India – Sri Lanka Test Series: Best Case Scenario For Sri Lanka In Galle

With India needing another 180 to make Sri Lanka bat, the hosts will look to Murali and Herath to provide the breakthrough early, tomorrow. If they can get Sehwag, before he gets to a hundred, Sri Lanka can consider themselves in the driver’s seat.

An early wicket can mean a lot of pressure on Yuvraj looking to prove himself at the test level. So if Sri Lanka  do manage to get India all out for less than 320, they could probably be looking at a lead of around 225.

Under the circumstances, India should begin their second innings about an hour after lunch on the fourth day. With about 45 overs to bat out, the Sri Lankans would be breathing down the necks of India’s batsmen.

There is some evidence of wear on the wicket. If it worsens, India should definitely want to preserve as many wickets as possible, and get at least 125 runs on board by close.

With a 100 runs to get to avoid an innings defeat on the fifth day, that should be achieved by lunch. The fate of the match would revolve around the number of wickets in hand.

In a best case scenario, Sri Lanka, aided by a fast deteriorating wicket would try and get 4 to 5 wickets by stumps on the fourth day. That could set them up for an innings victory or needing to chase a very modest target of 50 to 100 runs in about two sessions of play. They should be able to achieve that, regardless of the state of the wicket.

But to begin with, Sehwag holds the key.

Tags: India, Sehwag, Yuvraj

Category: Cricket