M. Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara — India’s bulwark for many years — chose the old-fashioned method of grafting for runs and put Sri Lanka on the backfoot in the second Test here.
After the wonderful work done by their bowling department that gave ample time to build the innings, Vijay and Pujara joined forces to extend their overnight second-wicket stand to 209 runs.
At stumps on Saturday, India was 312 for two wickets, 107 ahead. The host added 127 in the post-tea session.
There was a sense of anxiety when Vijay walked out with K.L. Rahul in the last session on Friday and took guard.
Vijay — sidelined for a wrist century and an extended period of rehabilitation — returned to the ranks after eight months. The selectors and team management were keen to see him get into the groove quickly before the exacting tour of South Africa.
And twenty minutes to tea, Vijay — after putting up a gritty show for close to quarter of an hour over five hours — reached his tenth century with a single pushing off-spinner Dilruwan Perera to mid-off.
The right-hander proved in many ways that neither his skill nor temperament has diminished.
The Tamil Nadu opener’s stubbornness and Pujara’s patience kept skipper Virat Kohli waiting in the dressing room for five minutes short of five hours.
Vijay played some exquisite shots on the off and straight, and he also stepped down the pitch to lift left-arm spinner Rangana Herath over long off for a six.
He also had slices of luck in the first session when Sadeera Samarawickrama missed a sharp chance at short-leg and almost ran himself out in the 17th over of the innings.
Then, in the 45th over, Perera at short mid-on failed to latch on to a chance, getting into body contact with Pujara. Vijay eventually offered a straightforward catch to Perera, sweeping a full toss from Herath. The opener is expected to amend his ways for the challenging times ahead.
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal made twelve bowling changes in the first two sessions, but he could separate the second-wicket pair only in the third session.
Pujara’s 14th century
Vijay’s partner in many big partnerships took a little longer to reach his 14th century, his fourth against Sri Lanka.
Using his soft hands, Pujara handled the spinners deftly. There was a moment during his innings when he edged Herath into the hands of Angelo Mathews at slip. Otherwise, his shot selection and execution were almost flawless and crisp.
Loud cheers rang out as Virat Kohli stepped out 35 minutes after tea. The India skipper swung into action immediately with a flurry of shots against the spinners and seamers, especially after the second new ball was claimed after 237 runs had been scored of the first in 80.1 overs.
Pujara went past 1000 runs in the calendar year and Kohli raced to his 15th half-century. As the weary Sri Lankans trooped off the field, off-spinner Perera’s analysis of 19-0-105-0 said it all.
