Sri Lanka vs India 2nd Test: Sooriyabandara 80 Leaves Hosts 38 From Safety

Sri Lanka closed the third day 38 runs short of safety. They were 265 for 8 at stumps in the Sri Lanka vs India 2nd Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, still 238 behind India's first innings of 503 for 9 declared. Rain took the closing part of the day. Two wickets now stand between the hosts and the follow-on.

Pasindu Sooriyabandara made 80 from 133 balls and held the innings together through the middle of the day. Ravindra Jadeja ended it. Prasidh Krishna and Manav Suthar shared six wickets between them, according to ESPNcricinfo. India have two full days left to take ten more.

Sooriyabandara holds the middle order together

Sooriyabandara batted close to three hours for his 80. He added 87 with Kamindu Mendis. That was the one stand of real length in the innings, and the ICC match report credits it with keeping Sri Lanka in touch through the afternoon. Jadeja found the inside edge to break it, according to Eastern Herald.

The lower order then did more than hold. Sri Lanka were seven down and 298 behind during the afternoon, per Eastern Herald. They added 60 more before rain ended the day.

Padikkal and Jurel build the 503

India declared on 503 for 9. Devdutt Padikkal made 117 and Dhruv Jurel finished unbeaten on 115. Rishabh Pant contributed 63. Asitha Fernando took 4 for 106, the best figures of the innings, per the ICC report. Nine wickets was as far as Sri Lanka got before the declaration came. The match counts toward the World Test Championship.

The arithmetic before day four

The numbers going into Wednesday are simple enough to state.

• India first innings: 503 for 9 declared
• Sri Lanka at stumps on day three: 265 for 8
• Deficit: 238
• Follow-on mark: 303, which is 200 behind India
• Runs still needed to avoid it: 38, with two wickets left

Law 14.1.1 sets the follow-on margin at 200 runs for a match of five days or more. India will have the choice if Sri Lanka are dismissed before reaching 303. Whether they take it is another matter. Eastern Herald reported a 92 percent chance of rain across the sessions ahead, and a captain who enforces gives his seamers no rest.

Three sanctions inside three days

The ICC has sanctioned three players in three days at this ground.

• Yashasvi Jaiswal of India and Asitha Fernando of Sri Lanka were fined for an incident on the opening day, after physical contact between the pair when Fernando dismissed Jaiswal
• Prabath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka received an official reprimand and one demerit point for a breach of Article 2.2, which covers abuse of cricket equipment

Jayasuriya struck the boundary wedges with his bat after being dismissed by the last ball of Monday. Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees handled the case. The player admitted the breach and accepted the sanction, so no hearing was needed. It was his first offence in a 24 month period.

Two days remain. Sri Lanka need 38 runs and some weather.