MOHALI (PUNJAB): Batsman Hanuma Vihari was promoted to number three position in the absence Cheteshwar Pujara and he responded well by scoring 58 on Day 1 of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Mohali. Pujara was dropped from the Test squad after performing badly over the last two years.
“I would prefer batting at number 3 because that’s where I bat in first-class cricket. When the ball is new, it comes on to the bat nicely,” he told reporters after the conclusion of Day 1.
Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant played an exhilarating innings of 96( off 97 balls) and helped India reach 357/6 at stumps.
“It was difficult to time the ball after it gets old but Rishabh is a different player. We all know how he bats and when it comes off, it’s a special inning, and it was a special inning today. He ensured we crossed 350 today and we are hoping for more runs tomorrow,” said Vihari.
Pant and Vihari were the only two batsmen who scored half-centuries after getting a start. Virat Kohli, playing his 100th Test, was prised out for 45 by left-arm spinner Saith Embuldeniya.
Pant, for the sixth time in his short career, was dismissed in the nervous 90s, as he was cleaned up by the seamer Suranga Lakmal for 96.
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