2nd Test, Day 1 Live: Ashwin, Jadeja back in business as Sri Lanka bowled out for 205

Update: 3:50pm IST: OUT! R Ashwin picks up his fourth wicket as Sri Lanka are buunled out for 205. Rangana Herath was the last man to be dismissed.

It has been a solid performance from the Indian bowlers, who were made to work hard in the first two sessions of the day -- two wicket fell in each session.

SL 205/10 in 79.1 overs.

Ishant Sharma, who returned to action after a seven-month gap, broke aa 62-run stand between Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal to open the gate for Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to take charge.

The two wrist-pinners shared seven wickets between them, hurting Sri Lanka's middle and lower-midle order. Ishant chipped in with three wickets as well.

3:20pm IST: India are having a great third session as they have picked up four so far. The spin duo of Ashwin and Jadeja are troubling the lower order of Sri Lanka. 

SL: 185/8

2:40pm IST: OUT! Loose shot from Niroshan Dickwella. He knows it as well. The left-hander tried to charge down the track and loft Ravindra Jadeja over long on, but instead gets a thick edge.

SL 162/5 in 62 overs.

Jadeja has snapped an important stand here. Dinesh Chandimal, who has scored a fifty, is now key to the visitors' chances. All-rounder Dasun Shanaka is the new man.

2:15 pm IST: IT IS TEA TIME 

102 runs from 32 overs and two wickets in the second session of the Test match. 

India have managed to pick just two wickets in the second session, and SL skipper Dinesh Chandimal has looked decent, adding 36 runs. He is looking good for a big score. 

Score: 126/4

 1:50 pm: Ishant is bowling really well on Day 1. He is putting in some great effort with the ball. The lanky pacer sends back well-set Karunaratne, who scored 51 runs. 

Score 122/4 

12:22 pm IST: Jadeja traps Angelo Mathews leg before wicket to provide a perfect start for India post-lunch. 

Score: 60/3

11:33: It is lunch time. 

In the penultimate over before lunch, Jadeja had dismissed Karunaratne, but replays suggested that it was a no-ball. 

Score: 47/2

11:25: Ashwin finally manages to take his first wicket of the. The off-spinner send back Thirimanne, who missed the ball to gets his stumps crashed. 

Score 44/2

11:10 am: India have not been able to make another breakthrough despite bowling decently. Sri Lanka batsmen are in no mood to give their wickets easily. An interesting challenge for India bowlers as Lahiru Thirimanne and Dimuth Karunaratne are playing defensively. 

Score 39/1

 10 am IST: Ishant Sharma has picked up the first wicket for India, dismissing Sadeera Samarawickrama , who was caught at first slip. 

Score - 20/1

9am IST: Sri Lanka win toss and opt to bat first at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur.

India have made three changes to the playing XI, they are just playing four bowlers.

Mohammed Shami misses out with a niggle. He will be replaced by Ishant Sharma. Murali Vijay replaces Shikhar Dhawan, who had requested to be released from the squad due to personal reasos.

Rohit Sharma returns to the Test side after a year's absence. He had last played for India during the three-match series agaisnt New Zealand last year.

Teams

India: Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma

Sri Lanka: Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (c), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dasun Shanaka, Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Gamage

While you're waiting for the toss, read what Virat Kohli had to say about lack of preparation time for South Africa tour.

8:30am IST: Hello and welcome to IBTimes India's coverage of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur.

Your thoughts on the pitch?

What to expect from Nagpur Test

Even the first Test ended in a draw in Kolkata, the talks in the lead-up to the second Test, at least from the Indian camp, was not about taking the upper hand but about the upcoming tour to Sri Lanka.

Captain Virat Kohli conceded that there will be more green pitches on offer in the ongoing series as India are trying to make do with the time available for preparation for what is expected to be a challenging tour to South Africa, starting January 5, 2018.

Also read: Virat Kohli heaps praise on Niroshan Dickwella, says he had no problem with SL wicketkeeper's time-wasting tactics at Eden Gardens

Last time a Test -- India vs South Africa in 2015 -- was played in Nagpur, spinners reigned supreme as the track assisted spinners right from Day 1. It was a dust bowl so much so that 33 wickets fell to the spinners and the International Cricket Council gave the track a "poor" rating.

However, pacers are likely to dominate the second Test as there is a bit of grass covering on the VCA track. The pitch is not as green as the one that was used at Eden Gardens, but assistance to fast bowlers is expected.

On the other hand, batsmen are also expected to enjoy the surface at least for the first two days. Spinners are likely to come into play from the third day, according to Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal.