India finished the third day in Colombo absolutely dragging themselves off the field with slumped shoulders, having toiled for over 80 soul-crushing overs. The feeling for them was all too familiar, yet somehow different, and now they’ll have to pick themselves up again for what looks like even more hard work just to enforce the follow-on.
Prasidh Krishna’s Grit and Gill’s Vision on a Hot Morning
It started hot, and India got the ideal start when Prasidh Krishna sent Kamil Mishra packing. This lanky fast bowler was often going down between overs, holding his knees and trying to catch an extra breath, but captain Shubman Gill was right there, never leaving his ear. Gill’s usage of Krishna showed exactly how he was reading that pitch, and why he felt the Karnataka bowler was going to be key on a surface with extra bounce. Think about it: the opposition’s Lahiru Kumara and Asitha Fernando had used that same bounce to their advantage earlier on Day 1 and 2! Even in short bursts, the fast bowlers found this flat track to be pure hard work, but Krishna just ran in hard, creating opportunities for his captain. It really was no surprise then that Krishna snagged a second wicket in that morning session, totally rewarded for his relentless, consistent planning.
The Quickfire Collapse That Still Didn’t Break Sri Lanka
Then things got wild. We saw a period where every wicket felt like a premium, but suddenly, two wickets fell in as many minutes off deliveries that honestly shouldn’t have taken them! Pasindu Sooriyabandara played a Ravindra Jadeja ball right back onto his own stumps, and Niroshan Dickwella edged an innocuous Mohammed Siraj delivery down the leg side to Dhruv Jurel. Bang, bang. Within the space of three deliveries, Sri Lanka were seven down with the scoreboard reading 173. You know panic had to be triggering in that home dressing room, especially after they were sitting comfortably with their feet up at 122/3 close to Lunch.
There were plenty of “oohs and aahs” in between those events, but India was absolutely made to work hard. The odd ball gripped, a fair few turned, but Sri Lanka adeptly countered the challenge posed by India’s trio of Manav Suthar, Ravindra Jadeja, and Saransh Jain. What’s frustrating is India let the game just drift away with open fields in that second session, and then again towards the end. Sonal Dinusha, with the tail, just completely frustrated the visitors. That tail came back to sting India again, but it hurt the most on Tuesday because it totally prevented India from getting another crack at Sri Lanka in that fading light. For most of that period, everyone was focused on getting rid of Lahiru, while Sonal just kept doing his thing in a rather comfortable, open field setting. They’ve already survived over 15 overs, and they definitely don’t look like they’re in the mood to throw their wickets away now.
What’s Next: Two Wickets, Weather, and Character Building
So, what’s the plan for tomorrow? India’s bowling coach Morkel put it plainly when asked about enforcing the follow-on. Getting those two wickets early on Day 4? He called that “first prize.” With the weather constantly around and the time it takes with covers coming on and off, he added, “we want to try and get as many overs as possible.” This whole experience? Morkel feels this tough day of Test cricket will build character within the team for even bigger challenges ahead. They’ll need it, because the grind in Colombo is far from over.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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