Left arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja gave India a massive breakthrough to push Sri Lanka further deep in trouble. Kusal, who was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, got off to a stable start in the highly crucial fourth innings of the opening Test at the Galle International Stadium.
The mammoth chase of 550 runs did not start on a bright, not as they found themselves to be reeling at 29/2 in the first session. The two added 79 runs for the 3rd wicket and staged a strong show of resilience after the early blows inflicted by seamers Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav who snapped a wicket each, removing Upul Tharanga and Danushka Gunathilaka respectively.
Both Mendis and Gunathilaka looked very promising. The Lankans just wished two batsmen just batted on and on and create a good probability of snatching a draw. However, the relentless Indian bowling attack proved too much once again after being pushed on the back foot for a brief while after the lunch session.
In the 31st over, off the first delivery, Jadeja produced sharp turn to beat Kusal’s bat but not before getting a nick off his bat. Saha successfully caught and went up with a loud appeal for a caught behind.
Mendis was calm and the umpire’s quick denial made the DRS appeal look bad initially. However, the ultra-edge sensed a spike when the ball went past the outside edge which was enough to deem the right hander out after the delivery was found to fair.
Umpire Rod Tucker reversed the decision and the Lankan was asked to walk back.
The credit for the dismissal should go to Ravindra Jadeja and Saha as much as the DRS. The two looked very confident and convinced Kohli to take the decision. The skipper was sceptic and thought for a long time before going for the review.
Watch the dismissal here:
https://twitter.com/84107010ghwj/status/891205889897746432