India remained firmly in control of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle despite a late fightback from the hosts on Day 2. The final session belonged largely to Sri Lanka, with Prabath Jayasuriya providing the breakthrough and captain Dhananjaya de Silva producing a stunning catch to dismiss Dhruv Jurel just before stumps. Jurel had looked composed throughout his innings and had recently completed his half-century when Jayasuriya struck with the first delivery of the 110th over.
The experienced left-arm spinner tossed the ball up at around 83kph, inviting Jurel to play a shot by bringing his front leg forward. However, Jurel misjudged the pace and closed the face of his bat too early. The resulting edge appeared to be heading towards the slip region, but the lack of pace meant the ball was unlikely to carry comfortably to a conventional catching position.
De Silva remained alert and reacted brilliantly. The Sri Lankan captain threw himself forward and managed to get his palm underneath the ball just centimetres above the ground. It was an outstanding piece of fielding that gave the hosts a much-needed lift late in the day.
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Jurel departed for 51, ending a valuable innings that helped India maintain their advantage. His dismissal was particularly important because India had dominated the opening two sessions through a series of strong batting performances.
Devdutt Padikkal was the standout performer, scoring a superb 167 from 230 deliveries. KL Rahul, who had retired hurt on 77 on Day 1, returned to the crease and made an important 82 from 175 balls. Jurel then added another half-century to strengthen India’s position.
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The final session, however, provided Sri Lanka with some encouragement. Jayasuriya continued to trouble the Indian batters and emerged as the key figure in the hosts’ fightback. He had already played a major role in the comeback, claiming four wickets in 38 overs.
Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Jurel and Manav Suthar were among the Indian batters dismissed by the Sri Lankan spinner. Interestingly, Jurel could have been dismissed much earlier. He was on 29 when De Silva dropped a relatively straightforward opportunity.
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The Sri Lankan captain made amends later with one of the best catches of the match, diving forward to complete the dismissal. With India still holding a strong position after two days, Sri Lanka will hope Jayasuriya can continue making inroads into the Indian lower order. For India, the focus will be on converting their strong batting foundation into a commanding first-innings advantage.
