Indian batsmen dominated day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday after Virat Kohli had won the toss and elected to bat first.
Here, we have a look at four things that we learnt from the day’s play.
Shikhar Dhawan might not have played in this Test if KL Rahul was fit to take the field. In fact, before Murali Vijay was ruled out of the series, Dhawan wasn’t even included in the squad.
However, the 31-year-old made full use of the lucky break to score a brilliant 190 which came from 168 deliveries. The left-handed Delhi batsman was at his best during the second session when he scored 126 runs off just 90 balls.
If life gives you another chance, grab it like Dhawan. Bossed his way to his highest Test score... #SLvInd
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) July 26, 2017
After a superb start to his Test career, Cheteshwar Pujara went into a bit of a slump and was even dropped from the Indian Test team for a few matches. Since the start of the 2016 home season though, the Saurashtra batsman seems to have regained his mojo and has been ever-reliable for the Indian team.
On Wednesday, Pujara continued from where he left off in the series against Australia to score an unbeaten 144. The 29-year-old will surely be looking to add to his overnight score and make the most of a good batting surface at Galle.
It was definitely not the best conditions for bowling on day one at Galle, but the Sri Lankan bowling line-up will be disappointed by their performance.
Only three wickets were taken, all by pace bowler Nuwan Pradeep with the rest of the bowling attack conceding 331 runs in 72 overs without picking up a single wicket. They need to vastly improve if they are to get the better of India in this series.
Tough day for @OfficialSLC and will have to bounce back stronger tomorrow. This is the real test .. come on boys..👊
— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) 26 July 2017
Dhawan was on just 31 when Asela Gunaratne dropped him at second slip while diving to his left and it proved to be a costly drop as the Indian opener went on to score 159 more runs in quick time.
That dropped catch not only was costly in terms of runs, but Gunaratne also injured his thumb during the incident and is likely to take no further part in the series. This is a big blow for the hosts as he has been in good form since making his Test debut last year and played a crucial role in their win over Zimbabwe recently.
