India Eye Massive Lead After Bowling Sri Lanka Out in Galle
India's spinners Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja kept Sri Lanka under pressure as the hosts were bowled out for 284 on Day 3 of the first Test in Galle.
Despite Sonal Dinusha's maiden international hundred, India took a strong 178-run first-innings lead.
Suthar led the attack with 4/76, while Jadeja returned 3/57 as India's bowlers recovered after Sri Lanka put up a strong fight in the second session.
Big Day 4 coming up - India will come out fresh on Day 4, with an aim to just drag the game away from Sri Lanka's reach.
The hosts, on the other hand, showed a good fight with the ball through the second day, and will look to repeat that dose with even more conviction, hoping to restrict India as cheaply as possible from here.
Spinners Laid the Trap
Four balls were all Sri Lanka needed to wrap up India's marathon 462, but the hosts barely got to enjoy it before Siraj struck early and Manav Suthar weaved magic on the first ball to remove Chandimal.
A few brisk partnerships offered brief resistance, but India's spin trio kept the squeeze on throughout, sending Sri Lanka sliding from 27/1 to 59/4 before Jadeja struck again just before lunch to round off a dominant morning for India.
But the response from Sri Lanka was solid as they went wicketless in the afternoon session, on the back of a massive recovery partnership between Dickwella and Dinusha, with the former being dropped on 20 by KL Rahul.
With the ball getting softer and older, batting turned a touch more breathable, and Dickwella and Dinusha made full use of it, sweeping their way through to keep any hint of a slide at bay before the Indians barged back in style.
Impressive Fightback
Despite their top order being blown away to 90 for 5, Sri Lanka found a solid counterpunch through the pairing of Sonal Dinusha and Niroshan Dickwella who parked themselves at the crease in an alliance of 146 runs.
They were still behind the eight ball, but their effort helped the home side to avoid the follow-on.
Though Dickwella failed to convert yet another fifty into his maiden Test hundred, Dinusha went the extra mile and notched up his first hundred in the longest format, displaying enormous character.
And with some valuable runs from the lower order, Sri Lanka did manage to shrink their deficit to 178 runs, but they just ran out of steam once Dinusha was fished out.
India Continue to Hold the Upper Hand
India continue to hold the upper hand throughout this Test, with the Lankan fightback notwithstanding.
And with a mammoth 462 on the board, they were always going to be a mile ahead of the hosts regardless.
Excellent outing for the likes of Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja, who shared seven wickets between them, with the latter getting to his 350th Test wicket en route.
