India batted first after winning the toss at the Sinhalese Sports Club and scored a massive 503/9 declared, then bowled Sri Lanka out for 290. Having been forced to follow on, Sri Lanka reached 229/6 to lead by only 16 runs when rain brought an early close to play on Day 4. On Day 5, India can pull off a quick win if they can strike early.
However, more than the Sri Lanka batters, India face a bigger challenge from the weather. India are closing in on a huge win against Sri Lanka in the second and final Test of a two-match series that concludes on Thursday.
From 10 am till 12 pm there is over an 80 per cent probability of precipitation in Colombo, according to AccuWeather.com . From 1 pm till 5 pm, that probability reduces but is still over 50 per cent. India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table with a PCT of 53.33. However, in case of a draw, India will remain in the fifth position with a PCT of 51.52. Having already lost four of their 10 Tests so far, every remaining game is virtually a knockout for the Shubman Gill -led side. India made early inroads when Mohammed Siraj removed Lahiru Udara for three before Ravindra Jadeja accounted for Kamil Mishara for 32. Manav Suthar broke through when Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva , having made 23, inside-edged a flatter delivery onto his thigh pad, with Devdutt Padikkal taking the resulting catch. Sooriyabandara then fell for 92 off 173 balls, again missing out on a maiden Test hundred.
If that happens and there is no play, it will be a major blow to India. A win against Sri Lanka will take them to the fourth position after Bangladesh slumped to a heavy loss against Australia. India have seven Tests remaining in the ongoing WTC cycle after the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka. But the hosts then produced their best batting passage of the match.
