Sri Lanka face an uphill task
The fans at the Vidarbha Cricket Stadium witnessed a fine batting display as Virat Kohli slammed his 5th double ton. India declared their first innings at 610/6 against Sri Lanka on Day 3 of the Nagpur Test. The visitors came out to bat in the last session and Ishant Sharma struck early leaving SL at 21/1. Let's look at the proceedings on Day 3.
Kohli leads India's run fest
Kohli's 5th double ton now equals Dravid's record and only Sachin and Sehwag have more with 6 double hundreds to their names. He started the day with 54 and put on a fine display along with Rohit putting up a 173 run stand. This is the second consecutive ton by the captain having scored an unbeaten 104 in second innings at the Eden Gardens.
Rohit Sharma makes a strong comeback
Rohit Sharma might have two ODI double tons to his name, but the Indian cricketer has a poor record when it comes to the 5 day format of the game. In an important innings, from his personal point of view, Rohit played superbly aiding Kohli with his unbeaten 102. This is his 3rd Test hundred which came after 1472 days.
Will Rahane who performs overseas please stand up?
Rahane was dismissed cheaply again today scoring just 2. The Mumbai man who has played 24 overseas matches to his name has scored 1817 runs at an average of 53.44. He also has 6 tons away from home. Compare that to his home record and you will be shocked. Rahane just averages 35.64 in 18 matches having scored 998 runs.
Lankans need a strong display on Day 4
The visitors are in real trouble having to bat out 2 whole days if they have to salvage a draw from this test. But with Ashwin, Jadeja and Ishant Sharma up against them it looks like an impossible task. A draw would be the best result for the visitors but trailing by 384 runs with 9-wickets in hands puts the ball in India's court.
