India Eye a Quick Finish, Sri Lanka Need Runs and Rain

Image :Debasis Sen

Vaibhav Tripathi, Galle

There is a calmness to the morning that does not quite match the tension waiting on the field. The sky is clear, the sun is shining and, for now, there is no hint of the clouds that have interrupted this Test before. The forecast is encouraging too, suggesting that the final day should have a clear run. It is exactly how you would want the last day of a Test match to begin, with blue skies above, a result within reach and everything to play for.

But the Sri Lankan weather can be deceptive. Along the coast, conditions can change without warning. A clear morning can quickly turn grey, and a few clouds can bring with them a deluge. Day 2 saw the worst of it, with five hours of play lost to rain. Sri Lanka’s fans may now be hoping for the skies to have one more surprise in store.

Their team certainly needs one. At 84/4, Sri Lanka are 288 runs away from the 372 required for victory, with only six wickets left. India, meanwhile, have the luxury of an entire day to find those wickets. The equation is simple. The challenge for Sri Lanka is anything but.

Only one team can win from here, and that’s India. Six wickets to take and the entire day available. The equation is simple. With the aim of wrapping up Sri Lanka’s innings quickly, India will come out all guns blazing.

Once again, the first hour of the day will be crucial. If India get a couple of wickets, then they’ll get to Sri Lanka’s tail. The first target would be to break the partnership between Dhananjaya de Silva and Sonal Dinusha. Both batters have spent considerable time at the crease and kept India at bay for the last 45 minutes of Day 4. Getting these two out will be important. More so Sonal, who scored a century in the first innings. Then comes Niroshan Dickwella, followed by the long list of tailenders. It will be a matter of three wickets, not six, for India. If they remove De Silva, Sonal and Dickwella, then it’s game over for Sri Lanka.

If one applies oneself, this pitch is still good enough for batting. Sri Lanka can still frustrate India by batting for long periods, much like they did in their first innings with the partnership between Sonal and Dickwella. More than winning, it will be about survival against India’s quality bowling attack. At best, Sri Lanka can delay the inevitable.

Kuldeep Yadav will be in focus from the Indian camp. Of the 34 overs bowled by India in the fourth innings so far, Kuldeep has bowled just three. The left-arm wrist-spinner has taken one wicket so far in the match — the fewest in this Test — and will be looking to do major damage on the last day. But for that, he needs overs under his belt. Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja will once again be key for India. As for the pacers, they can use the short-ball ploy to unsettle the batters, and it could give them the desired results.

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The post India Eye a Quick Finish, Sri Lanka Need Runs and Rain appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.



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