India Vs Srilanka 1st Test Match- 19th Nov. 2017 - 5th Day Video Highlights

VISITORS ESCAPE WITH A DRAW

The first Test between India and Sri Lanka at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens ended in a thrilling draw, with the hosts almost sealing an unlikely win. Resuming at 171/1, India set Sri Lanka a target of 231 -- courtesy Virat Kohli’s 50th international ton. In reply, the visitors were blown away by an outstanding spell of bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar but bad light played spoilsport as the match ended in a draw. Get highlights of India vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test Day 5, Kolkata, here. 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Man of the Match): “Frankly speaking, it was tougher to bowl in the second innings as the surface was a lot drier,” he says. “But the ball was reversing, so that helped. When I made my debut, I was totally dependent on swing. International circuit tells you what you need to improve on. I worked hard on my fitness and that is paying off. We believed we could win. Virat said ‘Imagine we’re in this situation overseas. If we get two-three wickets early, it won’t be easy for them.”

Virat Kohli: “It was important to make something out of the game with whatever time we had. Conditions changed drastically over the five days. We had to show character, having been on the backfoot on day one and day two. Credit to Sri Lanka. The team showed a lot of character. We didn’t look at the batting collapse. We believed in our strengths. If you didn’t have intent on this wicket, it would’ve been difficult to survive. That was the key. If we got enough good balls in the right areas, it would’ve been tough. All in all, we’re proud of how we finished. Bhuvneshwar is a massive contender to start in every Test for India, he’ll be a vital part of our plans, especially overseas.”

Dinesh Chandimal: “In these kind of conditions, toss was crucial. We fought hard and competed well. Till the last session, we fought well and played as a team. Unfortunately, the last 10-15 overs brought a lot of pressure but we played good cricket and competed well. Lakmal is unbelievable, especially over the last one or two years. He’s one who you can trust as a captain.”

India Vs Srilanka 1st Test Match- 19th Nov. 2017 - 4th Day Video Highlights

Indian Openers turn the tables around 

1st Test: India vs Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Nov 16 - 20, 2017, Cricket highlights

The day that began with Sri Lanka on the top, ended with India getting slightly ahead of the visitors. After conceding a lead of 122 runs, the Indian openers came out to bat with a positive intent, as they quickly wiped out the deficit and pushed their team into a lead. While KL Rahul was the aggressor during the start of the innings, Shikhar Dhawan overtook his partner in the latter part of their 166-run partnership as he scored a brisk 94 off just 116 balls. He missed out on a well-deserved hundred, but the kind of innings he played took the match away from the Sri Lankans.

Also with the pitch wearing out, there was not much assistance either for the fast bowlers or the spinners. Dinesh Chandimal tried all his bowling options, but none of them was effective. They also missed Suranga Lakmal with the new ball, who was out of the attack because of a slight niggle. The medium pace Sri Lankan bowling attack didn’t trouble the Indian openers much and when the spinners came on, both Rahul and Dhawan batted aggressively, which didn't allow them to settle down. Dhawan, especially, took the attack to Rangana Herath as he made good use of his feet to smash the left-arm spinner for a couple of huge hits. He also played the sweep shot really well and didn’t miss out on any boundary scoring opportunities. Sri Lanka also used up both their reviews in order to get Dhawan out, but were unsuccessful on each occasion.

Dhawan’s partner, KL Rahul, looked in fluent touch for the first 40 runs he scored. But as his innings progressed, he looked a bit dodgy and in the process, played and missed a few deliveries. However, he didn’t throw his wicket away and at Stumps, remained unbeaten on 71.

India, because of that huge opening partnership, have been able to take a slender lead of 49 runs. But the important thing is that they have lost just one wicket.