India were 319 for six at the end of first day’s play in the second Test against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval in Colombo. Left gasping on 12 for two after losing Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane to Dhammika Prasad, Virat Kohli (78) and KL Rahul (108) revived India with a 164-run stand for the third wicket. Building on the platform, Rohit Sharma helped carry the innings forward with a well compiled 79 before falling to Angelo Mathews at the stroke of stumps.
Earlier, back in the side, Vijay was trapped leg-before wicket with the only runs on the board coming in the form of leg byes. At 4 for one, Rahane was promoted to bat at No. 3 ahead of Rohit. The batsman got off the mark with a four down the leg side but those were the only runs against his name before he reached out to a delivery outside off and edged the ball to third slip.
With India in a precarious position Kohli came out to the middle. Rahul, the other opener, then survived a nervous moment in the eighth over when he was dropped by Jehan Mubarak at gully off Dushmantha Chameera. However, he dispatched the last ball to the fence through the on side to add to the total. In the bowler’s next over, the India captain slammed him for two back-to-back fours to set the tone of the innings.
With Kohli leading the way, India prodded on. He and Rahul stitched together a partnership in an effort to shape the innings. With the stand worth fifty, Mathews brought Rangana Herath into the attack. However, showing intent, Virat lofted him for a straight six as he looked to glean runs off the opposition’s attack.
Taking on the opposition’s bowlers, Kohli and Rahul had taken India to 97 for two at lunch. The duo continued to milk the SL attack as they worked to seize the advantage from the home team. The India captain brought up his half-century with a single down the leg-side soon after lunch while Rahul too inched towards his. With two boundaries off Chameera, one of which was a top-edge to the boundary, the opener closed in on his half-century. In the next over he smacked Prasad through the cover region to get past his fifty.
Although a couple of edges fell short of the fielders, the batsmen were in control as they worked to lay a foundation. Kohli pierced the field with perfectly timed and deftly executed shots to find the fence while Rahul too continued to add to the tally. As he grew in confidence the opener sent Herath sailing over long-on for six and inched forward.
However, in the second half of the afternoon session a brilliant catch by Mathews in the slips to send back Kohli ended the flourishing stand. Looking to cut Herath, the middle-order bat nicked the ball through to first slip and departed for 78 runs.
At 176 for three, Rohit joined Rahul who had held up the other end and consolidated India’s innings with Kohli. Continuing to bat determinedly the opener took India to tea on 206 for three with Rohit.
Rahul, who was poised on 98 when the second session ended, brought up his second Test hundred with two down leg-side off Tharindu Kaushal. However, in the seventh over of the final session, the opener departed top-edging a bouncer from Chameera and was caught by the wicketkeeper.
With India comfortably placed on 231 for four Stuart Binny joined Rohit in taking the innings forwards. With singles the pair added 36 runs for the fifth wicket until Herath accounted for the all-rounder’s wicket. Looking to take on the left-arm spinner, the batsman perished handing a catch to long-off.
Rohit, then toiled to take the innings forward and brought up his fifty with a single through cover off Tharindu. When Prasad ran in with the new ball, the middle-order bat dismissed him over the ropes for six, followed by a boundary over mid-wicket a ball later. He looked in control as he looked to build on the platform built by the third-wicket stand. However, after holding the innings together through the better part of the last session he was out lbw, signaling end of day’s play.
End of Day 1: India 1st inn 319/6 in 87.2 overs (KL Rahul 108, R Sharma 79, V Kohli 78, D Prasad 2/72, R Herath 2/73)
