India reached 292 for eight in their first innings when steady drizzle stopped the proceedings with 12.3 overs still left on day two of third Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
When rain stopped play, opener Cheteshwar Pujara, who battled through to his seventh test hundred, was batting in company of Ishant Sharma, who was not out on 2 as the Indian innings was in its 96th over (95.3 overs). Right-hand batsman Pujara, who was carrying the team on his back through the day, was 135 not out as they stopped playing due to rain.
Following are statistical highlights of the second day’s play:
- Virat Kohli took his tally of runs in this series to 212 runs at an average of 42.40 in five innings to become the second Indian captain to manage 200 runs or more in a Test series in Sri Lanka. Sachin Tendulkar had amassed 290 runs at an average of 96.66 in three innings in 1997, including two hundreds.
- In seven consecutive innings Indian opening pairs are without a partnership of 50 or more vs. Sri Lanka.
- Cheteshwar Pujara and Amit Mishra were involved in a stand of 104 — India’s highest eighth wicket partnership vs. Sri Lanka in Tests, surpassing the 70 between Kapil Dev and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan at Colombo (PSS) in 1985.
- Pujara (134 not out) has become the third Indian opening player to score a century vs. Sri Lanka in Tests at Colombo (SSC). His innings is now the second highest by an Indian opener behind the 143 by Sadagoppan Ramesh in February 1999. Navjot Singh Sidhu had managed 104 in July 1993.
- Dhammika Prasad (4/83) has recorded his second best bowling performance vs. India next only to the 4 for 43 in the second Test of the current series.
- Naman Ojha and Pujara were involved in a stand of 54 — India’s second highest for the sixth wicket at Colombo, SSC next only to the 95 between Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in July 2010.
