A match they should have won by an innings, India somehow managed to lose the plot and go down to a never-give-up Sri Lanka. Those powers of bouncebackability will need to be found from somewhere if India's chances of a first Test series win since 1993 are not to end in Colombo.
The second Test between Sri Lanka and India promises to be another swaying-one-way-and-then-the-other match, and it will all depend on which team takes that crucial session or two, towards the end of the contest.
India did all the talking before the Test series, with aggression their favourite word, but when they needed to put those words into use, they faltered spectacularly, with Dinesh Chandimal showing the Indians just what it is to play with aggression.
Sri Lanka have a big desire to win this Test series for Kumar Sangakkara, and that desire will be cranked up a few levels with this one at the P Sara Oval being the great man's final international match.
Sangakkara is arguably Sri Lanka's greatest ever batsman, and having given a fitting finale to his Galle career, Angelo Mathews and co. will look for another similar result in Colombo.
The graceful left-hander could not quite make an impression with the bat in the first Test, even if he threatened to do so in the second innings, and India will be dreading a Sanga special in this second Test.
To stop the left-hander and the rest of the Sri Lanka batting from dominating, R Ashwin needs some help. Ishant Sharma and Varun Aaron impressed in spurts, but weren't consistent enough, with Amit Mishra also falling into the same category.
The biggest disappointment was Harbhajan Singh, who looked like a T20 bowler forced into the arena of Test cricket. The India veteran is clearly not the bowler he was before, and if Stuart Binny, added to the squad for the final two Tests, is expected to walk straight into the playing XI, it should be at the expense of the off-spinner.
Sometimes when you have a bowler like Harbhajan in your team, you are almost obliged to use him, even if he looks far from potent; and you felt, at times, that was the case with Virat Kohli.
Kohli also needs to get the team combination in his batting lineup right. With Shikhar Dhawan ruled out of the rest of the series through injury, Kohli will pray Murali Vijay overcomes his hamstring injury in time, while the skipper and Ravi Shastri also need to take a call on Rohit Sharma vs Cheteshwar Pujara.
Rohit was awful in the first Test, but comments after the match from Kohli suggested the right-hander will be given another opportunity.
While Kohli made some what-is-he-thinking-here decisions in the last Test match as captain, what the right-hander needs to do is deliver with the bat when it matters most, and then the rest will take care of itself.
His century in the first innings was a good one, but true captains are the ones that step up when the chips are down. Kohli has done that a number of times in ODI cricket, but it is time he does that in Test matches as well.
In Adelaide last year, Kohli played an outstanding innings, but could not see his side through, while he got out early in the fourth innings chase in the Galle Test. Those nearly-theres just aren't good enough, and if Kohli wants to mould this team the way he wants, he needs to lead from the front in more ways than one.
Where to Watch Live
Get Day 5 Live Blog and Score HERE
Get the Day 4 As It Happened HERE
Day 3 As It Happened HERE
Get the Day 2 As It Happened HERE
Sri Lanka vs India 2nd Test match is set to begin at 10 am local time (10 am IST, 5.30 am BST, 12.30 am ET). The match can be watched in India live on Sony Six, with the online live streaming option on Livsports.in.
Viewers in Sri Lanka and the rest of the Indian subcontinent can also catch all the Test Match action on Day 1 on Sony Six.
Audience in the US who have plans to brave the night can catch India vs Sri Lanka Live on Willow TV, while the live stream option is on Willow TV Online.
