Team India substitute fielder Sarfaraz Khan engaged in a verbal exchange with Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva on Day 3 of the second Test in Colombo. Sarfaraz, fielding at short leg in place of injured wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, tried to unsettle the batter before spinner Manav Suthar completed the dismissal.
Sri Lanka slipped to 179/7 after 50 overs at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Tuesday, August 25. The home team is trailing by 324 runs and on the brink of an innings defeat. Earlier, the Men in Blue declared their first innings at a massive total of 503/9 after centuries from Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel.
Sarfaraz Khan Sledges Dhananjaya de Silva Before Dismissal
The incident took place during the 35th over of Sri Lanka’s first innings. Dhananjaya de Silva hit Manav Suthar for a boundary off the third ball before taking extra time to prepare for the next delivery. Sarfaraz Khan, stationed at short leg, challenged the Sri Lankan captain.
“You are just wasting time, bro. Don't be scared, play! You are the captain. You are waiting for this,” Sarfaraz Khan told Dhananjaya de Silva.
Dhananjaya faced the next delivery and survived before Suthar struck 2 balls later. The left-arm spinner bowled a probing delivery outside off, and Dhananjaya edged it to the slip cordon. The dismissal gave India another breakthrough.
Earlier in the match, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Asitha Fernando were fined 25 percent of their match fees after their physical confrontation on Day 1. Mohammed Siraj and Kamil Mishara also exchanged words several times during the third day.
Sri Lanka Slump to 179/7 as India Close in on Series Sweep
Sri Lanka slipped to 179/7 after 50 overs on Day 3 in Colombo. The hosts struggled against India’s bowling attack after conceding 503/9 declared. They lost both openers on Day 2 and continued to lose wickets at regular intervals during the morning and afternoon sessions.
Sonal Dinusha provided some resistance and remained unbeaten on 24 off 47 balls, while Keshara Nuwantha was 4 not out off 12 deliveries. Sri Lanka are still trailing by 324 runs with more than 2 days remaining.
The hosts also suffered a 165-run defeat in the first Test in Galle. Another collapse in Colombo could hand Shubman Gill’s side a 2-0 series victory. Sri Lanka need a strong partnership between Dinusha and Nuwantha to reduce the deficit and keep their hopes alive.
Dhananjaya de Silva's Performances in India Test Series
Dhananjaya de Silva has endured a difficult Test series against India. He scored 21 and 59 in the first Test at Galle. The skipper scored 59 in the second innings when Sri Lanka needed to chase down a target of 372 runs.
In Colombo, Dhananjaya added only 5 runs in Sri Lanka’s first innings. He failed to build a partnership after the hosts lost wickets at regular intervals. The right-handed batter has scored 85 runs in 3 innings during the series.
The Sri Lankan captain has also had limited impact with the ball. He bowled only 5 overs in the Galle Test without taking a wicket and has not been able to provide a regular bowling option for his side.
