India finished the first day of the second Test on the front foot as they finished 371 for 4 at the Kotla on Day 1. Virat Kohli won the toss and decided to bat first. The openers Shikhar Dhawan (23) and Murali Vijay (155) added a 42 run opening stand with Dhawan starting aggressively. He was strokeful throughout his innings before falling out to a sweep shot being caught at square leg.
See More: Pietersen's tweet on Kohli
Cheteshwar Pujara then joined Murali Vijay at the wicket and played well till he reached23. He was also dismissed by Lahiru Gamage off a strange shot trying to play a fine leg glance. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, were clever on strategizing Pujara’s dismissal as they placed the fine leg fielder very close to him.
Feroz Shah Kotla then welcomed India’s skipper and local boy Virat Kohli into the crease. Kohli did not disappoint the fans on a chilly Saturday morning. He scored his 20th Test century as he went on to stitch a 283 run stand and in the process helped India dominate the day.
See More: Manushi Chillar's admiration for Kohli
Sri Lanka, however, bounced back in the final session trough Lakshan Sandakan, as he picked up two quick wickets in the form of Ajinkya Rahane (1) and Murali Vijay after he scored 155. Vijay cashed in yet again on the given opportunity while for Rahane it was another bad day in the office as he was out stumped.
Ajinkya Rahane who is India’s constant number six in the Indian Test XI, there are some signs of his dip in form. Rahane will be important for the Indian middle order when they travel to South Africa. With Rohit Sharma scoring a century in the third Test at Nagpur Rahane’s place might just be under some threat.
Sri Lanka after two tiring sessions would go into the change room being a happy team as they managed to dismiss two quick Indian wickets in the final session. Lahiru Gamage, Lakshan Sandakan and Dilruwan Perera shared the wickets amongst themselves.
Brief scores
India 371 /4 (Vijay 155, Kohli 156 , Sandakan 2/110, Perera 1/97) vs Sri Lanka
