IND 28/2 | Live Cricket Score, India vs Sri Lanka 2015, 1st Test at Galle, Day 1: Rohit Sharma departs

IND 28/2 | Live Cricket Score, India vs Sri Lanka 2015, 1st Test at Galle, Day 1: Rohit Sharma departs

Hello everyone and a very warm, overcast welcome to the CricketCountry’s coverage of the first day of the three-Test series between India and Sri Lanka from the Galle International Stadium, Colombo. This is Nikhil Popat and I will be bringing to you all the updates from the game. IF rain permits we hope to get a good Test series in, with both teams in their rebuilding phase. India are coming off a drawn Test series in Bangladesh and will want to get their act together to win more games as insisted by their Team Director, Ravi Shastri. Sri Lanka will hope to give a fitting farewell to the legendary Kumar Sangakkara who retires after playing the first Two Tests. Will they be successful or will Virat Kohli‘s India surprise one and all by playing their aggressive brand of cricket with good results? Catch all the live cricket scores and updates from Day 1, India vs Sri Lanka 2015, 1st Test at Galle here. Catch live cricket score and ball-by-ball updates from India vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test at Galle

Live cricket score India 28/2 | Overs 10 | Trail by 155 runs| Batting: Virat Kohli 0(3), Shikhar Dhawan 9(27) | The Sri Lankan bowlers are not quite giving away easy runs, Dhawan though has looked good so far and will want to continue to bat nicely. Rohit Sharma has left the ball well so far. Angelo Mathews brings himself on. Prasad then traps Rohit in front but he had overstepped a long way. Mathews though traps him in front in the very next over. OUT! Rohit Sharma lbw 9(24)

Live cricket score India 14/1 | Overs 3 | Trail by 169 runs| Batting: Rohit Sharma 0(0), Shikhar Dhawan 5(11) | Dhammika strikes for Sri Lanka, he gets KL Rahul trapped right in front of the stumps. That is pretty much plumb. Rohit Sharma comes out to bat at number three. OUT! KL Rahul lbw Prasad 7(7)

Live cricket score India 6/0 | Overs 2 | Trail by 179 runs| Batting: KL Rahul 2(4), Shikhar Dhawan 4(8) | The two Indian openers are out to bat as Dhammika Prasad opens the bowling for Sri Lanka. Rahul gets off the mark with a tuck down to fine leg. Dhawan plays and misses at a few as he looks to put bat to ball. Nuwan Pradeep bowls from the other end. Dhawan gets off the mark with a superb spanking drive through covers.

TEA – Session India! India have comeback superbly after the stand between Angelo Mathews (64) and Dinesh Chandimal (59) looked to take the game away from India. It was Ashwin who took 6 for 46 and was the best bowler. Amit Mishra chipped in with two for 20 to help India bowl out Sri Lanka for 183.

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 183 | Overs 49 | Batting: Nuwan Pradeep 0(1)| India take the last three wickets well. A Mishra strikes as Chandimal looks to go big but gets an edge to Rahane at first slip. Mishra then takes another one as he gets Kaushal to edge ont to Rohit at short leg for a simple catch.  OUT! D Chandimal c Rahane b Mishra 59(77) OUT! Tharindu Kaushal c Rohit b Mishra 0(1) OUT! Rangana Herath b Ashwin 23(24)

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 155/7 | Overs 44 | Batting: Dinesh Chandimal 55(66), Rangana Herath 0(3) | R Ashwin takes his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests as Dinesh Chandimal brings up his 8th Test fifty as he hits Varun Aaron for as many as four fours in an over. OUT! Dhammika Prasad lbw Ashwin 0 (6)

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 139/6 | Overs 42 | Batting: Dinesh Chandimal 39(60), Dhammika Prasad 0(3) | Angelo Mathews had a couple of nervy moments and he finally departs as Rohit Sharma takes a blinder at short leg, Mathews was looking to turn it through the on side, he grabbed at it at first and then leaped to take the catch diving forward to catch the rebound. OUT! Angelo Mathews c Rohit b Ashwin 64(92)

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 109/5 | Overs 37 | Batting: Dinesh Chandimal 28(49), Angelo Mathews 45(76) | Angelo Mathews now is looking set and anchoring the innings here as Chandimal looks for the boundaries. Varun Aaron comes on to bowl for India as India look for the wicket, Chandimal is starting to open up now.

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 90/5 | Overs 30 | Batting: Dinesh Chandimal 13(26), Angelo Mathews 41(57) | India are creating chances but not quite getting the wickets to back it up while Angelo Mathews is playing fine as ever. India will want to come back with a few wickets but for now they will wish to break this stand.

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 70/5 | Overs 25 | Batting: Dinesh Chandimal 8(15), Angelo Mathews 27(37) | Harbhajan Singh comes on to bowl after the lunch break. Ishant Sharma bowls from the other end as India look to press on the advantage and keep taking wickets. Wriddhiman Saha drops a sitter of a catch, it was a regulation catch and Saha should have gobbled that. India have not been at their best in the field so far.

LUNCH! Session – India! A fantastic session for India, they were asked to bowl first and the new ball bowlers dismissed the two openers after Dhawan dropped a simple chance. Ashwin was brought on early and he struck gold as he dismissed Kumar Sangakkara. Just before lunch, Ashwin came back to dismiss Thirimanne to put the hosts under pressure which was further worsened by the wicket of Mubarak to leave them reeling at 65 for five. They will hope to continue taking wickets after the first session. Join us in a while for the rest of the day’s play.

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 65/5 | Overs 23 | Batting: Dinesh Chandimal 5(9), Angelo Mathews 26(30) | Mishra has not quite been at his best so far. Ashwin though continues to take wickets at the other hand. He gets Jehan to push hard at one and KL Rahul takes a good catch at short leg. Dinesh Chandimal comes out to bat and gets going with a sweep shot first up for a boundary. OUT! J Mubarak c Rahul b Ashwin 0(7)

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 54/4 | Overs 20 | Batting: Jehan Mubarak 0(2), Angelo Mathews 19(24) | Ashwin has bowled well and now India have brought on the leg-spinner as well. India will ideally wish for one more wicket before the lunch interval which is not far away from now. Ashwin dismissed Thirimanne with a nice leg spinner outside off, Rahane took the catch. OUT! L Thirimanne c Rahane b Ashwin 13(38)

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 38/3 | Overs 15 | Batting: Lahiru Thirimanne 9(23), Angelo Mathews 9(13) | Angelo Mathews is trying to not let Ashwin settle down and is going after him. Varun Aaron comes back on for a bowl replacing Ishant Sharma. India will want to keep taking wickets at regular intervals to keep the pressure on the hosts.

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 27/3 | Overs 12 | Batting: Lahiru Thirimanne 7 (15), Angelo Mathews 0(3) | This has been a good period of play for the visitors. They have kept the pressure on the Sri Lankans, and have caused some severe damage. After the drinks break, Kumar Sangakkara has been caught at silly point off Ravichandran Ashwin in his first over. It was a loose stroke from the batting legend, he gave a dolly to the fielder standing close to him. OUT! Kumar Sangakkara c KL Rahul b Ravichandran Ashwin 5 (12)

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 15/2 | Overs 8 | Batting: Lahiru Thirimanne 0(1), Kumar Sangakkara 3(5) | The Indian bowlers are rewarded for bowling good lines and lengths, Ishant comes round the wicket and gets one to bounce more on Karunaratne who fends at it and gets a top edge which is gobbled by Ajinkya Rahane coming in from gully. First blood for India! And Varun Aaron makes it even better as he gets Silva to mistime his pull and Dhawan dives from first slip to take a good catch towards his right. OUT! D Karunaratne c Rahane b Ishant 9 (19) OUT! K Silva c Dhawan b Aaron 5(24)

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 14/0 | Overs 5 | Batting: Dimuth Karunaratne 8(11), Kaushal Silva 5(20) | Varun Aaron and Ishant have not quite been at their best so far and both the Sri Lankan players are off the mark without any worries. Dhawan drops a simple chance at first slip of K Silva. That really should have been taken. India will hope it does not cost them much.

Live cricket score Sri Lanka 1/0 | Overs 1 | Batting: Dimuth Karunaratne 1(1), Kaushal Silva 0(5) | Three slips in place for Ishant Sharma who runs in with the new nut. There is a delay as the sighscreen is not quite where it should be. We finally get going. Decent start from Ishant who gets good bounce from the first two balls.

Toss: Sri Lanka win the toss and have elected to bat first. India are playing three spinners then, Amit Mishra returns to the squad in the 50th Test match for Angelo Mathews. Not sure if leaving out Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav for Varun Aaron is the right call. The Indian skipper has already signaled his intents. Let’s see how things turn out for them.

Teams:

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews(c), Dinesh Chandimal(wk), Jehan Mubarak, Rangana Herath, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep, T Kaushal.

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma.

Pitch report: Jonty Rhodes reckons it is a bat first wicket. He thinks the pitch might dry out sooner than expected. The deck is likely to assist spinners.

There has been a lot of rain looking forward to the first Test which is sign of what is to come as well. India will hope the rain stays away and they get to play as much possible. India have not won a series in Sri Lanka since 1993 and this seems to be their best chance of breaking that jinx. Read: India vs Sri Lanka 2015, 1st Test at Galle preview

Sri Lanka on the other hand, led by Angelo Mathews will hope the youngsters step up as they look to learn from their mistakes during the 1-2 loss to Pakistan in whites recently. It will be a tough tour at home for the hosts  as well which makes the contest pretty much even.

Squads:

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (c), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Upul Tharanga, Jehan Mubarak, Kusal Perera, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Tharindu Kaushal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhammika Prasad, Vishwa Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera.

India: Virat Kohli (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Murali Vijay (ruled out of first Test).