Kolkata: Cheteshwar Pujara showed his class once again as he fought a lone battle with an unbeaten 47 as Sri continued to pile up pressure on the Indians on Day 2 which ended due to the poor weather conditions at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday.
The abrupt end of the second day meant that a total of 147 overs have been lost in this match and if the weather improves, then only a result is likely. Otherwise, Sri Lanka have been performing as a very different team that was beaten by India few months ago.
On the first day it was Suranga Lakmal who single-handedly destroyed India’s top-order with three wickets and Dasun Shanaka just carried on from there on Day 2 as he sent back Ajinkya Rahane (4) and Ravichandran Ashwin (4) to pile up more pressure on India, reducing them to 74/5.
If the opposition bowlers have dominated, then Pujara’s stay at the crease so far has given an example of patience, temperament and class. It’s not that he didn’t play his shots but the way he has left the ball has been really impressive.
He is now accompanied by wicketkeeper batsman and local boy Wriddhiman Saha who knows a thing or two about batting at the Eden Gardens. These two need to stay as long as they can at the crease so that India reaches to a comfortable position.
Brief scores- India 74/5 (Cheteshwar Pujara 47 n.o, Shikhar Dhawan 8; Suranga Lakmal 5/3) vs Sri Lanka