Buoyed by a sizzling half-century from Rishabh Pant, during which he became the first Indian and the fastest batter to smash 100 sixes in Test cricket, and with their bowlers causing telling dents in the hosts’ line-up, India have begun their charge towards victory in the first Test at Galle. A win would keep them firmly in the race for a spot in the final of the 2027 World Test Championship.After setting Lanka a target of 372, India’s bowlers, briefly halted by a short shower, came out breathing fire. Pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna took a wicket each, while left-arm spinner Manav Suthar again looked dangerous in the spin-friendly conditions, taking two for 30. Suthar now has match figures of six for 106 in his first away Test.Suffering another top-order malfunction, Sri Lanka slipped to 47 for four before finishing the day at 84 for four in 34 overs. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva was unbeaten on 31 (73b, 3×4), with first-innings centurion Sonal Dinusha (25 not out, 36b, 4×4) giving him company.India need six more wickets to wrap up the Test on Day Five, while Lanka require another 288 runs, an improbable task considering Pakistan’s 344 for six in 2022 remains the highest successful fourth-innings chase at Galle.Opener Nishan Madhushka Fernando (6 off 27 balls) succumbed to the short-ball trap as he hooked a Siraj bouncer to a diving Krishna at deep fine leg in the seventh over.No. 3 Pasindu Sooriyabandara, making his Test debut as concussion substitute for the injured Dinesh Chandimal, was trapped lbw first ball by Suthar. The left-arm spinner’s delivery came in with the arm and struck him on the back leg.Earlier, Chandimal was taken to hospital for a precautionary scan and was subsequently replaced by Sooriyabandara, who had taken Ravindra Jadeja’s catch.Bowling with verve and generating good pace, Krishna struck in his first over, having Kamindu Mendis (2) poking at a delivery outside off and edging it to KL Rahul at first slip.In fact, Lanka would have been four down earlier but for a big reprieve for captain Dhananjaya de Silva, who was on seven when he was caught at first slip off Ravindra Jadeja in the 16th over. Jadeja had overstepped, however, and the wicket did not count.Rescued by Pant’s fifty after slipping to 120 for five, India were all out for 193, leaving the hosts with a 372-run target.The highlight of Pant’s impactful knock (66, 69b, 8×4, 2×6) was an audacious six he hit after stepping out to greet pacer Lahiru Kumara in the 27th over of India’s second innings. Sailing over wide long-off, the ball landed on the road outside.Pant later pulled Kumara for another six to bring up his 20th Test fifty. It was also his landmark 100th six in Tests.Sri Lanka’s chief wicket-takers were pacer Asitha Fernando (four for 31 in 8.5 overs) and left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya (three for 43 in 11 overs).Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal fell for a three-ball duck, edging a cut off Fernando to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella in the first over. The left-hander has managed just one fifty in his last eight Test innings.Gill was dismissed cheaply by Jayasuriya for the second time in the match, falling lbw while attempting a sweep. But first-innings centurion Devdutt Padikkal (44, 75b, 6×4) and KL Rahul (35, 47b, 2×4, 2×6) made useful contributions.After Jaiswal’s early dismissal, Padikkal and Rahul added 65 in 87 balls for the second wicket. Using his feet well, Rahul clubbed Jayasuriya for two fine sixes.He also survived a close lbw call off Jayasuriya on 25. The on-field umpire’s decision was overturned on review after ball-tracking showed it would have gone over the stumps. The reprieve did not last long, though, as Rahul holed out off Jayasuriya, with substitute fielder RMMP Rathnayaka taking the catch at deep mid-off.Padikkal then hit sublime drives through extra cover and used the sweep and loft to collect boundaries off Nuwantha.
