India set massive target, SL need 419 to win : Sports News

Bengaluru: Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer's brilliant fifties, besides Jasprit Bumrah's five-for 24 propelled India to post 303 for 9 declared, setting a massive target of 447 for Sri Lanka to square the two-Test series on Day 2 of day-night Test at Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday. At stumps, Sri Lanka were 28 for 1 in their second innings with Kusal Mendis and Dimuth Karunaratne batting at 16 and 10, respectively at stumps. Sri Lanka needed another 419 runs to clinch the match. As of now, it looks like an uphill task.

Chasing the target, the first innings wrecker-in-chief Jasprit Bumrah struck in the first over with Lahiru Thirimanne trapped leg before. The opener reviewed, but to no avail. Thirimanne was bamboozled by an in-swinging delivery onto his pads. Sri Lanka were 0 for 1 at that point of time. Shreyas Iyer top scored for India with a scintillating 67, while Pant cracked the fastest test fifty by an Indian off just 28 balls, surpassing Kapil Dev's fifty off 30 balls which he had smashed against Pakistan in Karachi Test almost 40 years ago.

Sri Lankan spinner Praveen Jayawickrama bagged crucial wickets to dismantle India's middle order and finished with figures of 4 for 78, while Lasith Embuldeniya chipped in with three wickets. Resuming at the diner score of 199 for five, Shreyas increased his tempo by hammering boundaries of Suranga Lakmal, Praveen Jayawickrama, Vishwa Fernando and Lasith Embuldeniya. Shreyas survived review after he was declared out three short of a 50. However, he got to his second fifty in the Test in quick time. In the same over, Ravindra Jadeja (22) was cleaned up after Fernando's delivery clipped the front-pad and then bounced onto the off-stump.

Soon India reached the 250 mark, extending the lead past 400. Ravichandran Ashwin (13) edged one to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella off Jayawickrama. Shreyas was adjudged leg-before. He tried to review but to no avail TV replays flashed three reds in favour of the field umpire's decision. Mohammad Shami hammered 16 runs off 8 balls before skipper Rohit Sharma declared India's second innings. Earlier, India reached 61 for 1 at tea to pile Sri Lanka's agony. Post-tea, Rohit and Vihari added over 56 runs together for the second wicket.

Rohit fell for 46 after Agnelo Mathew held onto the catch in the deep. Hanuma Vihari followed his skipper after he looked to play the sweep but missed Jayawickrama. The Hyderabadi departed for 35 just when he looked solid in the middle. Silence engulfed the Chinnaswamy Stadium after Virat Kohli fell leg before to Jayawickrama for 13. After India raced past 300, the Islanders wasted a review. They thought Shreyas would have nicked the ball but it actually had clipped the pads. Soon Pant raced to his fifty after stitching a vital 45 runs partnership with Shreyas for fifth wicket.

Pant was ultimately caught and bowled off a skier after an entertaining fifty. India extended their lead to 342 runs at Dinner with wicket-keeper batsman Pant registering the fastest fifty by an Indian. After a hurricane knock, Pant was dismissed for 50. As soon he took guard, he smashed the second ball out of the park, making his intentions clear. What followed thereafter was a mayhem as he raced to a 28-ball fifty, outsmarting the great Kapil Dev's record of scoring fastest fifty. The former all-rounder had scored his Test fifty in 30 balls.

Kapil Dev had achieved the milestone while batting against Pakistan in the Karachi Test in December 1982. Despite his heroics, Pakistan went on to win the match by an innings and 86 runs. Former Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq holds the fastest 50 score in Test cricket (21). Soon after Pant fell, but the lead had crossed the 300-run mark, making an uphill task for Sri Lanka to chase down the target on a track which is spinning in the day time and swinging under the light. With their tails up, India started off their second innings with a bang with Mayank Agarwal scoring 22 after punching five boundaries, before he edged to slip and was caught by Dhananjaya de Silva off Embuldeniya.

Bumrah's five-for was the first-ever on Indian soil, while spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and pacer Mohammad Shami bagged two wickets each. Bumrah helped India skittle out Sri Lanka for 109 with figures of 5 for 24. This was Bumrah's first-ever five-fer on Indian soil, while spinner Ashwin and pacer Shami bagged two wickets each. Veteran Angelo Mathews top-scored for Sri Lanka by scoring 43 runs. Others failed to stick around him. Earlier, India were bowled out for 252 in their first innings, with Shreyas missing his second Test ton by 8 runs.

He had smashed 92 runs off 98 balls, which was decorated with 10 fours and four sixes. Embuldeniya and Jayawickrama took three wickets each for visitors in India's first innings. Dhananjaya de Silva took two wickets and Suranga Lakmal bagged a dismissal.