1st Test, India v Sri Lanka: Suranga Lakmal stars on rain-curtailed day

Feroz Khan / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Nov 16, 2017, 16:38 IST

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Out of the 11.5 overs bowled on Day 1, Suranga Lakmal bowled six – all maiden and for three wickets, leaving India tottering at 17/3 when bad light stopped the play .

1st Test, India v Sri Lanka: Suranga Lakmal stars on rain-curtailed day

Key Highlights

Due to rain and bad light, just 11.5 overs were possible on the opening day
Suranga Lakmal wreaked havoc, picking three wickets in six overs - all maiden
Play was called off early due to bad light

NEW DELHI: Seldom there are conditions and surfaces on offer in India which are pacer friendly and a batsman's worst nightmare. Eden Gardens dished out just the kind of track for the first Test of a three-match series between India and Sri Lanka that would have left a fast bowler licking his fingers. Alas, the weather gods weren't so kind as the opening day of the Test petered out to a sorry 71-ball affair.
Full Scorecard
Out of the 11.5 overs bowled on Day 1, Suranga Lakmal bowled six – all maiden and for three wickets, leaving India tottering at 17/3 when bad light stopped the play.
The toss was delayed by four hours due to light drizzle and then Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal called it correctly, opting to bowl first. Just as when the play was about to get underway, the rain returned with the players walking back. When it recommenced, Lakmal gave the hosts an early jolt with a ripper off a delivery that kissed the edge of KL Rahul's bat and settled nicely in to the hands of the 'keeper. India had lost their opener for a first-ball duck.

The ball was doing the tricks – prodigious swing and bounce – a phenomenon almost alien to the subcontinent conditions. But it was the reality and after Shikhar Dhawan seemed to settle the nerves with a boundary, Lakmal struck again – an inside edge crashing on the stumps. He scored eight. Out came Virat Kohli and his stay lasted 11 deliveries before the man of the moment Lakmal, spitting venom, catching the India captain right in front of the wickets. Even the DRS couldn't help Kohli who also settled inside the dressing room without disturbing the score.

Cheteshwar Pujara (8*) missed a full delivery from Lahiru Gamage before signalling that he could not spot the ball. It was then that the umpire took out the light meter and the players walked back to the dressing room. The match was again stopped due to bad light and this time for good.
It will be an early start of the play on Day 2.
Brief Scores: India 17/3 (Cheteshwar Pujara 8*, Suranga Lakmal 3/0) vs Sri Lanka

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