The sun often slipped behind the clouds, in the grassbanks a few lads flipped plastic bottles, loudspeakers belted out the classic Surangani number, the thirsty sipped cream-soda, and in the middle, Sri Lanka battled hard against India.
As a Tuesday ebbed into darkness at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, the host scored 265 for eight in reply to India’s first innings score of 503. Leading by 238 runs, Shubman Gill’s men hold the edge in the second Test even as Sri Lanka tried to stay afloat on the third day.
The home team’s resistance leant upon young batters Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Sonal Dinusha, who became vital anchors at varying points. Earlier, when Colombo stirred awake to the liquid acoustics of steady rain at dawn, there were lingering apprehensions about a delayed start.
But the damp skies cleared and the turf was dry when Sri Lanka resumed at the overnight eight for two. Debutant Kamil Mishara clipped two fours off the first over bowled by Prasidh Krishna. The southpaw though fell to the seamer when the latter extracted steep bounce and angled one into the batter. Mishara fended and wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel caught the edge.
ALSO READ | ICC reprimands Prabath Jayasuriya for breaching code of conduct during IND vs SL 2nd Test
Jurel donned the gloves as Rishabh Pant is nursing a sore shoulder. Sri Lanka vulnerable at 35 for three but despite that chink, Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis buckled down together in an easy alliance. Sooriyabandara punched a four off Prasidh and Mendis thumped one over cover while debutant off-spinner Saransh Jain stepped in.
Sooriyabandara guided Mohammed Siraj past the ropes and Mendis hoisted left-arm spinner Manav Suthar for six. The two batters were finding the fence often and then Mendis fell tamely, pulling Prasidh straight to the fielder at mid-wicket, and that concluded the 87-run fourth-wicket partnership. Sri Lanka moved to 130 for four at lunch, a break that also ushered in a fresh bout of showers.
Once play resumed, skipper Dhananjaya de Silva edged Suthar and even as K.L. Rahul juggled at first slip, he managed to hold on. It was a moment that reiterated the pattern of steady runs marred by soft dismissals in the Sri Lankan scorecard.
Sooriyabandara and Dinusha then joined forces. Their right-left combination and the fluency with which they tackled spin, offered hope to the home dressing room. But when Ravindra Jadeja pinged close to the stumps, a defensive Sooriyabandara (80) accidentally guided the ball onto his citadel.
The distraught batter dragged himself away and Sri Lanka was placed on 171 for six. It got worse when Niroshan Dickwella fancied his runs down the leg-side and feathered Siraj into Jurel’s gloves. However, Dinusha, ever alert to runs, soldiered on. He eased the claustrophobia at the crease, striking a six each off Suthar and Saransh.
The lower-order lingered too as first Keshara Nuwantha and later Lahiru Kumara hung in, leaving Dinusha (85 batting) with the task of reducing the deficit. And then the clouds wafted in, the covers were hastily placed, and the players trooped back.
Published on Aug 25, 2026
