India retain advantage despite Dinusha's maiden ton

Sonal Dinusha's maiden Test hundred led Sri Lanka's reply on Day 3 of the first Test in Galle, although India still ended the day in a position of strength. Sonal led the home team's fightback after early wickets, adding 146 in a sixth-wicket stand with Niroshan Dickwella, but Sri Lanka ended up being bowled out for 284, conceding a lead of 178.

Manav Suthar continued his impressive run in Test cricket, finishing with 4 for 76 while Ravindra Jadeja ended up with 3 for 57 on a day when he became the fifth Indian with 350-plus Test wickets.

The Dickwella-Dinusha partnership kicked off shortly before Lunch, with Sri Lanka in a lot of trouble at 90 for 5. Dinusha, who had added 39 for the fifth wicket with Dhananjaya de Silva, kept things steady while Dickwella dealt in a flurry of boundaries on either side of the lunch break. India lost a review at the start of the second session when they thought there was an edge off Dinusha's bat in Suthar's over. Dickwella, meanwhile, was saved by the umpire's call soon after, when Suthar rapped him on the front pad.

India lost their second review soon enough, when a sharp turner from Ravindra Jadeja struck Dickwella on the pad, with replays revealing it was bouncing over the stumps. Dickwella had another slice of luck as KL Rahul dropped a tough catch at slip when the batter attempted a late cut off Suthar.

There was plenty of spin on offer and the Indian spinners kept posing questions and trying to create opportunities. Amidst the top-edges, outside edges, inside edges and play and misses, Dickwella brought up a brisk half-century. Dinusha then brought up a patient fifty as the Sri Lankan batters continued to keep India at bay.

Dickwella and Dinusha brought up the century stand late in the second session, marking the second occasion of a 100-plus stand for the sixth wicket against India after Sri Lanka had lost their top five before reaching 100. Dinusha, growing in confidence, even slog-swept Suthar for a six while Dickwella also scored regular boundaries, ensuring a wicketless session.

The confident shot-making continued into the third session, with Dinusha slog-sweeping Jadeja for a six. The partnership, however, ended abruptly when Dickwella edged Prasidh Krishna behind, departing for 80. New batter Keshara Nuwantha had an early reprieve as Rahul dropped another catch at slip, delaying Jadeja's wait for his 350th wicket. But the wait ended a short while later as Nuwantha's confident shot struck the silly point fielder before the ball ballooned towards Gill.

Prabath Jayasuriya stuck around long enough for Sri Lanka to avoid the follow-on and allowed Dinusha to reach three-figures for the first time in Test cricket. But India quickly wrapped it up after the century, before it got very dark in Galle and the groundstaff pulled in the covers, leading to early Stumps.

Earlier, India resumed at 460 for 9 at the start of the day and could add only two runs to their overnight total as Asitha Fernando dismissed No. 11 Prasidh. Sri Lanka were then in disarray as Mohammed Siraj and Suthar delivered early wickets. Nishan Fernando outside-edged an away-moving delivery from Siraj to first slip while Suthar, introduced at the start of the eighth over, struck with his first ball to send Dinesh Chandimal back.

Lahiru Udara, meanwhile, was batting positively, hitting six fours while Kamindu Mendis pulled Prasidh for a six. But their association was cut short when Suthar had Udana top-edging a cut to backward point. A stunning one-handed catch by Shubman Gill at short extra cover gave Suthar his second wicket as Kamindu departed for 14. Dinusha and de Silva then steadied Sri Lanka with a watchful partnership. That stand ended when Rahul took a low catch at first slip, giving Jadeja his 349th Test wicket with the dismissal of de Silva.

Brief scores: India 462 (Devdutt Padikkal 167, KL Rahul 82; Prabath Jayasuriya 4-109, Keshara Nuwantha 3-175) lead Sri Lanka 284 (Sonal Dinusha 100, Niroshan Dickwella 80; Manav Suthar 4-76, Ravindra Jadeja 3-57) by 178 runs.