Nagpur Test: Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin strike as Sri Lanka reach 47/2 at lunch
Opener Dimuth Karunaratne lived a charmed life with two lucky reprieves as Sri Lanka made a sedate start, reaching 47 for 2 at lunch on the opening day of the second cricket Test against India here today. At the break, Karunaratne (21 batting) had faced 82 balls and was in company of Angelo Mathews (1 batting). Opener Sadeera Samarawickrama (13) and one down Lahiru Thirimanne (9) were out during a session where the visiting team went into a shell with a safety-first ploy in the 27 overs bowled during the first morning.
Indian bowler Ishant Sharma in action during the 2nd test match played against Sri Lanka in Nagpur on Friday. Pic/PTI
The Sri Lankan batsmen were ultra defensive in their approach during the first session on a Jamtha track that had good bounce and carry but was far from the menacing green top that was on offer at the Eden Gardens during the first Test. Ishant Sharma (1/19), playing his first Test since the home series against Australia, bowled his customary back of the length stuff with an occasional fuller delivery. He set up opener Samarawickrama with a delivery that was on fifth stump. The right handed opener rightly left it but the very next delivery was fuller, angled in at a drivable length. The batsman took the bait and the thick outside edge was pouched by Cheteshwar Pujara at first slip.
The seasoned Thirimanne was in a defensive mode from the start as his 58-ball stay at the crease would suggest. So intent he was on defending that he tried to play an ugly sweep shot to a Ravichandran Ashwin delivery that hardly turned and missed the line completely to get bowled. Karunaratne could have been dismissed on 15 off Ashwin but Pujara could not latch onto a catch that was there for the taking.
Ashwin had enticed Karunaratne to use his feet and the left-hander tried to play a chip shot over Pujara at mid-on. He did not get the required elevation and Pujara timed his jump well but the ball slipped out. Karunaratne once again benefitted when Wriddhiman Saha effected a brilliant stumping only to find that Ravindra Jadeja had overstepped.
It was delivery that had flight and landed shade outside the off-stump as the opener prodded forward and missed it. Saha whipped the bails in a flash but to his dismay found Jadeja being no-balled for overstepping.
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