY PARTNERSHIP! KL Rahul (30*) and Virat Kohli (26*) have added 53 runs for the third wicket to revive Indian innings.
11:21: Galle Test hero Rangana Herath comes into the attack in the 15th over. He was wicketless in the first innings at Galle but single-handedly destroyed Indian batting in the second after picking up seven wickets that gave Sri Lanka a 63-run win and the lead in the three-match series.
11:12: STAT! Virat Kohli has hit five centuries in his last six Test matches.
11:07: KL Rahul and Virat Kohli have kept the scoreboard ticking and the duo has put on 37 runs for the third wicket. India 49 for two in 12 overs.
10:59: The ball has gone out of shape and is being replaced. Meanwhile, umpires call for early drinks break.
10:50: STAT! Before this match, Lokesh Rahul scored 142 runs in his six Test innings, including 110 vs Australia.
10:40: DROPPED! Jehan Mubarak drops KL Rahul on 11 off Dushmantha Chameera at gully. It was banged in short, a bit of bounce as well, Rahul goes for a cut shot but finds Mubarak at gully who puts down a sitter. A life for the opener. How much will this drop catch cost?
© AFP
10:23: WICKET! Ajinkya Rahane out for 4. Rahane strides forward to defend a good length ball but gets a thick edge towards third slip where Dimuth Karunaratne grabs it with ease. Dhammika Prasad picks his second. India 12/2 now. Virat Kohli joins KL Rahul at the crease.
10:05: WICKET! Murali Vijay is out for a duck. That's plumb. Dhammika Prasad draws first blood. On a good length, angling in and skidded after pitching. Vijay strides to defend but misses the line and gets rapped on the pads. Prasad appeals and the umpire raises his finger. The crowd erupts and Vijay trudges back. Not a good start for India but surely for the hosts. Ajinkya Rahane comes out to bat ahead of Rohit Sharma at No.3.
© AFP
10:00: Guard of honour for Sri Lanka veteran Kumar Sangakkara. Indian openers KL Rahul and Murali Vijay are out in the middle. Dhammika Prasad to start proceedings.
09:48: TEAMS!
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews(c), Dinesh Chandimal(w), Jehan Mubarak, Dhammika Prasad, Rangana Herath, T Kaushal, Dushmantha Chameera
India: Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Stuart Binny, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav
09:37: TOSS! India win toss and will bat first. The visitors have made three changes in the team. Murali Vijay returns to playing XI. Harbhajan Singh and Varun Aaron make way for Stuart Binny and Umesh Yadav.
BCCI Secretary @ianuragthakur presenting a memento to @OfficialSLC legend @KumarSanga2 #FarewellSanga #SLvsInd pic.twitter.com/cjTrIN25lH
- BCCI (@BCCI) August 20, 2015
#TeamIndia skipper @imVkohli and his team members warm-up before the start of 2nd Test #SLvsInd https://t.co/nfzvbHTM4B
- BCCI (@BCCI) August 20, 2015
© AFP
PREVIEW
Sangakkara does indeed deserve every bit of applause and accolade that has come his way since his debut in 2000. With 12,350 runs and 38 tons in his bag, the veteran Sri Lankan war horse is all set for one last hurrah. And his teammates are ready too, to send him off on a victorious note.
"We will definitely go for the kill," captain Angelo Mathews said. "Sangakkara deserves the best possible farewell and only a win can do that. There is so much to play for in this Test."
Big quotes in the build-up to the Colombo Test:
* This is obviously an emotional game for all of us. Sangakkara has not only been a great servant of the game, but he is a great human being too: Angelo Mathews
* With Sanga the thing is that once he is prepared and has a plan, he's so methodical. It's sometimes frightening how serious he is. He's made so many changes in his batting over the years: Mahela Jayawardene
* This will be more of a strange situation for Sri Lanka than us. We look up to Sangakkara as a great cricketer. But the emotions in the two teams will be different: Virat Kohli
* We have seen his (Sangakkara's) videos and we will definitely discuss more about him in the team meeting. We will discuss how to bowl at him: Amit Mishra
* I think every Sri Lankan should be proud of what he (Sangakkara) has achieved not just personally but the way he has conducted himself in going round the world as an international cricketer: Ravi Shastri
* We won't change our style of play. It will be exactly like how it was in the first match: Ravi Shastri
* It's not just the Sri Lankan side that is in awe of its hero. The Indians - even if determined to win the match to level the series - have the utmost respect for Sangakkara .
© AFP
Out in the middle, both teams will surely play hard cricket. The Lankans will be upbeat after Rangana Herath's spin destroyed India at Galle. To win a match in four days where India dominated for close to three days is enough boost for the hosts.
© AFP
Apart from handling spin, the young Indian team is battling a few selection issues. Shikhar Dhawan's absence means there will be a new opening combination while Stuart Binny could replace Harbhajan Singh as the seaming all-rounder.
The Indian will now know that no match is won or lost till the last ball is played. There is no room for complacency.
Tests at P Sara Oval, Colombo:
* Sri Lanka have won eight of the 17 Tests played here. Four matches ended in a draw.
* The only Test here which did not involve Sri Lanka was between Australia and Pakistan (October 3-7, 2002). Aussies won the match by 41 runs.
* The previous Test here was between Sri Lanka and Pakistan (June 25-29, 2015). Sri Lanka won the match by 7 wickets.