Sri Lanka 248 for 7 (Avishka 96, Mendis 59, Parag 3-54) vs India

Like so many Sri Lankan contests in recent times, here it was another mini-collapse which turned their position of strength into one of adversity. Having won the toss and opted to bat, Sri Lanka sought to make the best of the conditions. Their first two partnerships contributed 89 and 82 respectively, but like in the first two games, their middle order succumbed swiftly and suddenly. From 171 for 1 they spluttered to 199 for 6; five wickets lost for 28 runs.

From midway through the 36th over when they lost Avishka, up until midway through the 48th – 72 deliveries to be precise – only two boundaries were scored. Sri Lanka managed to scrounge together just 49 runs in the period. And from targeting a score in the region of 280, they were now struggling to reach 250 – arguably a bare minimum on a surface, that while dry had not proved as troubling to bat on as the those from the first two games.