#Colombo
Sri Lankan batters were defiant in phases but the Indian bowlers made a timely intervention to reduce the hosts to 229 for six in their second innings on day four of the second and final Test here on Wednesday.
Sonal Dinusha (7) and Keshara Nuwantha (3) were in the middle at stumps when the now customary evening rain and bad light stopped play.
But India will be eager to end Lanka's last vestige of hope and wrap the match and series on day five.
Before Indian bowlers established their domination, the 115-run third wicket alliance between Pasindu Sooriyabandara (92) and Kamindu Mendis (55) was the primary source of Lankan fightback.
Sooriyabandara and Mendis joined forces when Lanka were wobbling at 63 for two, but resisted the Indian bowlers for the next 110 minutes. The pair bridged the heavy 213-run innings deficit that forced them to follow-on. However, Sri Lanka's effort in that period was a marked improvement from their first dig in which they were bundled out for 290, which was a mere 13 runs shy of the follow-on mark. That total was constructed around the highly-impressive Dinusha's 103, his second hundred of the series.
But the Sooriyabandara-Mendis partnership in the ongoing innings was the reason behind the match getting extended to its final day after they lost openers Lahiru Udara and Kamil Mishara early in the second essay.
It is easy to imagine their stand as an obdurate one considering the situation in which Sri Lanka found themselves in. But Sooriyabandara and Mendis played with freedom and were never hesitant to take the attack to the bowlers.
Later, Sooriyabandara too slog-swept Suthar for a six as the young tweaker struggled for an impact for the first time in this series.
Brief Scores: India: 503/9 declared. Sri Lanka: 290 all out in 89.4 overs (Sonal Dinusha 103, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80; Prasidh Krishna 3/52, Manav Suthar 3/85) and 229/6 in 72.4 overs (Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92; Kamindu Mendis 55). Agencies
I have been batting so much in practice: Sooriyabandara
#Colombo: Sri Lanka batter Pasindu Sooriyabandara said hard work in the nets helped him produce a fighting innings against India, while also stressing the importance of batting long if Sri Lanka are to save the Test over the final two days. The 26-year-old, who is playing only his second Test after earning a long-awaited national call-up following years in domestic cricket, emerged as one of Sri Lanka's standout performers in Colombo after enduring a difficult start to the series in Galle. "I think what worked well is I have been batting so much in the practice in the past couple of days and working really hard for it," Sooriyabandara said. The innings also carried added significance given the journey he took to reach the international stage. After spending several seasons in Sri Lanka's domestic circuit, Sooriyabandara finally made his Test debut. Agencies