India ‘A’ moved to the driver's seat on the second day of the second unofficial ‘Test’ against Sri Lanka ‘A’, at KSCA Stadium here on Saturday.
India 'A' did well to bowl Sri Lanka 'A' out for 212 and take a 57-run innings lead. Anmolpreet Singh (60, 69b, 9x4), Siddhesh Lad (58, 76b, 6x4) and K.S. Bharat (60, 56b, 4x4, 2x6) came good to push the home team to 216 for six at close of play. India 'A' enters the penultimate day with an overall lead of 273 runs -- a comfortable margin on a pitch that offers plenty of help to the bowlers.
Resuming on 87 for four, Sri Lanka-A struggled after Niroshan Dickwella departed for 39. Pacer Ishan Porel did the trick, getting some movement to induce an edge from the in-form wicketkeeper-batsman.
The compact and intelligent Kamindu Mendis (68, 105b, 11x4) rescued the side from 145 for seven. Mendis was supported by tail-enders Lakshan Sandakan (11, 40b) and Vishwa Fernando (5, 36b). The resistance came to an end when Mendis couldn’t connect with a big hit, and lost his stumps to left-arm spinner Aditya Sarvate.
READ: Bharat slams ton as India 'A' gains upper hand
Jayant Yadav (three for 24) was the pick of the bowlers, justly rewarded for keeping a tidy length around off-stump.
India 'A's second essay did not start well, with left-arm fast bowler Fernando removing Abhimanyu Easwaran (3) and Priyank Panchal (15) early. A 63-run stand between Anmolpreet and Lad, followed by a 99-run partnership between Lad and Bharat, however, put the visitor on the back-foot.
India-A suffered a late hiccup, losing three wickets in quick succession. Lad was trapped on the pads by chinaman bowler Sandakan, while Bharat’s missed out on a chance to get hundreds in both innings of the match. Bharat was castled by a flatter delivery from left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara, which stayed low and crept below his bat. Sandakan then had Sarvate caught-behind for a duck. Shivam Dube (5 batting) and Rahul Chahar (5 batting) prevented further damage.
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