The focus, on the third day of the third Test match in Delhi, shifted from the smog controversy to cricket as Sri Lanka finally put up a semblance of a fightback courtesy centuries by Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal.
The day, like the previous one, was hazy, but the Lankan batsman thrived on a good batting wicket combined with some ordinary fielding by the hosts. India's slip fielding was particularly poor.
At stumps, Sri Lanka were 356/9 with skipper Chandimal unbeaten on 147 accompanied by Lakshan Sandakan, who is yet to open his account. Indian bowlers would have wanted to wrap up the Lankan innings today itself, but they had to toil all day and could taste success only in the last session of the day that saw Sri Lanka lose five wickets for 91 runs in 28 overs. Off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin scalped three wickets for 90 runs with the rest of the bowlers contributing with two apiece. Match was called off due to bad light five minutes before stipulated time with two overs remaining.
Overnight batsmen Mathews and Chandimal added 181 runs on the fourth wicket, frustrating the hosts no end. Mathews, who is the most seasoned campaigner in the visiting Lankan side, scored 111 (268 balls, 14x4, 2x6) and was the first wicket of the day to fall post lunch. Ashwin induced an edge from the veteran all-rounder to wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha. Mathews has had a charmed innings, having been dropped thrice in totality―once yesterday by Kohli off Sharma and twice today by Rohit Sharma in second slips off Ishant Sharma on 98 and by substitute fielder Vijay Shankar at mid off on Ravindra Jadeja's bowling on 104.
Chandimal, who had to call for some assistance early in the day for some breathing problems, played a fluent innings―truly a captain's knock. He scored his 10th test hundred in 265 balls with 13 boundaries. Such was his watchful innings that he didn't give a single chance to the Indian bowlers, who kept coming hard at the batsmen all day. With Mathews gone, Chandimal then tried to build another partnership with Sadeera Samarawickrama (33) but a delivery from Ishant Sharma just outside off stump saw Saha taking a stunning one-handed catch inches above the ground.
As far as the Indians are concerned, their slip fielding is a cause for concern. For sometime now, the slip cordon seems to be afflicted by “rotation”with players being rested or rotated by the team management through the season. A lot of it has to do with the three openers Murali Vijay, K.L. Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan being in and out of the side due to various reasons. All three are slip fielders. Apart from them, Cheteshwar Pujara, skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma all have done slip duties.
With India playing away from December end onwards, slip fielding would be extremely crucial to results as the wickets that the team would be playing on would give carry and bounce both.
