Devdutt Padikkal’s purple patch continues. Dropped first ball and then on 1, India’s new No. 3 has barely given a sniff to the Sri Lankans after that. When things go your way, you get the rub of the green.
Dropped catches are part of the game. The challenge for a batsman is not to allow them to affect his composure. In terms of his mental makeup, Padikkal looks every bit a Test cricketer, cut out for the long-form. His reworked technique has added meat to his batting.
Slowly but surely he has been wearing down the Sri Lankan attack. At the other end, Shubman Gill was making Test batting look easy until he wafted at an Asitha Fernando delivery outside off and was out caught behind. The bowling change worked for the hosts.
The India captain made 50 off 108 balls and added 120 runs with Padikkal for the third wicket. The association forced Sri Lanka to change their plan and go on the defensive. But Gill’s wicket on the stroke of lunch has opened the game again.
Rishabh Pant survived a confident leg-before shout against Fernando first ball. The angle saved him. India went to tea on 187/3, with Padikkal batting on 63 off 117 balls.
Tea scores: India 187/3 (Devdutt Padikkal 63, Shubman Gill 50; Asitha Fernando 2/34) vs Sri Lanka
For More Exciting Articles: Follow RevSportz
The post Gill falls on the stroke of tea appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
