Colombo, 25 August (H.S.):

Sri Lanka staged a partial recovery with a better batting display in the first session on the third day of the second Test against India. By lunch, the hosts had reached 130 for four, adding 122 runs during the morning session. India had declared their first innings at 503 for nine.

Sri Lanka resumed the day at eight for two. Debutant Kamindu Mendis was dismissed for 19, with Prasidh Krishna having him caught by Dhruv Jurel. It was Krishna’s second wicket of the innings and left Sri Lanka struggling at 35 for three.

Mendis had struck a few impressive boundaries against Krishna early in the session, but the Indian pacer made effective use of the extra bounce to send him back to the pavilion.

Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis then stood firm against the Indian bowling attack. Both batters adopted a positive approach and steadied the innings with an 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket. As the partnership began to grow, Indian captain Shubman Gill brought his fast bowlers back into the attack.

Debutant Saransh Jain was introduced as the first spinner of the day but failed to make much of an impact. Manav Suthar also struggled to contain the Sri Lankan batters.

Returning after an opening spell of six overs, Prasidh Krishna provided India with a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Kamindu Mendis.

At the other end, Pasindu Sooriyabandara continued his impressive batting and completed his maiden Test half-century. It was only his second appearance in Test cricket, and his determined knock gave Sri Lanka an opportunity to recover from the early setbacks.

Despite Sri Lanka’s improved batting performance, India remained firmly in control. In reply to India’s first-innings total of 503, Sri Lanka were still 373 runs behind at lunch.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar