A 3-0 whitewash, the first for an Indian team in an overseas Test series, is up for grabs for Virat Kohli as he resumes the third day of the third Test against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Sunday.
Fifteen wickets fell on a second day where a woeful Sri Lanka collapsed, in response to India’s 487. Hardik Pandya’s 96-ball 108 was the cynosure of attention but left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav also got into the act with 4/40 as the hosts were blown away for only 135. Kohli, duly, enforced the follow-on and Sri Lanka have already lost a wicket in the second innings.
Live:
11.20 pm: Well, minor shock and horror, we finally have an update without the fall of a wicket. Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal have put on 32 for the fifth wicket...without getting dislodged. Small victories and all, yeah? Sri Lanka 66/4.
Ashwin's operating with such a predominantly on-side field. Usually does that when his confidence is high.#SLvIND — Suneer (@suneerchowdhary) August 14, 2017
10.45 pm: Kusal Mendis is the next one gone. Moves across his stumps too much and is thudded onto this pads. A grim-looking Tucker, who probably didn’t like the shot, gives him out immediately. SL collapsing. Can they reach 135 at least? 39/4.
Sigh, Rahul. They have been in transition since, it feels like, forever.
It gives no cricket lover any joy to see the shambles that is Sri Lankan men's cricket today. Hope they turn things around quickly. #SLvIND — Rahul Bose (@RahulBose1) August 14, 2017
10.34 am: Mohammed Shami has stood out with his pace and swing and he gets the night watchman Malinda Pushpakumara. Playing and missing, prodding and poking, finally gets the edge. Pushpaukumara happily walk. Sri Lanka 34/3.
Pushpakumara either missed or edged 11 of the 24 balls he faced this morning #SLvIND — The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) August 14, 2017
10.11 am: Gone. Well that didn’t last long. Ravichandran Ashwin, third ball of his day, gets one to turn and bounce sharply. Karunaratne pushes at it, takes the edge and goes to Rahane. The procession begins. Sri Lanka 26/2.
Aakash Chopra sums it up:
9.45 pm: If you missed it, it was the Pandya show:
And a sampling of the the kind of reaction he generated on Twitter:
Hardik Pandya almost better than Bradman — BND 🏏 (@NorwegianDave) August 13, 2017
Pandya is his own man. That’s what makes him so special: