IND Vs SL Highlights, 1st Test Day 3: Rain Threat Ends Play As India Take 178-Run Lead

Stumps on Day 3! The weather has finally brought an end to proceedings, with dark clouds, strong winds and rain threatening over Galle. The groundsmen have covered the entire outfield as the umpires call it a day. India will be slightly disappointed after reducing Sri Lanka to 90/5, only to see the hosts fight back to 284, but a 178-run first-innings lead still leaves them firmly in control. With both teams’ second innings yet to come, there is plenty of cricket left in this Test. Two days remain, and India will hope the weather allows a full day’s play tomorrow. The action resumes at 9:45 AM IST.

Hello, we’re back with another live blog! It’s India vs Sri Lanka, Day 3, so stay tuned for all the live updates.

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Day 2 ended with India on 460/9, with Devdutt Padikkal’s classy 167 the standout effort on a rain-shortened day. India lost seven wickets for 172 runs as Sri Lanka’s spinners found their rhythm and kept the pressure on, with Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja and Dhruv Jurel among those dismissed.

Jurel, however, made a valuable 51, while Manav Suthar chipped in with 24 and Mohammad Siraj added some late runs to keep India firmly in control. Kuldeep Yadav (12) and Prasidh Krishna (1) will resume on Monday with one wicket remaining.

It took Sri Lanka just four deliveries to clean up the Indian innings on Day 3. India chose not to use the roller before play, hoping the pitch would break up if the last pair survived a few overs, but Asitha Fernando had other plans. He kept it short throughout the over and had Prasidh Krishna caught behind with the fourth ball, finishing with 2/63.

India are bowled out for 462, and they will be pretty happy with that total. Now, the spotlight shifts to the Indian bowlers, can Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna find some early movement with the new ball and put Sri Lanka under pressure before the spinners take over?

Chase time! Sri Lanka are out in the middle, with Nishan Fernando and Lahiru Udara tasked with getting their side off to a solid start. Fernando will take strike as Mohammed Siraj has the new ball in hand, with two slips and a gully waiting. India have 462 on the board, now let’s see how Sri Lanka respond.

India have the perfect start! Mohammed Siraj needs just two deliveries to send Nishan Fernando packing. A classic away-moving delivery tempts Fernando into a poke, and the outside edge flies straight to Devdutt Padikkal at first slip, who makes no mistake.

Fernando should have left that one alone, but Siraj won’t mind! Sri Lanka lose their first wicket without scoring.

OH, THAT WAS CLOSE! Lahiru Udara guides Siraj towards gully and sets off, but Yashasvi Jaiswal dives brilliantly to cut it off. Udara is already miles out of his crease, and Jaiswal has a clear shy at the stumps, but misses. A direct hit and Udara would have been walking back. Sri Lanka get away with one there.

Siraj keeps it tight! Pushing it just over 126kph, he lands this one on a testing length around off. Lahiru Udara wisely watches it sail through and shoulders arms. No run, but India are asking the questions early.

Kamindu Mendis gets hold of Prasidh Krishna and sends it sailing over deep mid-wicket. That’s a clean strike and a big one for Sri Lanka!

Suthar keeps Dhananjaya quiet! The spinner fires this in at 93.9kph, full and straight, and Dhananjaya gets half a stride forward to block it solidly. No run.

Dinusha squeezes out a run. Kuldeep Yadav tosses one up at 83.4kph, and Dinusha goes hard with the sweep. He gets a slight top-edge, but it drops safely into no-man’s land. Deep square leg races across to clean it up, and Sri Lanka pick up one run.

It’s lunch on Day 3, with Sri Lanka in trouble at 99/5 after 28 overs. India’s bowlers have dominated the opening session, with the hosts losing five wickets and the three spinners keeping the pressure firmly on.

And we’re back! Sonal Dinusha and Niroshan Dickwella are out in the middle for the second session, with Sri Lanka staring at a massive 363-run deficit. The hosts still need another 164 runs to avoid the follow-on, so this partnership is absolutely crucial. But with India’s three spinners waiting to turn the screws, there’s very little room for error. Can Sri Lanka fight their way back?

India go for the review, but it’s not out! Manav Suthar slows it down on leg stump, and Sonal Dinusha comes forward looking to block. The ball sneaks past the inside edge and thuds into the pads before looping towards leg slip.

India appeal, but the on-field decision is not out. Rishabh Pant convinces Shubman Gill to review it, only for the replays to show no bat or glove involved. Review lost, and Dinusha survives.

Dickwella steps out once again to counter the turn, but Jadeja drops it a little shorter and forces him to defend. He gets a soft leading edge, but it rolls harmlessly back towards the bowler. No run.

BIG APPEAL, BUT IT’S GOING DOWN LEG! Kuldeep Yadav gets one to pitch around middle and leg before turning away, beating Sonal Dinusha’s forward defence and striking him on the pads. India appeal for LBW, but wisely decide against a review. Ball-tracking confirms it was missing off stump by a huge margin and would have bounced over the top. Dinusha survives.

Dickwella gets down to Kuldeep Yadav and sweeps it away to backward square leg. A handy boundary for Sri Lanka as they look to chip away at the deficit.

FIFTY FOR DICKWELLA! Niroshan Dickwella works Jadeja away towards deep mid-wicket and picks up two to bring up his 23rd Test half-century. There were plenty of questions around his selection, but he is answering them in the best possible way, with the bat.

The Sri Lankan wicketkeeper has played a crucial knock under serious pressure, earning a big cheer from the crowd and his dressing room. He looks skyward, raises his bat, and soaks in the moment. A busy presence at the crease, and that movement has served him well on a testing pitch today.

Fifty for Sonal Dinusha! He brings up a well-deserved half-century with a single, cutting Kuldeep Yadav through to deep point. A composed knock under pressure as Sri Lanka move to 184/5.

Dinusha and Dickwella are looking solid in the middle, having put together a 94-run stand so far. The Indian team needs to find a way to break this partnership before it’s too late.

Sonal Dinusha and Niroshan Dickwella have put together a superb 118-run partnership, frustrating the Indian bowlers with a composed display. Both batters have settled in beautifully, taking Sri Lanka past 200 and putting their team in a strong position at 208/5. India desperately need a breakthrough to stop this partnership from causing further damage.

Sri Lanka have completely turned the session around after being pushed onto the back foot early on. They have added 116 runs without losing a wicket in 29 overs, scoring at exactly four runs per over. Niroshan Dickwella and Sonal Dinusha have been the architects of the recovery, extending their unbeaten partnership to 124 runs. Dickwella has moved to 71, while Dinusha remains unbeaten on 62, taking Sri Lanka to 214/5. India now face a much tougher task after failing to make a breakthrough throughout the session.

The final session is underway, and India will be desperate to break this stubborn 124-run partnership. Prasidh Krishna starts the attack from round the wicket with two slips in place, looking to find an early edge and expose Sri Lanka’s tail. Dickwella and Dinusha, however, will be determined to carry their resistance forward and bring the deficit down further.

Sri Lanka continue to make India toil as Niroshan Dickwella and Sonal Dinusha add another 13 runs to their remarkable partnership. Dickwella moves to 78, while Dinusha reaches 72, with the visitors now at 232/5. The pair have completely settled in and are steadily eating into India’s first-innings advantage, leaving the hosts desperate for a breakthrough.

Prasidh Krishna finally delivers the breakthrough India have been desperately waiting for! Niroshan Dickwella’s magnificent resistance comes to an end on 80 as he edges a good-length delivery away from his body, with Rishabh Pant taking a comfortable catch behind the stumps. The 146-run partnership is finally broken, and Dickwella misses out on a well-deserved maiden Test century. Sri Lanka are now 236/6, with Sonal Dinusha unbeaten on 74.

Ravindra Jadeja reaches a major milestone in style! He picks up his 350th Test wicket as Keshara Nuwantha holes out for 2. Nuwantha attempts to slap-drive the turning delivery but gets a top edge that balloons towards Shubman Gill, who makes no mistake. Jadeja becomes only the latest Indian bowler to enter the elite 350-wicket club, while Sri Lanka slip to 243/7. A landmark moment for Jadeja as India tighten their grip on the innings.

Jadeja has now entered an elite group with his 350th Test wicket, adding another milestone to an already remarkable career. His achievement puts him among the most successful left-arm spinners in Test history and makes him only the fifth Indian to reach the landmark.

• Rangana Herath – 433 wickets

• Daniel Vettori – 362 wickets

• Ravindra Jadeja – 350 wickets

• Derek Underwood – 297 wickets

• Taijul Islam – 271 wickets

Jadeja is also the fifth Indian to reach 350 Test wickets:

• Anil Kumble – 619

• Ravichandran Ashwin – 537

• Kapil Dev – 434

• Harbhajan Singh – 417

• Ravindra Jadeja – 350

Only three other players have combined 4,000+ Test runs with 350+ wickets:

• Kapil Dev – 5,248 runs, 434 wickets

• Ian Botham – 5,200 runs, 383 wickets

• Daniel Vettori – 4,531 runs, 362 wickets

• Ravindra Jadeja – 4,000+ runs, 350 wickets

Sri Lanka have mounted a remarkable recovery after slipping to 90/5, with Dickwella and Sonal Dinusha adding a crucial 146-run partnership. India eventually fought back with two wickets after a wicketless middle session, but Dinusha has kept the resistance going and is now just two runs short of a century. Sri Lanka have reached 271/7, with Dinusha unbeaten on 98 and Prabath Jayasuriya on 9. India will be keen to wrap up the tail quickly, while Sri Lanka will hope Dinusha can complete a memorable hundred and push the total further.

A landmark moment for Sonal Dinusha! The youngster brings up a maiden Test century, completing a remarkable rescue act for Sri Lanka after they were reduced to 90/5. He has shown tremendous composure under pressure, first building a crucial partnership with Niroshan Dickwella and then carrying the fight forward after Dickwella’s dismissal. Dinusha raises his bat and removes his helmet to soak in a well-deserved applause. However, India strike immediately after, as Manav Suthar dismisses Prabath Jayasuriya for 10, leaving Sri Lanka 274/8. What a turnaround from Dinusha!

Ravindra Jadeja strikes again, and what a moment for India! Sonal Dinusha’s remarkable innings comes to an end for 100, just minutes after reaching his maiden Test century. Jadeja gets one to drift in and turn sharply from around the wicket, beating Dinusha’s attempted flick and crashing into middle stump. The centurion walks back in disbelief after a superb fightback that began when Sri Lanka were 90/5. India have now picked up two wickets in three balls, leaving Sri Lanka nine down at 274/9. Jadeja has figures of 3/57 and is now closing in on the Sri Lankan tail.