India were on the verge of a clinical win at lunch on the final day of the first Test in Galle, with Sri Lanka reaching 175/6 in their second innings, needing another 197 runs for an unlikely victory. But the highlight of the day was how India, or rather, Yashasvi Jaiswal, plotted the dismissal of Niroshan Dickwella before the break.
The hosts were already in a spot of bother, having been reduced to 84/4 at the close of play on day four. Earlier, crucial contributions from Rishabh Pant (66), Devdutt Padikkal (44) and KL Rahul (35) helped India reach 193 in their second innings, and set an imposing target of 372 for Sri Lanka.
Manav Suthar and Prasidh Krishna have taken two wickets apiece so far.
The Lankan hopes rested on skipper de Silva and the first-innings century-maker Sonal Dinusha (72*) to try and achieve the highest-ever successful chase at the Galle stadium – the current record is 344 by Pakistan in 2022. A target of over 200 has only been chased twice at this venue since 1998.
Dinusha and de Silva (59 off 151 balls) added 95 runs off 202 balls to deny the Indians for well over an hour into the opening session of the day.
However, it was Ravindra Jadeja who had the last laugh. The left-arm spinner has been India’s best bowler today, with Kuldeep Yadav bowling abit flat and Suthar not getting too many overs. Jadeja managed to get one to bounce more and de Silva's top-edged weep ended in the hands of Suthar at short fine leg.
Dickwella, who played a sensible innings of 80 in Sri Lanka's first innings, came out trying to hit his way out of trouble. A couple of desperate slog sweeps against Yadav and Jadeja made his intent clear.
Sensing his urgency, Jaiswal, who was standing at square leg, engaged in some banter with the Lankan batter. With pacer Krishna testing him with short ball, Jaiswal asked Dickwella why he had hidden away his shots. He certainly hadn't done so in the first innings. Goading him, Jaiswal said he was waiting to see him hit a six. Dickwella apparently asked whether he could get an IPL gig if he did so, and Jaiswal promised one if he cleared the ropes.
Dickwella took the bait, and succumbed to Krishna, trying to manufacture a shot over covers while giving himself some room, but only managing a healthy edge to Pant behind the stumps.
Chasing a distant 372, Dinusha (65) and Keshara Nuwantha (8) were holding the fort for Sri Lanka but the Indians will be hoping to wrap the proceedings at the earliest in the coming session.
