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Nagpur Test: Vijay, Pujara tons send Sri Lanka on leather hunt

NEW DELHI: Comebacks are usually tough, more so when you’re Murali Vijay, whose career has been hampered in 2017 owing to a wrist injury and the uncertainty over his position in the side. In his absence, KL Rahul has done everything right to present his case as India’s first-choice opener with eight half-centuries in his last ten innings.

With the South Africa tour just a month away, Vijay, in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan, needed all the assurance he could to reclaim the his usual spot since becoming a regular in the team.aving last played a Test match eight months ago, Vijay sent a timely reminder to the selectors how they can no longer ignore him. How if fit, he is an automatic starter.

In his comeback Test of sorts, Vijay scored a charming century and in the company of Pujara – scoring a hundred of his own – drove India in firm control against Sri Lanka on Day 2 of the Nagpur Test. Their 209-run stand – the fifth time these two have put on 150 or more in Tests – followed by a handsome half-century from skipper Virat Kohli helped India finish on 306/2, ahead of Sri Lanka by 101 runs.

Vijay and Pujara played out two cautious, patient and most importantly, wickless sessions that grinded Sri Lanka into Nagpur dust. Vijay had the ball in his court from the outset, dispatching the first delivery of the morning from Suranga Lakmal towards the extra-cover boundary. He went on to hit four more identical cover drives, all bringing the same result.

Playing his first Test since March, it was as if Vijay hadn’t missed a beat. The movement of the feat, head and the backlift, all in one motion was majestic. He dealt with a few balls that rose sharply, but all were safely negotiated.

An on-drive off Dasun Shanaka that brought up his 50 was nailed down the ground. Post lunch, he only got better and more positive – the reverse sweeps and the dabs to fine leg came out. So did the loft down the ground. There were more glorious cover drives that had everyone marvelling at the ease with which he does it. Accelerating well between the first hour of the opening session and the latter half of the second, Vijay brought up his 10th three-figure digit followed by a subdued celebration. Welcome back to Test cricket, Murali Vijay.

He and Pujara had overseen a tough morning session, a period in which Sri Lankan seamers held the flow of runs. Hardly anything came in the first hour, wicket included and as the pitch eased out to become perfect for batting, the sturdy Pujara did what he does so often: soak deliveries, get his eye in and get a move on. He played an error free knock and has now batted on all seven days of the Test series. He stood tall and punished anything that was full and loose.

When the spinners came on, Pujara’s impeccable feet movement allowed him to shuffle inside the crease or skip down the wicket to pierce the gaps on the on-side. His treatment to Dilruwan Perera was a lesson in batting. And when it was back the length, he rocked back and slapped it through the off side. As the innings progressed, Pujara’s strike-rate improved, along with sensational stroke-making.

Sri Lanka had nothing to show, despite asking few questions of the batsmen earlier in the day – there were four straight maidens. Contrary to the amount of assist R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja got on the opening day, barring the occasional ball that spun sharply, there wasn’t much on offer for Rangana Herath or Perera.

Lakmal and Lahiru Gamage tried to emulate Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav, peppering both batsmen with short-pitched stuff but the two batsmen was up to the task. The pressure created by their two premier fast bowlers was released once Dasun Shanaka and Perera were introduced, with the later conceding runs at over 5.5 an over.

 Sri Lanka had a couple of chances but both went begging. A sharp run out chance of Vijay, when he flicked Herath to forward short leg and took off even as the fielder attempted to throw it back. Luckily for the batsman, it went over the stumps.
A bigger opportunity arrived soon after lunch when Perera, deliberately placed at short mid-on for to hold on to an uppish drive, shelled one down from Vijay while leaping to his left. They were finally rewarded when Herath broke the second-wicket stand with Vijay sweeping a full toss to Perera.
Kohli and Pujara then motored along with an unbeaten stand of 92. Pujara, slowed down a bit in the final session before bringing up his 14th Test ton. Kohli’s unbeaten 54 off 70 was proof that India now have their intentions clear to get a move on. Kohli raced away to a brisk 66-ball half-century, that put India in the lead, an advantage that swelled to over 100 by the time stumps were drawn.

Brief scores: India 312/2 (Vijay 128, Pujara 121; Gamage 1/47, Herath 1/45), lead Sri Lanka (205 all out) by 107 runs.

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