CHENNAI: Hours of frustrating wait. Turn and bounce. Runs, wickets, and more. For a day of play that had little to no action in the first half, both India and Sri Lanka got moving quickly by the time stumps were drawn in Galle on Sunday. India still not bowled out, have 460/9 on board, largely thanks to Padikkal's 167 and Dhruv Jurel's 51.
When Padikkal and Rishabh Pant came to the ground on Sunday, they would have wanted to bat all day and ensure not having to bat again in the match. But Galle weather Gods had other ideas. They waited, patiently, for hours altogether before eventually getting back on the field by 2.45PM instead of 10 AM. It meant that they were in the hunt for runs, quick and calculative at that, than just batting time and build on. They understood that sooner than later moving day would be coming.
And it showed in the way India batted. Having scored 288 runs in the first 73 overs, Shubman Gill's men added 172 runs in the next 43 they got to face on Sunday. Jurel, who scored a fifty, confirmed the plan after the day's play. "I think yes, you can say that there was a plan that we make a run as soon as possible. The plan was not that from ball one, we are going bonkers. The plan was that by playing sensible cricket, we can make as many runs as possible," he told reporters after the day.
For Jurel, the 68-ball 51 was of paramount importance much like the century for Padikkal. Coming into the match, there were questions over his spot in the XI with Sarfaraz Khan getting a last-minute green card. But the Uttar Pradesh batter has the backing of head coach Gautam Gambhir who has been persistent with him as a specialist batter. Jurel, under pressure to get some runs, eased towards a breezy fifty before Dhananjaya de Silva took a blinder in the slips.
And he could do so because of what debutant Keshara Nuwantha and Prabath Jayasuriya brought to the table on Sunday. Having been under cover all night and morning, the pitch did not take long to assist spinners and the duo made the most of it. Tight lines, sharp turn, and quick bounce. You name it, and they delivered. Nuwantha deceived Pant in the air and Jadeja with a straight one while Jayasuriya got the two big scorers — Padikkal and Jurel.
Though India would have liked more than what they have on board, they might just have enough to force Sri Lanka's hand. And it might start with an overnight declaration, but the spin attack has their work cut out. Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav will have to come together as a unit, perhaps for the very first time as a trio, and do the heavy lifting. Jurel felt delivering long spell in the right areas will be key. "We will have to be consistent. There is no rocket science. We need to put balls in great areas. That's all. We just have to keep it simple and we have to play with determination that if we want to win the match, we need to take those 20 wickets," Jurel said.
