India in winning position in 2nd test after enforcing follow on against Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — India put itself in a winning position in the second cricket test on Wednesday by restricting Sri Lanka in its second innings after enforcing the follow on.

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.

“We will try to score as many runs as we can while protecting the remaining wickets. It’s not easy but that’s what we will try do,” Sonal Dinusha, who is 7 not out, told reporters.

“Even by tea we were in a good position but after that we lost three quick wickets and fell back.”

Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis scored fighting half-centuries and at one time appeared set to erase the big deficit and build a challenging target for India to chase.

Sri Lanka was immediately in trouble in its second innings, losing its first wicket when opener Lahiru Udara tried to hook fast bowler Mohammed Siraj and was caught at square leg for five.

Kamil Mishara was trapped lbw for 32 by left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, ending a 58-run second-wicket stand with Sooriyabandara.

Sri Lanka reached lunch at 83-2, still 130 behind, but scored 116 runs in the middle session losing only one wicket.

Sooriyabandara and Mendis swept the spinners for boundaries and stepped out and drove them through mid-on and mid-off to keep pace with the runs needed to erase the deficit.

Mendis brought up his seventh test half-century by hooking fast bowler Prasidh Krishna for a huge six but one run later attempted to repeat the shot and was caught by Shubman Gill, who ran and took a well-judged high catch.

The pair added 115 runs for the third wicket off 172 deliveries.

Sri Lanka went to tea at 199-3, still well placed to score big, but Indian left-arm spinner Manav Suthar took the important wicket of captain Dhananjaya de Silva quickly in the final session when he tried to play a shot toward midwicket but only managed to edge the ball to his pads for an easy catch to Devdutt Padikkal at slip.

Sooriyabandara, who made 80 in the first innings, looked set for a maiden test century but was stumped by Rishabh Pant off a clever delivery from Suthar, who bowled the ball wide anticipating the batter to advance. In the previous delivery, Sooriyabandara had won an umpire decision review in his favor after being given out lbw for a ball that hit his thigh off the bat.

Sooriyabandara scored 92 off 173 deliveries, hitting a six and 10 boundaries.

Niroshan Dickwella (6) then failed again, trapped lbw by off spinner Saransh Jain.

Suthar took two wickets for India while Siraj, Krishna, Jain, Jadeja took one each.

Earlier in Sri Lanka’s first innings, Krishna and Suthar took three wickets apiece to dismiss Sri Lanka with a 213-run first innings deficit.

Sri Lanka started the day at 265-8 in the first innings with No. 7 batsman Dinusha closing in on a century and just 39 runs away from avoiding the follow on.

But, Jain accounted for the last two wickets.

Dinusha raised his second century of this series in carrying on the form that fetched him 100 and 84 in the first test at Galle, where India won by 165 runs.

Lahiru Kumara, who supported Dinusha by facing 58 deliveries for his 12 runs, was out caught by Druv Jurel off Jain.

Dinusha was to last wicket to fall for 103, caught by KL Rahul off Jain. He faced 162 deliveries and hit three sixes and eight boundaries.

Krishna finished the innings with 3-52 while Suthar took 3-85. Jain had figures 2-69.

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