Sri Lanka vs India 2nd Test live win probability: Sonal Dinusha, Keshara Nuwantha keep India at bay

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Sri Lanka vs India 2nd Test live win probability: Sonal Dinusha, Keshara Nuwantha keep India at bay

The India-Sri Lanka series shifts venues for its decider, moving from Galle’s spin-friendly track to the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, which is a ground known for offering a very different kind of contest.

Batting first has historically paid off at this venue, with teams regularly posting big totals early in matches, which makes Wednesday’s toss potentially decisive.

Rain looms as a genuine concern too, with forecasts suggesting interruptions across all five days, while Colombo’s heat is expected to sap energy from the bowling attacks. Spin has still had the upper hand recently, as spinners have picked up 45 wickets across the last three Tests here, compared to 35 for the pacers.

India arrive full of confidence following their commanding 165-run win in the series opener. Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, and Manav Suthar were the standout contributors in Galle. They will fancy their chances of completing a 2-0 sweep, a result that would also strengthen their push toward the 2027 World Test Championship final.

Sri Lanka vs India 2nd Test: Toss result & live updates

Day 5 updates

No success for India in the opening session of the last day. Youngsters Sonal Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha have kept Sri Lanka alive in the contest, taking their partnership to over 100 and stretching the lead to 116 runs.

Sri Lanka are hanging on for their life in the opening session. It has been another defiant innings by Sonal Dinusha. He brings up his 50 to help Sri Lanka to 316/6 in 97 overs, with the lead now stretching to 97 runs.

Day 4 updates

At Stumps: Sri Lanka lead by 16 runs

Umpires decide to end the day’s play with the rain impacting the end of session three. India will aim to pick up the remaining four wickets early on the final day and chase down the total. The hosts need a miracle to save this game. They finish the day on 229/6.

The covers are on as the players rush back to the pavilion. Sri Lanka’s fate currently hangs on a thread as they have only a 16-run lead and four wickets left.

Sri Lanka lose three wickets in quick succession in the third session as India are now very close to seal a comfortable win.

Sri Lanka lost Kamindu Mendis, and they immediately changed their approach. Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Dhananjaya de Silva have gone into complete lockdown mode, grinding out 21 off 77 deliveries to ensure they reach tea unscathed.

After that outrageous no-look six against Suthar, Sooriyabandara has barely looked for boundaries, managing only seven runs in his last 44 balls. But Sri Lanka won’t care about the strike rate. He is still standing tall on 90, anchoring the fightback and keeping this match wide open.

Sri Lanka will take plenty of heart from this passage of play. Pasindu & Kmaindu are taking on Indian bowlers and are scoring at close to 4 RPO. From the bowler’s end, the tactic is clear: target the rough outside Pasindu’s leg stump and dare him to keep sweeping.

At the other end, Kamindu had been ticking along and is closing in on his half-century. He charged down the track to loft Suthar straight back over his head for a crisp maximum, then sensibly chipped a single down to long-on to keep the strike moving. They are eating up the deficit quickly.

India are eight wickets away from wrapping this up, while Sri Lanka still trail by 130 to make the visitors bat a second time. The surface isn’t misbehaving wildly, but there’s just enough bite in it to keep every batter on edge.

The key figure for Sri Lanka is 111.4, which is the total overs India’s attack has bowled over the last couple of days. If the hosts can stitch together a couple of stubborn stands here, tired legs might finally start catching up with the bowlers.

Pasindu Sooriyabandara has looked sharp once again, currently unbeaten on 35. At the other end, Kamindu Mendis is desperate to sign off from a quiet series with a substantial knock. Plenty of pride on the line for this batting group.

We’ll be right back with the afternoon session shortly.

Sri Lanka couldn’t dodge the follow-on after all. Dinusha edged one off Manav Suthar, and KL Rahul made no mistake, pouching a clean catch in the slips to wrap things up.

With that wicket, India wasted no time telling the hosts to pad up again. They’ve enforced the follow-on, sending Sri Lanka straight back out to the middle.

Sonal Dinusha reaches his century with a smacking boundary off Prasidh Krishna! SL still need 21 more to avoid a follow-on.

Day 3 updates

Sri Lanka lost six wickets as Manav Suthar and Prasidh Krishna ran through the hosts batting lineup. The duo of Dinusha and Kumara remain unbeaten at the end of Day 3 with the all-rounder once again becoming Sri Lanka’s saviour.

Suthar looks for his back-to-back five-wicket hauls while Dinusha looks to be a centurion once again.

Sri Lanka are still 87 runs short of avoiding a follow-on as India continue to enjoy the upper hand.

Sri Lanka lose their sixth wicket

Pasindu departs for 80 runs after a brilliant knock as Sri Lanka are now staring at follow-on.

After the setback at the end of Day 2, the hosts show great fight in the first session as the cross the 100-run mark.

Sri Lanka resume fight to save the match

The hosts were in trouble at the end of Day 2 of the series decider in Colombo. Sri Lankan batters will hope to bat all through day 3 to stand a chance of saving the game.

Day 2 updates

A bit of drama to close out a rain-hit Day 2. Dhruv Jurel’s gritty hundred pushed India past the 500-run mark before the skipper called the declaration. Play had already lost a solid two hours to bad weather earlier, and the rain returned to eat into Sri Lanka’s reply as well.

When they did get on the park, Prasidh Krishna and Manav Suthar ripped through with a wicket apiece, leaving the hosts reeling at 8/2 before stumps.

It took a tense 22 deliveries to move from 99 to three figures, but Dhruv Jurel finally got across the line to seal his second Test hundred. In the end, he didn’t need anything flashy, just a firm push to mid-off that kicked up off the deck, giving him just enough daylight to scramble through.

He still had to put in a full-stretch dive to make his ground, and a direct hit might’ve made it tight. The throw missed, though, and Jurel could finally exhale. India declare at 503.

A quick drizzle forced India to take an early tea as the covers came down to cover the pitch. Sri Lanka controlled the runs this innings, with Mohammad Siraj leaving it to Jurel to take the shots.

Back from lunch, the hosts were able to remove the explosive Pant and Manav Suthar in quick succession to bring some respite to Sri Lanka. Jurel, meanwhile, continues to hold India’s innings, batting at 81* and looking for his second international ton.

Lunch on Day 2: India are 419/6

With Jurel and Pant both dominating the Sri Lankan pace attack, the hosts would look for their spinners to bring the swing on the old ball. The duo quickly put on a 100-run partnership, with Jurel scoring his second 50 of the series.

Meanwhile, his batting companion would be looking for that elusive 9th century as a keeper to go clear of England’s Les Ames.

Twin half-centuries from Jurel and a returning Rishabh Pant have allowed the visitors to breach the 400-run mark. Pant, in particular, has played with his characteristic gusto, bagging his second 50+ score of the series while his batting companion Jurel is matching his play stroke by stroke.

Sri Lanka gets an early breakthrough on day 2 as Asitha Fernando bags his fourth wicket by dismissing Saransh Jain. The debutant tried to go for a flick, but the ball pops up on his left and lands straight at Kamil Mishara at the gully.

Day 1 updates

India ends day 1 with 300 runs on the board and half their batters back to the dressing room. Asitha Fernando remained the dominant bowler for the hosts taking three scalps including Gill and Jaiswal.

Sri Lanka would hope to quickly dismiss the visitors come day 2.

Padikkal’s marathon stay finally ended on 117 from 193 balls, bowled by Keshara Nuwantha in the over before the second new ball became available. It was a soft way to go; the left-hander pushed back rather than forward to a quicker, flatter delivery that gripped, turned past the outside edge and crashed into the off stump.

Jadeja and Padikkal have picked up where Pant left off, ticking the score along without any alarms. The left-hander reached his second Test century in the space of a week, getting there off 168 balls with a single eased down to long-on, and celebrated by removing his helmet to acknowledge the dressing room.

He had moved into the nineties in style, backing away to hammer Jayasuriya through cover before flashing another cut through the same region. Sri Lanka’s bowlers, already warned once for a slow over rate, are running out of ideas in the Colombo heat.

Rishabh Pant has been forced to leave the pitch after being hit on his left forearm. The Indian wicketkeeper was visibly in pain as he walked off the pitch. Pant’s misfortune with injuries continues.

Padikkal got a huge reprieve off the very first ball, but since then he has looked like a man on a mission. He has brought up his 50 with a well-timed drive wide of cover. It started as a call for a double before he looked up and saw it had raced away to the rope.

At the other end, Shubman Gill has notched up his half-century as well. But a reckless shot at a ball outside off stump and he has to walk back.

So far so good for India. Gill and Padikkal have been playing risk-free cricket and yet managing to get the runs. The half-century partnership arrived off 96 balls. The pitch still has a bit of spice for the quicks, but they’ve hardly bowled. The sweltering heat in Colombo probably isn’t helping.

Lunch on day one – India: 88/2

A couple of wickets down, a couple of catches down, and a helmet-butt from Jaiswal, and it was an eventful morning session. India are still scoring above 3.5 rpo, but Gill & Padikkal would be cautious when they come out in the second session.

A watchful beginning by the home side. The Sri Lankan fast bowlers are posing tough questions up front, and both KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal have had uncomfortable moments with the ball darting sharply back off the seam.

Toss: India won the toss and will bat first.

Sri Lanka vs India 2nd Test: Predicted playing XI

India predicted playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Sri Lanka predicted playing XI: Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva(c), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella(w), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando