Kohli double ton puts Lanka on the back foot

Sunday: Sri Lanka were left to bat out of their skins to save the second Test after they trailed behind on the first innings by a massive 405 runs with India piling up an impressive 610 for six wickets declared on the third day at the Vidarbha CA Stadium in Jamtha here on Sunday.

By the close on another day dominated by the host team, Sri Lanka had lost the wicket of Sadeera Samarawickrama to a second ball duck bowled without offering a shot to be 21-1. They trail by 384 runs with nine second innings wickets in hand.

Rohit Sharma batting during his century on the third day of the second Test at Nagpur. AFP

There is plenty of time in the Test for India to force a win and go up one-up in the three-Test series. As for Sri Lanka this is the best opportunity for their batters to show some character and try and save the Test if not at least take it to the fifth and final day. The Lankan batters can take a leaf out of how the Indian batsmen went about scoring their runs on a surface that is still playing beautifully.

Following centuries from Murali Vijay and Cheteswar Pujara on the second day Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma joined the party making it a quartet of centuries for India. Kohli outshone them all with a flawless double hundred, the fifth of his career and the first against Sri Lanka. The Indian skipper struck 17 fours and two sixes in his 267-ball knock for 213.

Sharma who started his Test career with back to back hundreds against West Indies in 2013 scored only his third Test century failing to get to three figures in his next 34 innings spread over four years until yesterday. India declared as soon as Sharma had completed his century off 160 balls with eight fours and a six. Kohli and Sharma added 173 off 241 balls for the fifth wicket.

India consolidated on their strong position from overnight losing only the wicket of Cheteswar Pujara nine minutes before the lunch break when he eventually got out to a slower delivery from Dasun Shanaka which he played over to be bowled for 143.

Sri Lanka would have been happy to see the back of Pujara who had proved a thorn in their side consuming 502 minutes and 362 balls in compiling his score that comprised 14 fours. It was a chanceless knock and proved how true the wicket played.

It was not so much of Pujara’s stroke play that dented the Lankan bowlers but his solid defence and ability to stay at the wicket for long periods of time that saw him stitch together two big partnerships – 209 for the second wicket with Murali Vijay on day two and 183 off 296 balls for the third with Kohli that enabled India to build up such a huge total.

Kohli unbeaten on 54 overnight moved to his 19th Test century and fourth against Sri Lanka without much effort using up 130 balls and hitting 10 fours and required only another 63 balls to move to his 150 which came off with a six off the hapless Dilruwan Perera whom the Indian batsmen had targetted as the bowler they would go after for runs. In the circumstances Perera although he finished with three wickets – the most by a Lankan bowler in the innings he conceded 202 runs.

He is the fourth Sri Lankan bowler to concede over 200 runs in a Test innings after Muthiah Muralitharan (224 v Australia, Perth, 1995), Rangana Herath (240 v India, Mumbai, 2009) and Suraj Randiv (222 v India, SSC, 2010).

When Kohli is at the wicket the scoreboard is always kept busy because he is on the lookout for runs all the time. Taking quick, sharp singles as if batting in a one-day match are of secondary nature to him even in a Test. With the pitch not doing anything dramatic so as to cause concern in the batsmen’s minds, he was able to score freely and at will. On a pitch of this nature keeping a batsman of Kohli’s calibre quiet was a tad too much for a bowling side like Sri Lanka that does not have the resources to exploit it.

Prior to the start of the series Kohli said that he would like his team to be made uncomfortable by the opposition as India had a tough tour of South Africa straight after the Sri Lankan series.

“If you can embrace playing in difficult conditions that will be the difference,” said Kohli. “We want to be uncomfortable, we want to embrace being uncomfortable and that’s the most important thing.”

In the first Test at Kolkata Sri Lanka made India pretty uncomfortable dismissing them for 172 in seamer friendly conditions. But in the second innings when conditions improved India were at their attacking best and came close to pulling off a stunning win reducing Sri Lanka to 75-7. Here at Nagpur in more friendly batting conditions India were back to what they are really good at piling up a big total and putting the pressure back on the opposition.

Sri Lanka didn’t do themselves much justice being shot out for 205 inside one day after winning the toss that has allowed India the freedom to dictate the Test match the way they wanted.