India vs Sri Lanka LIVE Score, 2nd Test Day 3: Rain Forces Early Stumps; India Need 2 Wickets

Sri Lanka reached 265/8 against India on Tuesday at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, trailing by 239 runs in the second Test. Sonal Dinusha anchored the hosts with an unbeaten 85 before rain forced early stumps on Day 3, leaving India needing two final wickets to enforce the follow-on.

Weather again intervened in the second Test between India and Sri Lanka on Tuesday, halting an absorbing afternoon of lower-order resistance as rain forced early stumps on Day 3 in Colombo. The hosts navigated testing conditions through grit and a valuable ninth-wicket stand, though they still face a mountain to climb to avoid batting again.

Sonal Dinusha and Lower-Order Resistance

Resuming the day deep in trouble at 8/2, Sri Lanka lost debutant Kamil Mishara early for 19, edging Prasidh Krishna to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel to leave the innings reeling at 35/3. Pasindu Sooriyabandara steadied the ship alongside Kamindu Mendis, forging an 87-run partnership before Mendis departed. Sooriyabandara went on to compile a resilient 80 before Ravindra Jadeja dismissed him in the 45th over.

Photo: Aninews

Captain Dhananjaya de Silva was the next major wicket to fall, with Manav Suthar removing him in the 35th over. Niroshan Dickwella was dismissed for a duck by Mohammed Siraj soon after, leaving Sri Lanka in further trouble.

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It was Sonal Dinusha, however, who provided the backbone of the innings. Continuing his stellar run in the series, Dinusha anchored the lower order with an unbeaten 85 off a gritty display, combining with Keshara Nuwantha who provided valuable support before falling for 18 to Suthar in the 69th over. Dinusha later put on an unbroken 35-run partnership with Lahiru Kumara, with the pair adding those runs before rain brought Day 3 to an early close. The hosts need another 39 runs to avoid the follow-on, with Dinusha and Lahiru Kumara unbeaten on 85 and eight runs respectively.

Dinusha has been the major obstacle in India’s push to wrap up Sri Lanka’s innings, helping the hosts survive a late onslaught from the Indian bowlers. The left-hander’s knock follows his previous performances, elevating him into elite company as he became only the third batter after Zaheer Abbas and Everton Weekes to score 80 or more in each of his first three Test innings against India. Dinusha also became the batter with the fourth-most runs (106) while playing sweep against spin in a Test series. Dinusha has aggregated 284 runs against spin in his short Test career so far; 122 of those (42.95%) have come while playing the sweep — slog, conventional, or reverse — at a strike rate of 169.44 (11 fours, four sixes, no dismissal).

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India’s First-Innings Total and Bowlers’ Push

India seized complete control earlier in the fixture by posting a mammoth 503/9 declared, powered by centuries from Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant also struck half-centuries, while Yashasvi Jaiswal (45) and Ravindra Jadeja (43) made valuable contributions. Asitha Fernando was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, returning impressive figures of 4/106.

Photo: ICC

When India turned to the ball, Manav Suthar and Prasidh Krishna have taken three wickets, while India’s bowlers continued the momentum by claiming late wickets to pile further pressure on the hosts. The second new ball was taken in the 81st over, but rain soon interrupted play and forced the covers onto the field. With conditions worsening, the umpires called off the day’s play, cutting short a day where Sri Lanka had fought hard to reach 265/8.

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Weather Disruptions and the Follow-On Equation

With Sri Lanka sitting at 265/8, still 239 runs behind India’s mammoth first-innings total of 503/9 declared, the immediate arithmetic is clear: the hosts require another 39 runs to avoid the follow-on. Weather has disrupted proceedings across the series, with rain having disrupted all three days so far in the opening test as well.

India will be hoping for good weather on the final two days to force a result. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, trail by 238 runs and will need to produce a strong batting effort as they look to avoid the follow-on, with Dinusha and Kumara carrying the responsibility of extending their resistance.