IND VS SL - 1st Test, Sri Lanka tour of India, 2017

So, Lanka will go unscathed into the second Test. From having India on the mat, to almost being pinned out themselves, Lanka had to go through a merry-go-round of emotions. Lakmal's exploits on day 1, Pujara's gritty half-ton, Herath's fighting fifty, Kohli's 50th international ton and Bhuvi's 8-fer, this game ran on a script of its own with twists and turns cropping up time and again in the backdrop of rain and bad light. In the end, despite almost 200 overs having been lost in the Test, and where it ended, it was a fantastic wicket which ensured the game could still have a result on day 5. The tinge of green might not be seen at Nagpur, venue for the second Test, but we will make our presence felt for sure. Our team of Pradeep, MS Ramakrishnan, Pratyush Sinha, Abhishek Chaudhary and Sreenivas take a leave. I have been Kumar Abhisekh Das and have had absolute pleasure in bringing this to you.

Strangely, the scheduled start for this Test match was 09:30 IST when Test matches can easily begin at 09:00 at the Eden Gardens as the sun rises early and sets early - especially in the winter. We have lost quite a few overs due to fading light in the last two days of the game despite the sun being out with no cloud cover. A few more overs and this Test match could have had a result. Probably a lesson learnt for the administrators there.

The last Indian pacer before Bhuvneshwar to pick four+ wickets in each innings of a home Test was Mohammed Shami (vs WI, 2013), also at the same venue.

50+ international 100s:
100 S Tendulkar
71 R Ponting
63 K Sangakkara
62 J Kallis
54 M Jayawardene/ H Amla
53 B Lara
50 V Kohli

Most Test 100s as Indian skipper:
11 V Kohli (48 innings) *
11 S Gavaskar (74)
9 M Azharuddin (68)
7 S Tendulkar (43)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar - Player of the Match: "It was difficult to bowl in the second innings because the ball was coming onto the bat. There was reverse swing, so looked to make the most out of it. When I made my debut, I was dependant on swing. There were areas I wanted to improve and those things are paying off. When we went in, Virat said - just imagine if you were playing in the same situation, it's never easy. So we went in with that mindset."

Kohli (2/2): "Bhuvneshwar has picked up pace. Bowls heavier balls than before and hits the right areas. He's grabbing his chances and is a massive contender to start every Test match for India. He'll do us good in overseas conditions, and not just in home conditions. He's going to be an important part of our plan going forward in all formats. He's doing well in the shorter formats and now 8 wickets in this Test. Credit to him; he's working hard and it's paying for him. As soon as we lost Saha, me and Bhuvi started having fun out there. Didn't try to think about the situation and pressure. The shots started getting off. Luckily they took the new ball - the old ball was soft and wasn't easier to get away - and I thought I might as well go for it. If you have intent, the luck favours you too. Little bit of luck, bit of inside edge in the seventies. Feels good (on 50 international 100s) My journey hasn't been long but I want to continue contributing, especially in situations like these. If I can step up and perform, that will give me more pleasure than thinking about the number of hundreds I have . The mindset is always to go forward and help the team forward, and win Test matches."

Kohli (1/2): "It was important to make something out of the game with whatever time we had. As you mentioned, conditions changed drastically into day four- five. We showed character after being on the back foot initially. Credit to Sri Lanka; they bowled well. We knew if we get stuck with our bowling effort and not let them get too far ahead, we can pull the game back again. We didn't look at Sri Lanka's batting collapses to be honest. We believed in ourselves. It was difficult to survive on the pitch if you didn't have intent. You had to get to the ball and not let it seam. We knew that the batsmen won't be wanting to make too many mistakes, so the intent won't be there. And that If we get enough good balls, which we did, fell just three short (of wickets, we could have been back in the game). All in all very proud of where we stand after the Test match."

Harsha Bhogle: There will be many questions, many things to ponder over but a wonderful climax to a test match where so much time was lost

Chandimal: "It was (a good toss to win), especially in these conditions. It was a good game of cricket and we played well, competed well. Till the last session, we fought really well but unfortunately, last 10-15 overs were pressure to us. Lakmal is unbelievable, throughout the last two years. He's the one who, as a captain, you can trust. He's a really good bowler. Really happy that Rangana scored the runs but unfortunately spinners didn't come into play. We'll have to learn to bat in the second innings. In UAE vs Pakistan too we didn't bat well in the 2nd innings. We can be lot better if we learn that."

Okay, so the presentations are on. Who's your Player of the Match eh?

Shami (translated from Hindi): The kind of extra effort that was needed, we put that in the last few overs. The aim was to hit good areas. The last three days were easy to play as compared to the first two, where our performance wasn't great. This being my home ground, I knew that the drier pitch would be better to bat on. You learn with experience.

But end of a fascinating day of cricket. India tried tooth and nail in the final session to win this but could not. In the end, the light dipped pretty quickly and India did not have enough time to wrap it up. This was set up by a sparkling Kohli ton. He lost partners from one end but changed gears in the last few overs to take India to a safe lead. Lanka only had a bit more than 2 hours to negotiate and they almost faltered. Huffed and puffed and somehow survived. The lightmeter saving the day for the Lankans. We will await the captain comments and the awards ceremony.

The umpires converge again. They are having a look at it again. They are going off. Lanka have saved their blushes. Chandimal slurps the tea, might have been cold by now. The players shake hands. Ravi Shastri is seen clapping. Kohli and his boys look content. The match ends in a draw! Over the last three days, we have lost a lot of overs. Poor over rates can be blamed for India not having time to finish it off. Could India in hindsight think what could have transpired had they declared when the lead touched 200? That would have been interesting. Save the debate for later.

Shami to Shanaka, no run, fuller length delivery and has been pushed out it mid-on

Shami to Shanaka, no run, another ball jagging in, defended out. The eyes twitched as well because of the light dropping

Shami to Shanaka, no run, length ball bending in, has been pushed back to the bowler

The physio, who was running onto the field for literally no reason, has been sent back. That was funny. It is a theatre now.

Bhuvneshwar to Herath, no run, yorker, spears in at the base of the sticks. The batsman blocks the ball out

Chandimal continues to express that he cannot see the ball.

Bhuvneshwar to Herath, no run, stays back and defends it down into the on-side