SL vs IND: Sooriyabandara, rain keep India at bay after gruelling Day 4 in Colombo

A solid fightback from Sri Lanka batters and incessant rain have left India frustrated after Day 4 of the second Test at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo. Sri Lanka finished the day on 229/6, leading by 16 runs in the second innings with Sonal Dinusha (7*) and Keshara Nuwantha (3*) at the crease.

Pasindu Sooriyabandara (92) continued his rich form while Kamindu Mendis also scored a half-century (55) to spoil India’s hopes of registering an innings victory after captain Shubman Gill enforced the follow-on.

Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 290 in the first innings as Sonal Dinusha (103) brought up his second Test hundred. The 25-year-old came out playing his shots as Sri Lanka resumed their innings on the overnight score of 265/8.

Dinusha quickly moved into the 90s, whacking Saransh Jain for a six and a boundary in just the second over of the day. He brought up his century with another boundary against Prasidh Krishna.

Saransh Jain gets his maiden Test wicket

At the other end, Saransh Jain (2/69) got his maiden Test wicket, removing Lahiru Kumara for 12, who was caught at deep cover while trying to go big. He further removed Dinusha for 103, finding his outside edge, which was safely pouched by KL Rahul at first slip.

With a lead of 213 runs, India enforced follow-on to wrap things up quickly with heavy rain predicted for the remainder of the Test.

In the second innings, Mohammed Siraj (1/11) got India off to a perfect start, removing Lahiru Udara for 3 as Sri Lanka lost their first wicket with just five runs on the board. After the early blow, Pasindu Sooriyabandara joined Kamil Mishara (32) at the crease, and the duo stabilised the innings with a 58-run stand for the second wicket.

With the partnership flourishing, Ravindra Jadeja (1/48) came to India’s rescue, trapping Mishara in front of the stumps to leave the hosts on 63/2.

Sooriyabandra, Mendis frustrate India

After getting two wickets in the first session, India had hoped to make further inroads into the Sri Lankan batting. However, their hopes were dashed by a gritty stand between Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis, who added 115 runs for the third wicket to frustrate India.

After getting their eye in, the duo took on the bowling, milking them for runs in the second session. It took Prasidh Krishna’s persistence with the short ball ploy and Shubman Gill’s athleticism to break the crucial stand.

Krishna bounced Mendis, despite being hit for boundaries previously, but the Sri Lankan batter failed to control his pull and skied the ball towards square leg, where Gill completed a spectacular catch to help India get the breakthrough.

Suthar's double strike helps India make late comeback

Sri Lanka went into tea on 199/3, trailing by 14 runs as the match seemed to be slipping from India's grasp. However, Manav Suthar turned the game on its head, dismissing Dhananjaya de Silva (23) and a well-set Sooriyabandara in his back-to-back overs in the last session.

Saransh Jain also got rid of Niroshan Dickwella for 6, dismissing him lbw as Sri Lanka lost three wickets within nine runs. With Sri Lanka in disarray, Dinusha and Nuwantha survived a tricky session as rain once again brought an early end to the day’s proceedings.