IND v SL, 3rd Test, Day 5 Review: Sri Lanka fight back hard as the final Test ends in a stalemate

In the most unexpected of circumstances, Sri Lanka has induced a draw out of the third Test, losing just two wickets in the entire third day’s play. That didn’t stop India from winning the series as skipper Virat Kohli bagged both the man of the match and the man of the series awards for his outstanding performance.

Sri Lanka lost a wicket very early in the day when Angelo Mathews was caught at first slip by Ajinkya Rahane. Jadeja tossed the ball and Mathews, who plunged on to the ball tentatively, nicked it straight to a safe pair of hands and the visitors were in grave danger. Dhananjaya de Silva and captain Dinesh Chandimal stitched a crucial parnership for the fifth wicket.

Wickets came rarely for the hosts the Islanders showed unbelievable grit and determination to stay in the middle. Chandimal was not interested in playing any big shots and just kept rotating the strike on occasions, with his primary focus being playing the day out. De Silva on the other hand, lashed out hard on scoring opportunities and raced to a brilliant fifty.

Their partnership looked really promising as they aded 112 runs in 23 overs, which came at a more than decent run rate as well. But just after the lunch break, Ravichandran Ashwin broke the dead lock by cleaning up Chandimal’s stumps. Chandimal shimmied down the track and completely misjudged the flight, which knocked the stumps over.

Roshen and Dhananjaya toil with the bowlers

The Indian bowlers had barely anything to be happy about after Chandimal got dismissed. Dhananjaya de Silva kept scoring at a similar rate and what was hapenning at the other end didn’t bother him much. Debutant Roshen Silva, who was dismissed for duck in the first innings, compensated brilliantly with what might be a career saving innings.

Both Silvas made life miserable for the Indian bowlers, who kept pushing hard but reaped no great benefit. Despite all the injury niggles Dhananjaya had to go through, the comeback man completed a magnificent century under the circumstances and shut all the critics who doubted his credibility to play at number 3. This was his third in Test matches and he would be hoping for more in that position in the times to come.

De Silva did continue even after he was struggling, but when he reached 119 off 219 balls, the lad was in no position to conitue further. His physio suggested him to step back, a decision which he reluctantly consented to. Niroshan Dickwella came in place of De Silva to join Roshen Silva and this seemed like an opening for the Indians.

But in the final session, this duo tormented the Indian bowlers, who were all tired and exhausted. Silva reached his maiden half-century and Niroshan Dickwella, as he always does, played aggressively right from the word go. Ashwin failed to hold on to a half-chance in the 69th over, but it’d be harsh to blame him after he and Jadeja bowled for hours together.

Eventually, with the scoreboard reading 299/5 in 103 overs, the onfield batters got a signal from the dressing room to shake hands with the Indian players and conclude the game. It was an entertaining Test match, but India would be disappointed for not pulling off a result in their favor.

Brief Scores

India first innings: 536/7 declared in 127.5 overs

Sri Lanka first innings: 373 in 135.3 overs(Angelo Mathews 111, Dinesh Chandimal 164*; Ravichandran Ashwin 3/90, Ravindra Jadeja 3/86, Ishant Sharma 3/98)

India second innings: 246/5 declared in 52.2 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 67, Virat Kohli 50, Rohit Sharma 50)

Sri Lanka second innings: 299/5 in 103 overs (Dhananjaya de Silva 119, Roshen Silva 74*, Niroshan Dickwella 44*; Ravindra Jadeja 3/81)

Man of the match: Virat Kohli

Man of the series: Virat Kohli