Day 3: India end day’s play at 70/1 against Sri Lanka

The day, as it happened

1804 hrs IST: STUMPS! India end the day’s play at 70/1. Lead Sri Lanka by 157 runs. (Vijay 39*, Rahane 28*)

1749 hrs IST: Rahane and Vijay take India’s lead past 150 now. It’s getting very dark in Colombo. Important that the duo survive this phase

1723 hrs IST: And, the 50-run partnership between Rahane and Vijay comes up now

1720 hrs IST: FIFTY up for India in the 19th over. Rahane and Vijay doing a fine job in the middle

1700 hrs IST: Here’s how Harbhajan is using his time

Harbhajan’s spell in the nets this afternoon is longer than any he has bowled with a red-ball in close to two years #SLvIND #INDvSL

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) August 22, 2015

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1650 hrs IST: India need to ensure that they don’t lose any more wickets before stumps. Rahane and Vijay looking good, and should carry on till the end of day’s play

1630 hrs IST: Vijay and Rahane fighting it out in the middle for India. The lead is over 100 now, and it’s important that India get a partnership going early in the innings

More than anyone, Rohit Sharma will be hoping Rahane gets a lot of runs at No.3 in this innings #SLvIND #INDvSL @IExpressSports

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) August 22, 2015

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1605 hrs IST: WICKET! Prasad cleans up Rahul with a beauty. Centurion in the first innings is out for only 2 in the 2nd

The Indian openers using Ganguly tactics now. Making the Lankans wait endlessly in the middle #SLvIND #INDvSL @IExpressSports

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) August 22, 2015

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1555 hrs IST: All over! India bowl out Sri Lanka for 306. Mishra returns with figures of 4/43, helps India earn a crucial 87-run lead

1545 hrs IST: WICKET! Ashwin picks his 2nd wicket, traps Herath in front. Sri Lanka 306/9

1532 hrs IST: WICKET! Mishra cleans up Mubarak with a beauty. Out for 22. Sri Lanka 300/8

1530 hrs IST: Sri Lanka bring up the 300 moments after Tea

1510 hrs IST: TEA! Sri Lanka 298/7, trail India by 95 runs. Mubarak and Herath in the middle for hosts

1455 hrs IST: WICKET! Off Prasad’s edge and safely taken by Rahane at first slip off Amit Mishra’s bowling. Sri Lanka 289/7

Now that Binny finally has a Test wicket, hopefully Mubarak can get that maiden Test fifty #SLvIND #INDvSL @IExpressSports

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) August 22, 2015

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1447 hrs IST: WICKET! Stuart Binny gets rid of Angelo Mathews (102) to pick his first Test wicket. Sri Lanka 284/6

1445 hrs IST: Mathews, after surviving the bat-pad shout, reverse-sweeps Ashwin for a boundary and brings up his 6th Test hundred, first against India

You look at Mubarak and imagine this is what Amitabh Bachchan would have looked like in batting gear #SLvIND #INDvSL @IExpressSports

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) August 22, 2015

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1430 hrs IST: Mathews, approaching his 6th Test ton, all at ease in the nervous 90s. Doing the job in singles at the moment

1425 hrs IST: Binny into the attack. He has done the holding job, but still no additions in the wickets column

That great work horse of Ind cricket,Ishant Sharma getting two crucial breakthroughs with two superb deliveries wth 2nd new ball. #INDvSL

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) August 22, 2015

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1414 hrs IST: India have pulled things back with wickets of Thirimanne and Chandimal. It’s important they don’t release pressure now and pick another wicket to expose Sri Lanka’s tail

1404 hrs IST: WICKET! Ishant strikes again, removes Galle hero Dinesh Chandimal for 11. Sri Lanka 259/5

Only time Ishant’s hair looks the part is when he’s screaming at a batsman he’s dismissed like a heavy metal vocalist #SLvIND #INDvSl

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) August 22, 2015

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1348 hrs IST: 250 up for Sri Lanka in the 88th over. They still trail India’s total by 143 runs. Chandimal and Mathews in the middle for hosts

1340 hrs IST: And, the rain stops, sun is out and covers are off. Back to live action

1320 hrs IST: Rain arrives moments after Ishant gives India the first wicket of the morning

1313 hrs IST: WICKET! Ishant Sharma gets rid of Lahiru Thirimanne, so first wicket for India this morning.

1254 hrs IST: Ishant Sharma is greeted with a couple of boundaries by Angelo Mathews who must have been eyeing his century.

Sunny Gavaskar’s reading material in the Combox..he’s carried from Home..check the date. .catching up on news he says pic.twitter.com/9DKPqjxUTY

— Russel Arnold (@RusselArnold69) August 22, 2015

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1200 hrs IST: That’s Lunch and a disappointing session for India comes to a close. Sri Lanka 224/3.

1158 hrs IST: So Yadav will bowl the penultimate over before Lunch.

1153 hrs IST: So many good deliveries by Umesh Yadav but no wickets alas!

1149 hrs IST: 25 overs bowled, 72 runs and no wicket, is the five-bowler strategy the right thing going forward?

1138 hrs IST: That’s FIFTY for Thirimanne, strong stand has kept the Indians on their toes so far on Day 3.

Early wickets key for India today. Mathews and Ashwin key, best players on either side in this situation.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) August 22, 2015

1127 hrs IST: 200 comes up for Sri Lanka.

1112 hrs IST: Angelo Mathews brings up his half-century, he continues to frustrate the Indians on Day 3.

1055 hrs IST: A bit of turn from Mishra but so far Sri Lanka have negotiated that well.

1044 hrs IST: So Amit Mishra from one end and Ravichandran Ashwin is operating from the other.

1026 hrs IST: Partnership between Angelo Mathews and Lahiru Thirimanne is now 42 for the fourth wicket and some poor fielding by India is only adding to it.

1018 hrs IST: Umesh Yadav into the attack, Binny gets to bowl just one over.

1013 hrs IST: NO-BALL! Ishant Sharma does it again.

1011 hrs IST: Bad ball from Binny, angled outside off stump and Mathews drives it through the covers.

1000 hrs IST: Ishant Sharma will bowl the first over of the day.

0946 hrs IST: We are looking forward to making it a memorable game for him: Coach Marvan Atapattu on Kumar Sangakkara’s farewell Test.

0937 hrs IST: Remember, India still need to take seven wickets, skipper Mathews is at the crease and so is Thirimanne.

The close in catching might just be key for India today…lots of hard work put in before the start… https://t.co/lm7vGF5ZOW

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) August 22, 2015

0936 hrs IST: “We must stay focused on the first session, no big plans so far”, says Arun.

0935 hrs IST: “We are going to stick to the policy of 5 bowlers”, says Bharat Arun, India bowling coach.

0934 hrs IST: Welcome to P Sara Oval, and we are just 25 minutes away from the start of play.

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Day 2 Recap

All square at P’Sara Oval

India are still ahead by 253 runs against Sri Lanka in the first innings of the second Test. (Source: BCCI)

IT’S your farewell Test match. In fact, it’s the penultimate time you are walking out to bat in your international career. You never know it could even be your last. The crowd is on its feet. The opposition have curtailed their celebrations over the last wicket and they have hurriedly formed a guard of honour. The umpires have joined as well.

Wriddhiman Saha, Amit Mishra claim batting records

Wriddhiman Saha is the only wicketkeeper to record two half-centuries for India in Tests vs Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. (Source: Reuters)

Here are some of the Statistical highlights on day two of the second cricket Test between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday.

India’s bowling coach praises bowlers, hopes for first-innings lead

The coach assessed that the pitch at P Sara Oval is comparatively harder than the one at Galle. (Source: Reuters)

Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun has said that his side is looking at a 100-run first innings lead against Sri Lanka in the second cricket Test.