India vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test Day 4, Highlights: Herath 7/48 Gives Hosts An Amazing 63-Run Victory
Dinesh Chandimal's brilliant knock has proven to be the difference in this Test match. His knock helped Sri Lanka rise back and Rangana Herath's 7/48, his 22nd five-wicket haul has ensured that Sri Lanka have won a remarkable match by 63 runs. Catch all the highlights here.
Dinesh Chandimal's brilliant knock has proven to be the difference in this Test match. His knock helped Sri Lanka rise back from the Ashes and Rangana Herath's 7/48, his 22nd five-wicket haul has ensured that Sri Lanka have won a remarkable match by 63 runs. Catch all the highlights here. (SCORECARD | NEWS | FIXTURES)
(All Times IST)
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14:00: India had dominated for three days and it slipped away from them in the space of four sessions. At lunch on day three, Kohli let the initiative slip and Chandimal made him pay. His partnerships with Thirimanne, Mubarak and with the tail ensured that Sri Lanka turned a huge 192-run deficit into a 176-run target for India. The Indian batsmen stumbled against the guile of Herath and Sri Lanka have gone 1-0 up in the series. This is the second time that India have lost in pursuit of chasing a target of less than 200. The first instance was against the West Indies in Barbados in 1997, where they were bowled out for 81 in pursuit of 120.
13:56: Mathews: "It was a spectacular turnaround. We came back strongly in the second innings after failing in the first innings. Chandimal batted superbly and Herath was in superb form. The wicket was pretty demanding. We have good quality spinners and they delivered."
13:54: Virat Kohli will not be happy. "We should have finished the game off in the second session on day three. One bad result took the game away from us. Credit to Herath for bowling superbly. This pitch behaved strangely. It started out hard but it assisted spin. There was a bit of moisture on the pitch and we thought the wicket would get more difficult but the way Chandimal, Mathews, Thirimanne batted was crucial.
13:52: Dinesh Chandimal is the Man of the Match. He says, "It was not an easy wicket to bat on. I tried to play the sweep and reverse sweep and attack the bowlers. When I went to bat, I had no idea of what target would be achieving but as I went on, I thought a target of 175-plus would be great."
13:50: Kumar Sangakkara will be a very happy man and he will be aiming to sign off on a high when he plays the second Test in Colombo. The heroes in this Galle Test are Rangana Herath and Dinesh Chandimal.
13:47: On the fourth day, India seemed to be intimidated by the conditions and they seemed to be deflated by Chandimal's knock. They were subdued and Rangana Herath wheeled away to produce one of his best spells in this Test. He sliced through the middle order and Tharindu Kaushal gave him great company. Herath picked up 7/48 and India were bowled out for 112, their lowest score against Sri Lanka.
13:45: This has got to be one of the best Tests in recent times. When Sri Lanka were staring at a deficit of 192 runs, they looked down and out. In the second innings, they did not start off well and they were 107/5. However, Dinesh Chandimal made a name for himself and stroked one of the best counter-attacking centuries in recent times and they overturned the deficit and set a target of 176.
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13:40: This is a fitting farewell for Kumar Sangakkara at Galle and he is carried on the shoulders of his team-mates. He is getting a lap of honour in Galle and all the fans applaud and cheer this legend all through the way. This is simply brilliant to watch. A magnificent all-round performance has resulted in a great victory.
13:39: Amit Mishra got an inside edge off the pad and it lobbed behind Karunaratne who was at silly point and he runs back to take the catch. Although the third umpire took his time in checking for the no-ball, it was confirmed that Kaushal had not overstepped and India were condemned to a 63-run defeat. Once again, chasing at Galle in the fourth innings has proven to be difficult and India have succumbed
13:36: It is all over! Sri Lanka have registered a magnificent 63-run victory. Kaushal takes the final wicket and India are all out for 112. Brilliant stuff
13:33: Mishra strikes a couple of boundaries to keep things interesting. India are 112/9, needing 64 runs more for victory.
13:23: There it is! Rahane goes and India close in on a victory. Rahane c Mathews b Herath 36 (76).
It is all over bar the shouting for India. Rahane falls and Sri Lanka close in on victory. Tossed up delivery just outside off, it spins away and Rahane pokes at it, Mathews at slip takes the catch and India are 102/9, 74 runs away from victory.
13:17: Amit Mishra brings up the team 100 with a lofted shot off Kaushal. Slowly, India are turning the tables on Sri Lanka and the match is evenly poised. India 102/8, needing 74 runs more for a victory.
13:11: Rahane is using the sweep and reverse sweep effectively to counter the spinners. Until Rahane is at the crease, India have a faint glimmer of hope.
13:07: Rahane is hanging in there and is encouraging Amit Mishra to be calm. For all Indian fans, one needs to remember Mishra's last Test four years ago where he contributed a solid 84 along with Sachin Tendulkar at The Oval. That match showed Mishra's prowess with the bat. He can hang in there!
12:53: WICKET! Outstanding bowling is backed up by outstanding fielding! Ravichandran Ashwin c Prasad b Herath 3 (20).
Brilliant fielding from Sri Lanka. Herath floats this delivery on the pads and Ashwin comes down the track, he flicks it uppishly to midwicket but Prasad dives to his right and takes the catch. Sri Lanka closing in on victory. India 81/8, need 95 more for victory.
12:46: Mathews continues his aggressive captaincy. He has a leg slip, slip and short leg in place. He can put more pressure on Ashwin by placing a silly point.
12:43: All set for the second session. Ashwin and Rahane are the key for India. Herath to start proceedings. Can Sri Lanka continue the good work or will Rahane and Ashwin pull off a miracle? India are 78/7, needing 98 runs more for a victory.
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12:00: That will be lunch and needless to say, Sri Lanka are on top in Galle. They have taken six wickets for 55 runs in the first session. It has been a meek performance from India and they have allowed the likes of Herath and Kaushal to dominate. Herath picked up his 22nd five-wicket haul while Kaushal has given him excellent support. All hopes hinge on Rahane and Ashwin as India look to avoid defeat.
11:57: A much needed boundary for India and Rahane eases the pressure. India require exactly 100 runs more for victory.
11:50: Another brilliant catch and India are on the ropes! Harbhajan Singh c Silva b Herath 1(7).
Brilliant from forward short leg. Herath gets this delivery to bounce a bit more and Harbhajan knocks it with soft hands, the ball is almost dying on the middle of the pitch but Silva dives forward and takes a magnificent catch. Harbhajan cannot believe it and he has to walk back to the pavilion. It is a slow walk back and he is shaking his head. 22nd five-wicket haul for Herath. Take a bow!
11:46: Rahane is just hanging in there and Kaushal is making it very difficult for him. The bowler bowls this offbreak with a bit more rip and it spins in sharply, Rahane is cramped for the cut and he inside edges it onto the front pad and the ball just misses the off stump.
11:40: This is magnificent bowling from Herath. He is making India look clueless. Saha st Chandimal b Herath 2 (11).
This is brilliance from Herath and he gets his fourth wicket. He flights this delivery generously and it lures Saha out of the crease, the ball dips and turns away past the edge and Chandimal effects a quick stumping. India are 65/6, needing another 111 more for a victory.
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11:28: India are in serious trouble now. Their set batsman, Shikhar Dhawan is gone. Dhawan c and b Kaushal 28(83).
The big electronic scoreboard in Galle says Game On. It is indeed. Kaushal tosses this delivery up and Dhawan drives it to the left of the bowler who runs and takes a superb, low catch. Brilliant stuff from Sri Lanka.
11:21: Loud appeal for a catch but not given! Kaushal is causing problems to Rahane. The ball is close to the off stump and Rahane is neither forward nor back, he pushes at it and gets beaten. India 57/4, needing 119 more runs for a win.
11:09: India crawl to the fifty mark and Rahane is off the pair. Herath flights this delivery generously but it is too slow and full and Rahane square-drives it to deep point.
11:06: Galle roars and Sri Lanka celebrate. They have gotten a massive wicket. Virat Kohli c Kaushal Silva b Tharindu Kaushal 3 (10).
This is a massive wicket! Kaushal bowls this flatter delivery on the middle and leg stump line, Kohli presses forward and stabs at it with hard hands, the inside edge goes on to the pad and Silva at short leg takes a sharp catch. Umpire Oxenford inquired whether the ball carried but it had and the Sri Lankans are jubilant.
10:59: Make no mistake about it. There is immense pressure on India. Herath is bowling like a gem and Pradeep is maintaining an immaculate line and length.
10:54: Stat Fact! Following the wicket of Rohit Sharma, Herath has taken 64 wickets in 13 Tests at Galle. He loves bowling at this venue. Can Sri Lanka pull off the great escape here? Meanwhile, Dhawan survives a close call from Pradeep as the inside edge just misses the leg stump and rolls to fine leg for a boundary.
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10:51: And the pressure has reaped rewards for Sri Lanka. Herath on fire. Rohit Sharma b Herath 4 (16).
This is brilliant bowling by Herath. He tosses this ball and it spins away, Rohit plays inside the line of the delivery and the ball clips the off stump. Wonderful stuff from Sri Lanka's premier spinner.
10:48: Sri Lanka are giving nothing away. This match is evenly poised now. Nuwan Pradeep's spell so far reads 5-3-2-0 while Herath is plugging away. Rohit Sharma and Dhawan are being put under immense pressure here.
10:37: Umpire Bruce Oxenford has warned Nuwan Pradeep for running onto the danger area of the pitch. Bit harsh, one feels. Replays suggest that Pradeep was just away from the danger zone of the pitch.
10:33: WICKET! Herath strikes first ball and he gets the night-watchman. Ishant Sharma LBW Herath 10(23).
Herath tosses the delivery up and Ishant strides forward to defend. However, the ball zips through and hits him on the front pad. The umpire had no hesitation in raising the finger. Enter Rohit Sharma.
10:30: It is tough going out there for India although they have not lost any wickets. Pradeep is bowling a disciplined line and is making life difficult, especially for Dhawan. Ishant is being peppered by some short-pitched bowling but he is playing them comfortably. India 30/1, needing 146 runs more for victory.
10:09: Superb over from Pradeep comes to an end. He should have gotten the wicket of Ishant but his four balls to Dhawan were outstanding. He beat Dhawan with a legcutter, then forced a dangerous leave with the inducker, once again beat the bat of Dhawan with a delivery angled in and finished with the ball on the off stump corridor. Great stuff.
10:06: DROPPED! Not a great start for Sri Lanka and Ishant gets a life. Nuwan Pradeep bowls a full ball and lures Ishant into the drive, he goes after it and the edge flies to second slip but is dropped by Lahiru Thirimanne. Pradeep follows it up next ball with an absolute beauty of a legcutter that beats Dhawan.
10:01: Dhammika Prasad will start off proceedings on day four with two slips and a gully. He is also suffering an injury to his left arm after he was hit by a Varun Aaron bouncer on day three. On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan, who is also nursing a hand injury after he dropped Kaushal Silva on the first day, will be aiming to guide India through.
9:30: Here is wishing the Indian team Happy Independence Day.
#TeamIndia #??????? @imVkohli @SDhawan25 @klrahul11 @ImRo45 @ajinkyarahane88 @ashwinravi99 @harbhajan_singh https://t.co/nNuCsA50xH
- BCCI (@BCCI) August 15, 2015
9.10 AM: India have a tricky chase ahead and a lot will depend on first innings centurions Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli. But could India's Independence Day inspire the young team? This should be a cracking contest and there will most likely be a result, unless weather plays truant.
#TeamIndia Captain @imVkohli and director Ravi Shastri unfurl the Tricolour #JaiHind pic.twitter.com/UgYqvybCVb
- BCCI (@BCCI) August 15, 2015
8.30 AM No team has ever chased as many as 176 in Galle to win a Test match before. Therefore, India are in pursuit of a record. The highest successful target achieved here happens to be 99 by Sri Lanka vs Pakistan in 2014
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India have dominated proceedings for most parts of the Test and were expected to seal a win by Friday itself - the third day of the Test. Dinesh Chandimal though led Sri Lanka's resilience and slammed a commanding 162* under tough conditions. His partnership of 125 with Lahiru Thirimanne for the sixth wicket was the highlight of Day 3 with even former India cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar applauding the positive attitude of the hosts. "Give credit where its due. Sri Lanka showed positive intent and it was great to see them bat the way they did," Gavaskar told NDTV.
Statistical Highs on Day 3:
Chandimal's 162 is the second best score by a Sri Lankan wicketkeeper in the second innings of a Test. Kumar Sangakkara holds the record for the best with 185 vs Pakistan in 2006 in Colmbo. Chandimal now has four Test tons and is the second-highest in the list of Sri Lankan wicketkeepers with Test centuries - after Sangakkara (7). Interestingly, his previous three were all against Bangladesh.
Credit though was also once again due to the Indians on the field. While Ravichandran Ashwin claimed four wickets in the 2nd innings to finish with 10 from the Test, Ajinkya Rahane took eight catches in the match to enter the record books.
It was just a continuation of how the Indians have dictated terms to Sri Lanka through the match. Such has been the dominant nature that despite Chandimal's stoic resistance, his team only has a miniscule chance of turning the tide. Can Ranagane Herath spin a spin web around India or will the likes of Dhawan and Virat Kohli once again bat up a storm at the Galle International Stadium?