Dilruwan puts rest of Lankan batting to shame

India leads overall by 498 runs with two days play remaining :

GALLE: Dilruwan Perera was picked in the Sri Lanka team for the ongoing first Test against India as the second spinner to Rangana Herath. There was no doubt that he could also bat and chip with some useful scores as his Test and first-class batting records indicate.

Yesterday at the Galle International Stadium Perera put to shame the Lankan top order batting by scoring a flawless 92 not out off 132 balls with four sixes and 10 fours. He deserved a century for his gutsy batting display but unfortunately he ran short of partners. It was the second time he had missed out on scoring a maiden Test hundred. He was dismissed for 95 on his Test debut against Pakistan at Sharjah in 2014.

Thanks to Perera’s durable knock Sri Lanka replying to India massive score of 600, made 291. It was still a good distance away but the way Perera batted in the middle the Indians didn’t want to take a chance and enforce the follow-on although they enjoyed a lead of 309.

Despite an interruption for rain that brought the tea interval forward only 6.3 overs were lost for the day and India extended their overall lead to 498 by finishing on 189 for three wickets with first innings failures Abhinav Mukund and Virat Kohli each scoring fifties. The ease with which they got about scoring their runs was further proof of how easy the pitch was playing.

Mukund was dismissed shortly before the close for 88 trapped lbw to give debutant Danushka Gunathilaka his maiden Test wicket. Kohli who figured in a 133-run stand with Mukund was unbeaten on 76.

The Lankan batsmen could learn a thing or two from Perera, the top scorer in the innings the way he batted against India’s pace cum spin attack on a pitch that is still good for batting. Perera was not afraid to come down the track to the spinners and smite them over and he also played the short ball quite comfortably pulling and cutting with aplomb.

When Sri Lanka resumed yesterday at 154-5 a lot depended on former captain Angelo Mathews who was the last of the recognised batsmen. He managed to take his score from 54 to 83 before being dismissed shortly before the first drinks break for the day. At that point it looked as good as over for Sri Lanka with only the tail to come and already one batsman short with Asela Gunaratne being ruled out of the series.

However Sri Lanka found an unlikely protagonist in Perera who was not out 55 at Mathews’ dismissal at 205. He took it upon himself to score as many runs for his team with the aid of the tail and when the last wicket fell that of Lahiru Kumara soon after lunch, Perera was left unconquered on 92. His daring innings was applauded by the Indian players which gave an indication of its value to his side.

The nearest Perera came to be dismissed was at 38 when he looked to all appearances done and dusted when a ball from Ravinda Jadeja struck him on the front pad and the umpire also thought so and gave him out. But Perera had the common sense to review the decision and to everyone’s surprise he survived the appeal as the ball tracker showed the ball bounce clearly over the middle stump. Perera didn’t need a second chance to get down to business and show who was boss.

The wily left-arm spin of Jadeja accounted for three of the four wickets to fall yesterday with debutant Hardik Pandya picking up the fourth which happened to be his first Test wicket when he got through the defences of Nuwan Pradeep.

Sri Lanka already down to 10 batsmen without the services of Gunaratne suffered another jolt when Rangana Herath, the captain had to leave the field after hurting the middle finger of his bowling hand trying to stop a powerful Kohli drive at extra cover.