India vs Sri Lanka | India declare on 503-9 after Dhruv Jurel's hundred - Deccan Herald

<p>Colombo: Dhruv Jurel took a giant step towards cementing his place as a specialist batter with a classy century while Rishabh Pant came up with another crucial half-century before bowlers struck twice with the ball as India took the stranglehold of the second Test on a rain-hit second day. </p><p>Jurel's second Test ton (115 not out, 177b, 9x4, 2x6) that was characterised by great temperament, and Pant's 63 (89b, 6x4, 2x6), which was significant at the pace it came, helped India, overnight 300/5, declare their innings closed at 503/9 despite rain and bad light wiping away almost two and half hours of play here at the SSC on Monday.</p>.India vs Sri Lanka | Yashasvi Jaiswal, Asitha Fernando fined 25% of match fee for heated exchange. <p>Batting under fading light, Sri Lanka lost two wickets for eight runs to trail India by 495 runs. Prasidh Krishna removed the lone wicket to fall of opener Lahiru Udara. The tall pacer got one to kick up from length, squaring up the batter on the backfoot. A thick edge flew to third slip where Yashasvi Jaiswal dived to his right to take an excellent one-handed catch. Manav Suthar removed night watchman Prabath Jayasuriya with what turned out to be the last ball of the day as umpires called day due to poor light. </p><p>Rishabh Pant’s ability to wreak havoc on bowlers is matched only by his remarkable tolerance for taking painful blows to the body. After retiring hurt on Sunday after being struck on his left forearm early in his innings, Pant had to return to the crease early on the second day when overnight batter Saransh Jain fell on the 11th ball of the morning, edging a bouncer from Asitha Fernando.</p><p>Fernando continued with the same tactic against Pant, bowling short from round the wicket and targeting his body in an attempt to force an error. The southpaw, however, was not going to throw his bat at everything. He ducked successfully when he judged the bounce correctly, and even when he misread it, he rarely made the mistake of fending with his bat. Perhaps that is his best defence against a well-directed bouncer. He was struck twice on the right shoulder. The first blow required medical attention; the second did not. After absorbing the punishment, Pant responded in typical fashion, taking on the Lankan bowlers on his way to his third half-century in four innings. His brisk knock, during a 120-run sixth-wicket partnership with Jurel, turned India’s already healthy overnight score into an imposing total.</p><p>India had lost two wickets towards the end of sessions on Sunday -- Shubman Gill in the final over before tea and Ravindra Jadeja just before the close of play. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had stressed the importance of not giving away wickets during those phases. Pant, though, operates on his own terms. He smashed the penultimate ball before lunch for six, then danced down the track to the first ball after the resumption. This time, he miscued the shot and was dismissed. By then, however, the damage had been done and the job accomplished.</p><p>Where Pant was exuberantly productive, Jurel went about his task with clinical precision. The right-hander showed excellent control and composure against the spinners, providing the ideal foil for Pant. Nearly half of his runs came in singles, while he also collected six twos and a three -- a reflection of his endurance in physically demanding conditions. India were already in a commanding position when Pant departed, but Jurel strengthened their advantage further through two lower-order partnerships. His stand with a determined Mohammed Siraj on either side of the rain break was a fine example in strike farming.</p>