5:05: India were right on top of this game from the start of Day 3. Ishant Sharma's five wicket haul has been the highlight of the day's play. But India lost the plot in the last session of the day. Pujara, Rahul and Rahane were all dismissed in quick successions.
Sri Lanka crossed the 200 run mark because of a sesnible partnership between Perera and Herath. But could not hold their innings for long. Mishra, Yadav and Binny were also instrumental in picking the rest of the Lankan wickets.
India are 21/3 at this stage and are 132 runs ahead of Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is at the crease, and they would be looking to stabilise this Indian ship and put up a good total on the scoreboard. Sri Lanka then will find it difficult to chase it down on the final day.
Hopefully, we will get to see a full day of play tomorrow!
That's all from me (Rajarshi Majumdar) for IBTimes India today. My Colleague Deepak Vikraman will bring you the live updates of Day 4 of the third Test between India and Sri Lanka tomorrow!
Till then, have a good Sunday and see you soon!
4:53: Play has been called off! The rain just got worse in Colombo.
4:45: Ladies and Gentlemen, stay tuned for further updates!
4:43: What looked like a passing shower, in two minutes or so it started pouring at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo! India would be happy to walk out after being in trouble early! The groundsmen are covering are trying hard to cover the entire ground!
4:40: RAIN STOPPED PLAY! It is raining really hard.
The light seems to be fading quickly and thus Mathews has thrown the ball to Herath. Prasad is continuing from the other end though. Rohit Sharma is looking to score some quick runs. Sri Lankan captain is desperate to take one of these wickets.
India 21/3, Lead by 132 runs (Rohit 14*, Kohli 1*) Overs 8.
4:34: Rohit Sharma hits a huge six off Rangana Herath!
4:33: India are in deep trouble now. They will find it difficult to resurrect this second innigs from this situation. The ball is still doing a lot and the seamers are enjoying bowling on it with the new cherry. Kohli has played and missed twice in this over. The clouds are also hovering above the grand stand at SSC. That is not a good sight! India 11/3, Lead by 122 runs (Rohit 4*, Rahane 1*) Overs 7.
4:28: Rohit Sharma off the mark immediately. Rohit and Kohli has to stay there in the middle and rebuild this Indian innings. This game is not over yet! India 10/3, Lead by 121 runs (Rohit 3*, Kohli 1*) Overs 6.
4:25: Rohit Sharma out in the middle!
4:23: Would you believe it??? Rahane is OUT LBW by Pradeep. India 7/3.
4:21: Rahane hits the first boundary of this innings! Pulls a short one from Prasad. India 6/2. Overs 5.
4:17: India are off to an awful start yet again. They have lost both their openers cheaply. Rahul completely misjudged the length and the ball hit the top of the off stump. It is like you miss buddy and I hit! Virat Kohli have come out in the middle. India are struggling. Sri Lanka on the attack. India 2/2, Lead by 113 runs (Kohli 0*, Rahane 0*) Overs 4.
4:12: KL Rahul Bowled By Pradeep. A copy of his 1st innings dismissal. India 2/2.
4:07: Nuwan Pradeep to continue from the other end. The seamers have got a fair bit of movement off the deck. Pradeep has looked to bowl straight. India are yet to get off the mark. India 0/1, Lead by 111 runs (Rahul 0*, Rahane 0*) Overs 2.
4:01: India have lost their 1st wicket. The centurion from the first innings, Pujara, has been dismissed from the second ball of the second innings. Looking to play on the leg side and squared himself up. This is a horrible start for India. Ajinkya Rahane is out in the middle. What an over Prasad has bowled. He is getting into that habbit of picking up wickets early. India 0/1, Lead by 111 runs (Rahul 0*, Rahane 0*) Overs 1.
3:57: Pujara Bowled by Prasad in the second ball! India 0/1. Overs 0.2.
3:56: Here is the first ball and Pujara fails to make any connection! Goes past the outside edge.
3:54: Dhammika Prasad to bowl the first over!
3:53: The players are out in the middle. Indian openers Cheteshwar Pujara and KL Rahul are coming out through the tunnel.
3:48: A late burst from Dhammika Prasad helped Sri Lanka to cross the 200 runs mark. Ishant Sharma, Stuart Binny, Umesh Yadav and Amit Mishra ran through the Sri Lankan batting lineup pretty quickly.
The partnership between Kusal Perera and Rangana Herath was crucial. They added some really important runs in the middle. But Sharma pulled things back by taking a five-for.
India will be looking for a healthy lead now in the second innings. They can only pray to the rain Gods that they let the game happen for the remaining days of this Test match.
Ishant Sharma's figures 5 for 54 is the best by any Indian quick in Test cricket in Sri Lanka as well!
Indian batsmen will come out to bat soon! Stay tuned.
3:44: Prasad OUT! Stumped off Mishra's delivery. India have dismissed Sri Lanka for 201 runs. Sri Lanka are still 111 runs behind!
3:40: Ishant is trying to bowl a body line length. Prasad is going for the wild heaves and they have been productive so far. Sharma has to get bowl right at the stumps I believe as Prasad is moving around a lot making room for himself. This is One Day Cricket now. 12 runs came off that over and 200 comes up for Sri Lanka as well. Sri Lanka 200/9, trail by 112 runs, (Pradeep 1*, Prasad 27*,) 52 overs.
3:35: India are looking to wrap this up quickly. Sri Lankan batsmen have struggled right from the start against Indian seamers. Yadav has also bowled well from the other end. Last man is finding it difficult to middle of the willow. Sri Lanka 188/9, trail by 124 runs, (Pradeep 1*, Prasad 15*,) 51 overs.
3:28: Rangana Herath Out! Ishant Takes 5!
3:23: Amit Mishra with the first over post-tea. It might be better off for Kohli to use his seamers against the Lankan tail. There is nothing in the pitch for the spinners. A huge appeal from Amit Mishra, but there is an inside edge, which saves his day. Sri Lanka 180/8, trail by 132 runs, (Hearth 48*, Prasad 10*,) 49 overs.
3:21 Welcome back!!! The players are back onto the ground. Sri Lanka 175/8, trail by 137 runs, (Hearth 47*, Prasad 6*,) 48 overs.
3:12pm: Perera and Herath have played an important role in bringing Sri Lanka back into the game after losing wickets at regular intervals in the first session of the day. Ishant Sharma has bowled brilliantly in the Test match to take four wickets and Kohli might once again go back to the lanky bowler, asking him to bundle out the Lankan tail after which the Indian openers will need to be tight on their defense against the Lankan attack when they walk onto bat.
The track has not helped either spinners, Ashwin or Mishra, hence it the seamers, who are going to hold the key in the final session of the Test match.
Hi this Rajarshi Majumdar here again and I will be bringing you the live updates from the final session of the Day 3.
Live blog coverage of the third session to resume shortly.
3:01: Players head over for tea-break
3pm: Herath edges a ball in the slip cordon, but a difficult chance goes begging for another boundary despite KL Rahul's diving effort. Sri Lanka 175/8, trail by 137 runs, (Hearth 47*, Prasad 6*,) 48 overs.
2:58: Sri Lanka trail by 142 runs. Umesh Yadav to bowl the last over before tea. Can the fast bowler take another wicket?
2:54: Herath is doing an Amit Mishra as the left-hander hits back-to-back boundaries against Ashwin. Herath has done all the hard work so far and has scored a gritty 41 runs. The Indian bowlers and fielders are increasinngly frustrated. Sri Lanka 164/8, trail by 136 runs, (Hearth 41, Prasad 1,) 46 overs.
2:49: India was lucky as replays sugest Kaushal had inside edged the ball onto the pad, before bein adjudged leg before by the umpire.
2:45:Kaushal Out !!!! Mishra Strikes Sri Lanka, 156/8
2:43: Herath and Kaushal have been very defensive against the spinners. Kohli needs to understand their ploy and hence the captain should bring in some close fielders and pressurise the batsmen in playing some shots, which can help India get wickets. Sri Lanka 149/7, trail by 163 runs, (Herath 33*, Kausal 10*) 44overs.
2:35: Finally some sharp turn from Mishra, but this has been very rare in the Test match. With spinners not being effective, Kohli might be tempted to get back to his seamers, who has been on top of their game. Sri Lanka 148/7, trail by 164 runs, 42 overs.
2:30: Finally some runs off the bat from the Lankan batsmen as Kaushal lofts Ashwin for a boundary on the off-side. The Sri Lankan tail have been grinding against the Indian spin duo of Mishra and Ashwin. With pitch not offering any spin, these bowlers have looked harmless. Sri Lanka 143/7, trail by 169runs, 41 overs.
2:27: Runs have dried for Sri Lanka.
2:25: Double change, Ashwin from the other end. This has not been a pitch for the Indian spinners, as they have only bowled five overs so far and have not taken any wicket. After Perera's wicket, the home team have failed to score runs briskly. Sri Lanka 134/7, trail by 178 runs, (Herath 27*, Kausal 1*) 38overs.
2:19: Amit Mishra in action. Can he clean up the Lankan tail with his 'googly'? Tidy over by Mishra, who bowls six dots in a row. Sri Lanka 133/7, trail by 179 runs, (Herath 26*, Kausal 1*) 37overs.
2:17: Ishant Sharma is striving for his fifth wicket, but he just needs to concentrate on his line and length. Wickets should follow course with the pitch assisting the seamers. He should constantly apply pressure on the Lankan tail, which will help him take wickets. Ishant seems to be trying too hard now for a five-for. Herath, meanwhile, has been going strong with 26 runs against his name. Sri Lanka 133/7, trail by 179 runs, (Herath 26*, Kausal 1*) 36overs.
2:12 Binny bowls a maiden over. Close!!!! Hearth scoops a ball, but just falls short of Umesh Yadav at mid-on. Sri Lanka 127/7, trail by 185 runs, (Herath 22*, Kausal 0*) 35overs.
2:09: Ishant Sharma has bowled splendidly well today. Apart from great line and length, the bowler has also looked aggressive in his approach as well. After breaking Herath-Perera partnership, India should finish off the Lankan tail as early as possible.Sri Lanka 127/7, trail by 185 runs, (Herath 22*, Kausal 0*) 34overs.
2:02: Ishant Sharma dismisses Kusal Perera. 127/7, 33.4overs.
1:57: Perera completes his maiden half century. Perera, who was dropped by KL Rahul on 9 runs , has taken the attack to the opposition. Sri Lanka 123/6, (Herath 22*, Perera 51*,) 33overs
1:48: Perera brings memories of Sanath Jayasuria, who loved attacking the bowlers. Perera also seems to fall in the same bracket as he hits a superb boundary once again. However, such batting also gives India a chance to take his wicket. Sri Lanka 117/6, Trail by 195 (Herath 22*, Perera 45*,) 31 overs
1:43: Bowling change - Yadav runs up to bowl to Perera, who welcomes him with a thumping boundary staright down the ground. Perera has reached 38 runs in 42 balls only. Every passing minute, the debutant is growing in confidence. Players to take drinks as well as Perera's bat suffer crack with this four. Sri Lanka 108/6, Trail by 204 runs (Herath 20*, Perera38*) 30.1overs.
1:39: Ishant Sharma is bowling short, which is not going to trouble the Lankan batsmen. He has to pitch it up and allow the batsmen to drive, which brings the slip cordon into play. Both Perera and Herath are looking comfortable now. Sri Lanka 104/6, Trail by 208 runs (Herath 20*, Perera34*) 30overs.
1:35: Virat Kohli brings back Ishant Sharma, who will be eager to break this partnership.
1:33: Kusal Perera may be playing his first Test match, but the left-hander has played some good cricket with his aggresive approach. One also needs to give credit to Herath, who has given him some good support at the batting crease, is growing in confidence with the bat. The partnership, which now stands at 53 runs, is gradually pulling Sri Lanka back into the Test match . Sri Lanka 101/6, Trail by 211 runs (Herath 19*, Perera32*) 29 overs.
1:25: Huge appeal from Stuart Binny and the slip cordon for an outside edge, but the umpire is right in saying not out as the sound has been produced from the bat hitting the ground, whcih got the Indians excited. Binny's line and length has been brilliant. Sri Lanka 86/6, Trail by 226 runs (Herath 11*, Perera26*) 27 overs.
1:22: After Binny's miaden over, Ashwin has been reversed swept for a boundary. Perera, who is playing his normal game, is scoring runs at a brisk rate. Sri Lanka is playing some counter attacking brand of cricket and this partnership between Perera and Herath is lookin dangerous. India have to dismiss Perera, else he can tear apart the Indian bowlers, once he gets his eye in. Sri Lanka 85/6, Trail by 227 runs (Herath 11*, Perera25*) 26 overs.
1:14: Double bowling change. Binny into the attack.
1:12 Ashwin into the attack for Yadav. Boundary conceded. Sri Lanka 80/6, Trail by 232 runs (Herath 11*, Perera20*) 24 overs.
1:10: Perera does not want Herath to take strike as he ignores a single run and only runs for a single in the last ball of Ishant's over. This is clever batting from Perera, who is looking dangerous in the middle. Sri Lanka 76/6, Trail by 236 runs (Herath 11*, Perera16*) 23 overs.
1:03pm: It is evident from Perera, who is known for playing his shots, will take the game to the Indian bowlers. Perera, who smashes Yadav for a boundary, is dropped by KL Rahul in second slip. Perera hits his second boundary of the over. Ten runs of the over. 69/6, Trail by 243 runs (Herath 6*, Perera15*) 22 overs.
1pm: Ishant is bowling splendidly well. His line and leth has been top class and Perera is trying to attack Ishant, but has been second best. Sri Lanka will need Perera to stay at the batting crease for a longer duration and help his team get back in the Test match. 59/6, Trail by 253 runs (Herath 6*, Perera5*) 21 overs.
12:55: Herath gets off the mark with a tidy couple. Yadav, who is running really well, seems to be confident in his approach, hits Herath on his shoulder with a bouncer. The left hander replies with a boundary on the fine leg region. Sri Lanka 58/6, Trail by 254 runs (Herath 6*, Perera4*) 20 overs.
12:52: Umesh Yadav from the other end.
12:50: Ishant Sharma troubling the Lankans with his beautiful line and length. Ishant extracts good bounce and Dhammika Prasad receives a blow in his hand. Looks in some sort discomfort. Rangan Herath, who walks onto bat as Prasad is retired hurt. Perera opens his account with a glorious boundary. Sri Lanka 52/6, Trail by 260 runs (Herath 0*, Perera4*) 19 overs.
12:42: Both teams out in the middle. Ishant Sharma to bowl. What a start by India as KL Rahul takes a brilliant low catch to dismiss Thirimanne for a duck. Ishant's third wicket.
Thirimanne Out second ball post-lunch!!!!
12:35: India have used the new ball brilliantly with some great help from the pitch as well. India have only used three bowlers -- Ishant Sharma, Stuart Binny and Umesh Yadav -- who have all got some movement from the pitch. They need to continue with a similar line and length and apply pressure on the Lankan batsmen, who are not able to cope with the seam and swing from the Indian bowlers. Surely, they are missing the experience of Kumar Sangakkara with the willow in the middle.
Ishant and Binny have taken two wickets each, while Yadav has dismissed one batsman.
12:04: Sri Lanka are 47/5 and still trailing by 265 runs at Lunch on Day 3. The visitors are right on top going into lunch as they have managed to dismiss half of the Lankan batting lineup. The hosts are off to a disastrous start. They are way behind the India at this moment. The recognised batsmen in that lineup are back in the hut. It will be a mountainous task for rest of the Lankan batsmen.
Indian bowlers have been on the money since morning. Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Stuart Binny have lead the seam attack for the visitors. Kohli has rotated these three bowlers brilliantly and has stuck with them. As Jonty Rhodes had mentioned during the pitch report that the deck still has a tinge of grass on it still has a lot to offer to the seamers and guess what? It did! And thus we haven't seen Ashwin or Mishra in action as of yet. This is good captaincy from Kohli.
India would look to wrap up this Lankan innings quickly and enforce the follow on. But if that does not happen they still will have a lot of runs to play with. They can put a good strong lead and ask the Lankans to bat again! This has been an exciting Test match so far. Stay tuned ladies and gentlemen, my colleague Ashim Sunam will be back with the live updates post lunch. See you soon! Enjoy your quick lunch!
11:58: Karunaratne OUT! Binny Strikes again. And it's Lunch time as well.
11:56: The sun is out again. Relief for the Indians. Binny continues from the other end.
11:52: Sharma has been brilliant since morning. The most efficient batsmen in this Lankan lineup has been sent back to the pavilion. It was a peach of a delivery from Ishant Sharma. Got a faint edge to the keeper. Lahiru Thirimanne is out in the middle. There is a lot of aggression on the part of the Indian bowlers. They are running throught this Lankan lineup. And it has started to drizzle! Just what the Indians did not want. Sri Lanka 45/4 Trail by 267 runs (Karunaratne 9*, Thirimanne 0*) Overs 17.
11:51: Mathews Out! But the Umpires are going to check the no ball. Ishant strikes again.
11:38: This is real good stuff from Indian seamers. Virat Kohli has shuffled his bowlers brilliantly and has looked to stick to his seamers. The conditions have been hot since the morning. Sri Lanka 40/3 Trail by 272 runs (Karunaratne 5*, Mathews 0*) Overs 14.
11:30: Chandimal who was looking so good was dismissed by Binny. The ball came in sharply and hit the back leg of Chandimal. Umpire Rod Tucker did not take much time to raise his fingers. Looked a bit high but India are right on top at this moment. The captain is out in the middle. Sri Lanka 40/3 Trail by 272 runs (Karunaratne 5*, Mathews 0*) Overs 12.
11:27: Chandimal Out! LBW. Caught in front of the wicket by Binny. Sri Lanka 40/3.
11:17: Stuart Binny has been introduced into the attack. He is getting the ball to swing. This is good bowling from Binny. He is getting an awkward bounce from the pitch as well. But it did not seem to bother Chandimal as he is continuing to play his shots. Brilliant Test cricket altogether! Sri Lanka 34/2 Trail by 278 runs (Karunaratne 3*, Chandimal 19*) Overs 10.
11:14: Chandimal has been scoring those runs quickly. But Sharma has been impressive as his mixture of length has been superb. Chandimal's counter-attack is an interesting tactic against these Indian seamers. This is good cricket. He is desptaching the bad ball to the boundary. Ashwin might just replace Yadav on the other end in the next over. Sri Lanka 29/2 Trail by 283 runs (Karunaratne 2*, Chandimal 15*) Overs 9.
10:55: Both the Sri Lankan openers are back in the hut now. Yadav and Sharma has bowled a good line and length since morning. Silva wanted to leave the ball but it took the bottom edge of his willow and went on to hit the stumps. Chandimal is out at no.4 for Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka 11/2 (Karunaratne 0*, Chandimal 0*) Overs 6.
10:51: Silva Bowled by Yadav. Sri Lanka in Trouble. Silva departs for 3. Sri Lanka 11/2.
10:47: Tharanga never looked comfortable in front of the two Indian pacers Yadav and Sharma. Sharma got the better off him eventually as he knicks one to the second slip and this time KL Rahul does not make any mistake. Sri Lanka 11/1 (Karunaratne 0*, Silva 3*) Overs 5.
10:46: Tharanga Out!
10:37: Sharma has bowled brilliantly in his second over. Sharma has troubled Tharanga through that corridor of uncertainity. Sri Lanka 5/0 (Tharanga 0*, Silva 1*) Overs 3.
10:25: Ishant Sharma has bowled three no balls so far. A problem for which he still could not find a solution. KL Rahul has dropped a catch of Tharanga on top of that in the second slip. Nine balls bowled in the first over. Sri Lanka 3/0 (Tharanga 0*, Silva 0*) Overs 1
10:22: Consecutive no balls for Ishant Sharma. Hot day taking a toll on him?
10:21: Ishant Sharma will started the proceedings but starts off with a no ball.
10:20: The Sri Lankan openers walking out in the middle. Indian team is in a huddle. Can the visitors make an early impact? Upul Tharanga and Kaushal Silva will begin the proceedings.
10:12: India have been bowled out for a total of 312 runs. India managed to reach this score solely because of the Saurashtra man Pujara who remained unbeaten on 145*. More than 50% of India's runs has been scored by Pujara. He became the 4th Indian to do so in Test cricket.
Not to forget the crucial 104 runs partnership between Pujara and Amit Mishra. Mishra was the second highest scorer with 59 runs under his belt.
Dhammika Prasad was the pick of the bowlers as he picked 4 wickets. He would feel himself to be unlucky as he missed out on a five wicket haul.
Indian bowlers will have to bowl a good line and length. The deck has been a good one for the seamers.
10:10: Yadav Out! Herath dismissed the last man with an arm ball. Yadav gone for 4.
10:05: India needs to score these runs quickly, they cannot waste any further. Yadav has been out there for more than two overs now and has managed ony four runs. Pujara will have to score these runs and he finished that Prasad over with a boundary. India 312/9 (Pujara 145*, Yadav 4*) Overs 100.
9:58: India have crossed the 300 run mark. Pujara has been the man who carried the baton for India in the 3rd Test so far. Umesh Yadav is the last man for the visitors out in the crease. Can India score some few more important runs? India 303/9 (Pujara 136*, Yadav 2*) Overs 98.
9:52: Ishant Sharma OUT!
Herath is sharing the ball with Prasad from the other end and he has picked up the first wicket of the morning. Ishant Sharma went for a wild swing yet again and he was bowled by Herath. India 298/9 (Pujara 136*) Overs 97.
9:50: Five runs came of the first over of the morning. Indian batsmen have come to the crease with their intentions loud and clear thata they will be taking on the bowlers right from the word go. Sharma went for a wild swing off Prasad and the ball raced between the third slip and gully for a boundary. India 297/8 (Pujara 136*, Ishant 6*) Overs 96.
9:48: Single of the first ball of the curtailed over from last night. Sharma to face the remaining two balls.
9:46: The first ball is to be bowled by Dhammika Prasad. An opportunity for him take a five-wicket haul!
9:44: Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma walking out in the middle for India. The morning seems to be bright. No signs of a shower so far!
9:41: There is an amount of freshness in the pitch as Jonty Rhodes mentioned. The Indian seamers need to bowl in the right areas and they can trouble the Sri Lankan batsmen right from the start. The Live action of Day 3 will begin in sometime.
9:24: India, who are in search for a historic Test win, should take their chances. With the rain-affected first day of the Test match, time could pose a serious problem if India wants to take 20 wickets to win the series, so they cannot afford to on the defensive mode.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, lack experience in their batting order, which India need to exploit. Ishant Sharma should use the new ball to good effect.
9:12am: Hi this is Rajarshi Majumdar, my colleague Ashim Sunam and I will be bringing you the live updates of Day 3. An interesting third day of the final Test between Sri Lanka and India looms large with the visitors score reading 292 for the loss of 8 wickets. Cheteshwar Pujara was the hero of the day for India on Day 2 as he completed his sixth Test century at Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.
However, Pujara's work is not completely over as he needs to score as many runs as possible along with the Indian tail. Ishant Sharma, who is at the batting crease, will not give his wicket easily to the Sri Lankan bowlers, they have to earn his wicket.
If Ishant manages to stick at the batting crease like Amit Mishra, India can take advantage and score some important runs. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will love to dismiss the Indian batsmen in the first half hour of the day and ask their batsmen to deliver the goods on Day 3.
You can stay here for the complete live blog coverage with an interesting take on how the three sessions of Day 3 shapes up.
