Jadeja strikes as India close in on Sri Lanka Test victory
Ravindra Jadeja broke a stubborn partnership between Sonal Dinusha and Dhananjaya de Silva as India tightened their grip on the first Test, reducing Sri Lanka to 175 for six at lunch on the fifth and final day on Wednesday.
Chasing 372 for victory, Sri Lanka were still 197 runs short at lunch, with Dinusha unbeaten on 65 and Keshara Nuwantha on eight.
Starting the day at a precarious 84 for four, Sri Lanka looked in danger of folding quickly. However, Dinusha and de Silva, who resumed as the overnight batters, added 95 runs from 202 balls to keep India at bay for more than an hour in the opening session.
The Sri Lankan pair frequently used the sweep to counter India's spinners, much like the Indian batters had done earlier in the match.
Jadeja was India's most effective spinner, extracting appreciable turn and bounce from the surface while bowling with control.
Manav Suthar also looked sharp in his limited spell, while Kuldeep Yadav struggled to extract much from the abrasive pitch and appeared relatively flat.
De Silva reached his half-century from 125 balls before Dinusha followed him to the milestone. Dinusha brought up his fifty in emphatic fashion, slog-sweeping Kuldeep for a six.
Jadeja, however, eventually found a way through de Silva's defence. The left-arm spinner generated extra bounce, prompting de Silva to top-edge a sweep to Suthar at short fine leg.
De Silva was dismissed for 59 off 151 balls, ending the 95-run partnership and giving India a crucial breakthrough.
Niroshan Dickwella, who had played a composed innings in Sri Lanka's first innings, attempted to score quickly but fell to Prasidh Krishna.
Dickwella tried to manufacture a shot over the covers after making room, but edged the delivery through to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
Dinusha and Nuwantha then survived the remaining half-hour of the session to take Sri Lanka to 175 for six at lunch.
