Galle [Sri Lanka], August 19 : The Indian team is just four wickets away from a win, with Sri Lanka ending the first session on final day of Galle Test losing two big wickets on Wednesday at Galle International Stadium.
At the end of session one, SL was 175/6, with Keshara Nuwantha (8*) and last innings' centurion Sonal Dinusha (65*) unbeaten. They still need 197 runs to win.
Sri Lanka started the final day on 84/4, with Sonal Dinusha (25*) and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (31*) unbeaten.
The skipper started on a positive note with a boundary on second ball of the session against Ravindra Jadeja, while spinner and Mohammed Siraj put a lid on scoring, conceding just nine runs in next seven overs.
Sri Lanka reached their 100-run mark in 42.3 overs. After reaching the triple figures mark, both the batters starting playing a little more freely, finding boundaries against Jadeja.
Twin fours against Jadeja took Dhananjaya to a half-century in 125 balls, with six fours.
In the 51st over, Sonal dispatched a Kuldeep Yadav delivery for a six over deep mid-wicket, bringing his half-century in 77 balls, with five fours and a fifty, after having cracked a century in the first innings. The duo were nearing a century stand.
It was Jadeja who broke the 95-run stand, getting Dhananjaya for 59 in 151 balls, with seven balls. A top-edge while sweeping landed into hands of Manav Suthar at short fine leg. India had Sri Lanka's half side sent back to pavillion at score of 142 runs.
A brilliant reverse sweep for four by Niroshan Dickwella against Kuldeep brought up SL's 150-run mark in 57 overs.
The Dickwella-Dinusha partnership could not go far this time around as the former feathered an edge to keeper Rishabh Pant. Prasidh Krishna sent him back for 10. SL was 156/6.
Dinusha managed to end the session without any further wickets alongside Keshara Nuwantha.
Sri Lanka lost four early wickets in the third session on Day 4 while chasing a big target of 372 runs. The centurion of the first innings, Sonal Dinusha, was unbeaten on 25 with the skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (31 not out) with the score at 84/4.
Team India had started the fourth day with a 178 run lead, having bundled out SL for 284 in the first innings, with a four-fer from Manav Suthar. However, SL were more disciplined and clinical in their bowling, with only Rishabh Pant (66 in 69 balls, with eight fours and two sixes), Devdutt Padikkal (44 in 75 balls, with six fours) and KL Rahul (35 in 47 balls, with two fours and two sixes) contributing something of note as India was all out for 193 runs, giving SL 372 runs to win. Asitha Fernando (4/31) and Prabath Jayasuriya (3/43) were exceptional with the ball.
During SL's first innings, they had sunk to 90/5, before a 146-run stand between Niroshan Dickwella (80 in 115 balls, with seven fours) and Dinusha (100 in 168 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) pulled them out of trouble. Suthar's four-fer and overall exceptional spin bowling from India skittled them out for 284 in reply to India's first innings total of 464.
After India won and elected to bat first, knocks from Padikkal (167 in 230 balls, with 15 fours and a six), Rahul (82 in 175 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and Dhruv Jurel (51 in 68 balls, with four boundaries and a six) helped them reach 464. Prabath (4/109) and Keshara Nuwantha (3/175) were among the top bowlers in the first innings.
Sri Lanka: 284 and 175/6: Sonal Dinusha 65*, Dhananjaya de Silva 59, Prasidh Krishna 2/16) vs India; 464 and 193: (Rishabh Pant 66, Devdutt Padikkal 44, Asitha Fernando 4/31).