Batting was not an easy task in the early morning. Dhamika
Prasad’s seam-movement struck gold for Sri Lanka. The opening spell of Dhamika
Prasad and Angelo Mathews strangled hold Kohli and Rahul. But, gradually both
of them started to gain the momentum, or I guess, I should say, they were
allowed to gain the momentum. In my opinion, Dushmanta Chameera, who came to
bowl as the first change, eased the pressure and allowed the Virat-Rahul pair to
gain confidence.
In cricket, such small-moments matter a lot. When the pressure has been
created, it must not be allowed to ebb away. I think that the Mathews and
Prasad pair should have bowled 12 overs in trot with the new ball. Chameera did
create a chance in the third ball of his first over – Rahul dropped at gully,
but after that he bowled ordinarily – more half-volleys than goodish or
back-of-length balls. Such sort of
bowling allows the opposition to get back into the game.
KL Rahul and Virat Kohli scripted a 164-run partnership for the third wicket
and laid the foundation for a good total. Rahul stitched a 55-run partnership
with Rohit Sharma for the fifth wicket and as soon as he was dismissed after
scoring his second Test hundred, Sri Lanka threatened to trigger a collapse,
but Rohit – the target of harsh criticism after the first Test – proved a point
this time around by arresting the collapse by stitching a 52-run partnership
for the sixth wicket with Saha. The
dismissal of Rohit in the last ball of the first day might ignite his harsh
critics in the social media, but his knock of 79 runs deserves to be praised.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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