Sri Lanka v India, 3rd Test, Day 3 - It was frenetic day

What a frenetic day it was in Colombo! 15 wickets fell in a single day. India added a few more runs to their yesterday’s total and when Sri Lanka came out to bat in their first innings, the Indian bowlers created a havoc and reduced Sri Lanka to 47 for 6. The Lankans can blame luck and the absence of DRS as because, “Upul Tharanga was given out off a no-ball even though the TV umpire had a look at the replays, Dinesh Chandimal - counterattacking his way to 23 off 27 - was given out lbw to a ball that hit him bail high and was on its way up, and Tharindu Kaushal was given out lbw off an inside edge” (cricinfo).

Gallant contributions from Kusal Perera, Dhammika Prasad and Rangana Herath restored pride for Sri Lanka and when India came out to bat in their second innings, they found themselves reeling at 7 for 3! Rain resulted in a premature end to the day, but India will not mind at all as they are leading by 132 runs and any score above 200 runs will be tough to chase on this track in the fourth innings.

So far, the battle between the bat and ball has been very attractive. Gone are the days when Sri Lanka used to produce the sleeping beauties in the past which only ensured dull draws. Nowadays, they are preparing sporting tracks which are offering fascinating contests. In fact, the nature of tracks across the globe is changing. Modern day tracks are prepared to ensure some assistance for the bowlers and I welcome such initiatives as because, when the ball has the upper hand, the contest is always simmering.  

Thank you

Faisal Caesar