Galle | The rampaging Indian bowlers hit a roadblock in Niroshan Dickwella and Sonal Dinusha whose resolute batting carried Sri Lanka to 215 for five at tea on the third day of the first Test here on Monday.
Dickwella (72 batting) and Dinusha (62 batting) added 125 runs for the unbroken sixth wicket stand as Sri Lanka recovered well from the disastrous lunch time score of 99 for five, replying to India's first innings total of 462 all out.
The home side is still trailing by 247 runs.
Unlike their top-order colleagues, Dickwella and Dinusha were not in a hurry, showing a lot of judiciousness in shot selection on a still good to bat pitch.
Sweep was a preferred mode of scoring for both the batters against Indian spinners led by Manav Suthar, and they displayed good skills from dispatching the balls from the stump line.
Dickwella, whose selection kicked up a lot of furore in local cricketing circles, reached his 50 off 67 balls, while younger partner was much slower in reaching the little landmark in 92 balls.
They milked 116 runs in the middle session without losing a wicket, displaying remarkable temperament and adequate technique.
But the same cannot be said about the other batters in the Lankan top-order, who played with hard hands and drove away from body to get caught in awkward positions.
In the first session, the Indian bowlers led by left-arm spinner Suthar discovered immaculate lines to tear through the Sri Lankan top-order.
India resumed from overnight 460 for 9, and added only a couple of runs to finish their first essay on 462.
The Lankans needed a solid start for a strong pursuit of that total.
Lead pacer Mohammad Siraj struck with his second delivery of the innings to deal an early jolt to the Lankans.
Nishan Fernando, who was impressive for SLC XI in the warm-up match, could not handle Siraj's away swing and bounce, snicking him to Devdutt Padikkal at first slip.
At 0/1, the Lankans were on the back foot immediately, and their lot never really improved in the subsequent overs.
Suthar was at the forefront of the tormentors gang, generating lovely flight, dip and turn to trouble the batters no end.
Suthar got into the act with his very first delivery, finding a faint outside edge from veteran Dinesh Chandimal, which nestled in the safe palms of Rishabh Pant.
Lahiru Udara and Kamindu Mendis, two batters averaging over 50 in Test cricket, looked solid, and the latter even clattered Prasidh Krishna for a pulled six.
Udara also appeared not much troubled as he pulled and cut Suthar for a couple of boundaries.
But Suthar fetched the breakthrough eventually, as Udara's feeble swish off him went straight to Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully. Suthar was exceptional as he found turn consistently bowling above 85 kmph.
Mendis would count himself a bit unlucky as an uppish push off Kuldeep Yadav stuck in the stretched hands of a diving Shubman Gill.
Ravindra Jadeja too found himself in the wicket-takers' list with the scalp of Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (21), who feathered the left-arm spinner to KL Rahul at slip.
Scoreboard at tea on Day 3 of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka here on Monday.
India 1st Innings: 462 in 116.4 overs.
Sri Lanka 1st Innings:
Nishan Fernando c Padikkal b Mohammed Siraj 0
Lahiru Udara c Jaiswal b Suthar 27
Dinesh Chandimal c Pant b Suthar 4
Kamindu Mendis c Shubman Gill b Kuldeep Yadav 14
Dhananjaya de Silva c Rahul b Jadeja 21 Sonal Dinusha batting 62
Niroshan Dickwella batting 72
Extras: (B-8, LB-2, NB-3, W-1) 15
Total (For 5 wkts, 57 overs) 215
Fall of wkts: 1-0, 2-27, 3-53, 4-59, 5-90.
Bowling: Mohammed Siraj 9-3-29-1, Prasidh Krishna 9-0-36-0, Manav Suthar 15-1-53-2, Kuldeep Yadav 12-0-51-1, Ravindra Jadeja 12-1-36-1.