Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli ensured that India ended Day One of the first Test at Galle well and truly in control at 128 for 2 against Sri Lanka. Dhawan was unbeaten on 53 while Kohli was 45 not out as India trail by a mere 55 with eight wickets still in hand. Ravichandran Ashwin was the star of the day for India with figures of 6 for 46 as the visitors bowled out their hosts for just 183. Angelo Mathews (64) and Dinesh Chandimal (59) offered the only resistance for Sri Lanka. Live Scorecard: India vs Sri Lanka 2015, 1st Test at Galle, Day 1
After India bowled Sri Lanka out for 183 at tea, KL Rahul and Dhawan made their way out to open together for the first time. It should be noted that Rahul has had a distinct lack of stability in his short career so far; he made his debut batting at No. 6, then batted at No. 3 in the second innings of the same match before opening with Murali Vijay in his next Test. He is now opening with Dhawan. He came out looking positive but was out for just 7. Dhammika Prasad managed to sneak one past his defence and trap him LBW. Rohit Sharma, promoted to No. 3, was unable to get going and was out LBW for 9. That united Kohli and Dhawan, who added an unbeaten 100 at stumps. Live Updates: India vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test at Galle, Day 1
Earlier, Ashwin continued his charge after lunch, taking six wickets to help India restrict Sri Lanka to a moderate total after Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal staged a remarkable fightback in the post-lunch session of Day One of the first Test at Galle. Chandimal was lucky to make it past the first over after lunch, as an outside edge off Ishant Sharma was put down by Wriddhiman Saha. Ashwin then came back into play though, getting rid of first Angelo Mathews for 64 and Dhammika Prasad for a duck. Amit Mishra made his mark as well, taking wickets off consecutive balls to dismiss Chandimal and Tharindu Kaushal to leave Sri Lanka nine down for 179. Ashwin clean bowled Rangana Herath to bowl out Sri Lanka for 183. READ: Kumar Sangakkara’s chances of fairytale ending seem bleak
Ishant’s excellent spell before lunch was consolidated by a wonderful display after lunch as well. Though he was denied a wicket in his first over after lunch he kept things tight. Varun Aaron was wayward though, and Mathews and Chandimal soon added 79. Ashwin was kept out of the attack for a while, but his reintroduction once again ignited a Sri Lankan collapse. Mishra took a couple of wickets late in the day to make an entry in the wickets column as well.
India absolutely dominated Sri Lanka in the morning session with Ashwin snaring 3 for 15. After Ishant Sharma and Varun Aaron took a wicket each to reduce Sri Lanka to 15 for 2, Ashwin came to the party and wrecked the Sri Lankan middle-order, taking three cheap wickets to leave the hosts reeling at 65 for 5 at lunch. Mathews — playing his 50th Test — and Chandimal were the unbeaten batsmen at lunch as India had the Lankan batsmen firmly on the back foot. Mathews was unbeaten on 26, but only one other batsman even got to double figures. VIDEO: Rohit Sharma’s out-of-the-world catch to dismiss Angelo Mathews in India vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test
Ishant was tight with the new ball, getting impressive carry from the start. He bowled seven overs for as many runs and took a wicket as well. Aaron was a bit wayward at the start but came back well to take a wicket also. Dimuth Karunaratne was the first man to go, edging an Ishant short ball to Ajinkya Rahane at gully for 9. Two balls later, Aaron had Kaushal Silva caught by Shikhar Dhawan at slip for 5. Replays showed that the ball went off Silva’s shoulder rather than the bat, but the batsman had already enjoyed a slice of luck after Dhawan had dropped him off Aaron earlier in the day. VIDEO: Saha drops easy catch of Dinesh Chandimal off Ishant Sharma in India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test
At 15 for 2, Lahiru Thirimanne was joined by the man of the moment, Kumar Sangakkara. However, Ravichandran Ashwin rained on his parade, getting Sangakkara to hit one straight to KL Rahul at silly point for just 5. Ashwin struck two more times after that, first getting Lahiru Thirimanne caught by Rahane at slip, and then dismissing Jehan Mubarak, a man whose Test average is under 20, for a duck. READ: Angelo Mathews plays 50th Test in India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test at Galle
Earlier, Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to bat first against India. Sri Lanka went in with a similar side that took on Pakistan in the Test series, with Jehan Mubarak retaining his place, and Rangana Herath making a comeback. Meanwhile for India, the injured Murali Vijay was replaced by KL Rahul, while all three spinners — Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, and Amit Mishra — got to play with Varun Aaron and Ishant Sharma being the two pacers.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 183 (Angelo Mathews 64, Dinesh Chandimal 59; Ravichandran Ashwin 6 for 46, Amit Mishra 2 for 21) lead India 128 for 2 (Shikhar Dhawan 53*, Virat Kohli 45*; Dhammika Prasad 1 for 22, Angelo Mathews 1 for 12) by 55 runs.
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)
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