India vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test Day 4, Live Cricket Scores

Dominant India eye a big win against Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle. With nine wickets left and only 153 runs needed more, Shikhar Dhawan would want to once again dominate and take his team to a convincing win. The live and latest updates from the match here. (LIVE SCORECARD | NEWS | FIXTURES)

(All Times IST)

10:59: Make no mistake about it. There is immense pressure on India. Herath is bowling like a gem and Pradeep is maintaining an immaculate line and length.

10:54: Stat Fact! Following the wicket of Rohit Sharma, Herath has taken 64 wickets in 13 Tests at Galle. He loves bowling at this venue. Can Sri Lanka pull off the great escape here? Meanwhile, Dhawan survives a close call from Pradeep as the inside edge just misses the leg stump and rolls to fine leg for a boundary.

10:51: And the pressure has reaped rewards for Sri Lanka. Herath on fire. Rohit Sharma b Herath 4 (16).

This is brilliant bowling by Herath. He tosses this ball and it spins away, Rohit plays inside the line of the delivery and the ball clips the off stump. Wonderful stuff from Sri Lanka’s premier spinner.

10:48: Sri Lanka are giving nothing away. This match is evenly poised now. Nuwan Pradeep’s spell so far reads 5-3-2-0 while Herath is plugging away. Rohit Sharma and Dhawan are being put under immense pressure here.

10:37: Umpire Bruce Oxenford has warned Nuwan Pradeep for running onto the danger area of the pitch. Bit harsh, one feels. Replays suggest that Pradeep was just away from the danger zone of the pitch.

10:33: WICKET! Herath strikes first ball and he gets the night-watchman. Ishant Sharma LBW Herath 10(23).

Herath tosses the delivery up and Ishant strides forward to defend. However, the ball zips through and hits him on the front pad. The umpire had no hesitation in raising the finger. Enter Rohit Sharma.

10:30: It is tough going out there for India although they have not lost any wickets. Pradeep is bowling a disciplined line and is making life difficult, especially for Dhawan. Ishant is being peppered by some short-pitched bowling but he is playing them comfortably. India 30/1, needing 146 runs more for victory.

10:09: Superb over from Pradeep comes to an end. He should have gotten the wicket of Ishant but his four balls to Dhawan were outstanding. He beat Dhawan with a legcutter, then forced a dangerous leave with the inducker, once again beat the bat of Dhawan with a delivery angled in and finished with the ball on the off stump corridor. Great stuff.

10:06: DROPPED! Not a great start for Sri Lanka and Ishant gets a life. Nuwan Pradeep bowls a full ball and lures Ishant into the drive, he goes after it and the edge flies to second slip but is dropped by Lahiru Thirimanne. Pradeep follows it up next ball with an absolute beauty of a legcutter that beats Dhawan.

10:01: Dhammika Prasad will start off proceedings on day four with two slips and a gully. He is also suffering an injury to his left arm after he was hit by a Varun Aaron bouncer on day three. On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan, who is also nursing a hand injury after he dropped Kaushal Silva on the first day, will be aiming to guide India through.

9:30: Here is wishing the Indian team Happy Independence Day.

#TeamIndia#जयहिन्द@imVkohli@SDhawan25@klrahul11@ImRo45@ajinkyarahane88@ashwinravi99@harbhajan_singhhttps://t.co/nNuCsA50xH

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 15, 2015

9.10 AM: India have a tricky chase ahead and a lot will depend on first innings centurions Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli. But could India’s Independence Day inspire the young team? This should be a cracking contest and there will most likely be a result, unless weather plays truant.

#TeamIndia Captain @imVkohli and director Ravi Shastri unfurl the Tricolour #JaiHindpic.twitter.com/UgYqvybCVb

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 15, 2015

8.30 AM No team has ever chased as many as 176 in Galle to win a Test match before. Therefore, India are in pursuit of a record. The highest successful target achieved here happens to be 99 by Sri Lanka vs Pakistan in 2014

Shikhar Dhawan will be key when India resume a tricky chase on Saturday

© AFP

India have dominated proceedings for most parts of the Test and were expected to seal a win by Friday itself – the third day of the Test. Dinesh Chandimal though led Sri Lanka’s resilience and slammed a commanding 162* under tough conditions. His partnership of 125 with Lahiru Thirimanne for the sixth wicket was the highlight of Day 3 with even former India cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar applauding the positive attitude of the hosts. “Give credit where its due. Sri Lanka showed positive intent and it was great to see them bat the way they did,” Gavaskar told NDTV.

Statistical Highs on Day 3:

Chandimal’s 162 is the second best score by a Sri Lankan wicketkeeper in the second innings of a Test. Kumar Sangakkara holds the record for the best with 185 vs Pakistan in 2006 in Colmbo. Chandimal now has four Test tons and is the second-highest in the list of Sri Lankan wicketkeepers with Test centuries – after Sangakkara (7). Interestingly, his previous three were all against Bangladesh.

Credit though was also once again due to the Indians on the field. While Ravichandran Ashwin claimed four wickets in the 2nd innings to finish with 10 from the Test, Ajinkya Rahane took eight catches in the match to enter the record books.

It was just a continuation of how the Indians have dictated terms to Sri Lanka through the match. Such has been the dominant nature that despite Chandimal’s stoic resistance, his team only has a miniscule chance of turning the tide. Can Ranagane Herath spin a spin web around India or will the likes of Dhawan and Virat Kohli once again bat up a storm at the Galle International Stadium?