Colombo, Aug 25 (IANS) India are hopeful that Rishabh Pant will recover from a bruised shoulder and resume wicketkeeping on the fourth day of the second Test against Sri Lanka, bowling coach Morne Morkel said, as the visitors weigh whether to enforce the follow-on, with weather also a major factor in Colombo.
Pant, who had earlier retired hurt with a wrist injury while batting, returned to the crease but was struck on the shoulder by a couple of short deliveries. Morkel said the team would assess him overnight before deciding on his availability behind the stumps.
“Rishabh obviously got hit on the shoulder. I think that it was discussed last night,” Morkel said. “It is quite badly bruised. I think he was just a little bit restricted in his movement this morning when he tried to warm up. I think they’ll keep on monitoring him now overnight, and hopefully, he’ll be behind the stumps for us tomorrow. I think it’s important to have him there. His reading of the game is exceptional.”
India were in a strong position at the end of the third day, but the Sri Lanka lower-order saved the visitors from having complete control. The hosts need another 39 runs to avoid the follow-on, and Sonal Dinusha is not out on 85, in a ninth-wicket partnership that has already lasted more than 15 overs.
India have bowled only 222 overs in the first three days, so the weather will play a part in their decision to ask Sri Lanka to bat again.
India’s immediate focus will be to wrap up the Sri Lankan innings quickly before taking a call, Morkel said.
“That will be the first prize…that we can get those two wickets tomorrow early,” Morkel said. “I know it’s a cliché thing, but you know, with the weather around and sometimes the time it takes to take the covers on and off, we want to try and get as many overs as possible to the Sri Lankans. So hopefully, we can get those wickets tomorrow and then be brave, put them in, and bowl well.”
The prospect of enforcing the follow-on would go against India’s recent inclination to bat again when they get the chance. In Delhi, India had to bowl 118.5 overs on a deteriorating pitch before chasing down 121 on the fifth day, the last time Shubman Gill enforced it against West Indies.
But the weather in Colombo could make a repeat less appealing, with India possibly needing to make the most of the time available to engineer a result.
The pitch has been pretty good for batting too. India took only six wickets in 80.4 overs on the third day, with a few dismissals coming against the run of play. “It is always difficult to bowl in these conditions and such periods are important for India’s development,” Morkel said.
“It is hard work out there, you know,” Morkel said. “I think sometimes even we get sucked into that expectation where we think it looks slightly dry and we need to bowl teams out for under 200. But unfortunately, at times it’s not gonna work like that. It’s tough conditions; it’s hot, hot conditions. The ball goes soft quite quickly.
“As the boys walked in there tonight, I said to them it is a proper day of Test cricket, and this is how we’re gonna learn. This is how we’re gonna grow. We always talk about bowling in partnerships, about creating pressure, and this is how you develop it — on days like today, when there’s a batting partnership going [on]. You can break it. The key is to define that breakthrough, and then how well can you start your next thing.”
India will be looking for quick wickets on the fourth morning with the second new ball only 3.2 overs old at stumps and offering more opportunities than the older ball. “Every over could be crucial in a Test match, and if they can get the last two Sri Lankan wickets quickly, the decision to enforce the follow-on could be crucial.
–IANS
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