India have their noses in front slightly in this second Test match at the P Sara Oval in Colombo, but one good session for Sri Lanka on Day 3 and the fortunes will swing in the home team's favour.
That will be the plan for Sri Lanka going into Saturday, with Lahiru Thirimanne and Angelo Mathews batting in the middle, having already built the foundations of what could be a big partnership for the fourth wicket.
Sri Lanka finished Day 2 on 140/3, 253 runs behind India's first innings total of 393, and a solid partnership between Mathews and Thirimanne is required come Day 3.
While Sri Lanka will have plans to score a few runs on Saturday, a day that should be the best for batting, India will plan on bowling with discipline again.
Losing their discipline and allowing the batsmen to dictate the game was how India saw the first Test slip out of their fingers, and the bowlers ensured the same problem would not come to the fore again with some outstanding bowling on Friday.
While 140/3 suggests India's bowling was not brilliant, on another day, with the rub of the green going their way, SL's score could have easily read 140/6. However, the positive aspect was that even when things did not go their way, the India bowlers did not let their heads drop.
That attitude will be the key to success on Day 3, because in the hot and humid conditions with a flat pitch to boot, the likes of Thirimanne, Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Jehan Mubarak will fancy scoring a few runs.
The tighter India bowl, though, the more frustrated Sri Lanka will get and that in turn increases the likelihood of the batsmen making a mistake.
The wicket was offering a little bit of turn to R Ashwin, while Amit Mishra bowled pretty well as well.
You feel, it will be the spinners who will need to step up for India, at least, until the second new ball is due after 80 overs. With 27 overs to go before that new ball comes into play, Mishra and Ashwin will need to put the cat amongst the pigeons in the Sri Lanka camp with wickets; assuming, of course, the fast bowlers – Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav – fail to provide the early breakthroughs on Day 3 morning.
Day 2 was a battle of attrition, and then some, but with the Test match expected to move on quicker on Day 3, expect a few more exciting moments on Saturday.
Where to Watch Live
Get the Day 5 Live Blog HERE
Get Day 4 As It Happened HERE
Get Day 3 of the 2nd Test Match As It Happened HERE
India vs Sri Lanka Day 3 of the second Test match is scheduled for a 10 am IST (10 am local time, 5.30 am BST, 12.30 am ET) start. Live coverage on TV in India will be on Sony Six and Sony Kix with English and Hindi commentary respectively. Viewers in Sri Lanka and the rest of the subcontinent can also catch the India vs Sri Lanka match live on Sony Six.
Audience in the US can catch the game live on Willow TV, while the online live streaming option is on Willow TV Online.
Viewers in South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa will be able to watch Day 3 of Sri Lanka vs India 2nd Test live on SuperSport, with the action can also be live streamed on SuperSport Online.
