Galle Test: Dhawan, Kohli help India take control vs SL after Ashwin scalps six

GalleOffspinner Ravichandran Ashwin spuna web around Sri Lankan batsmen with a sixwicket haul asIndia dismissed the hosts for a paltry 183 in the firstinnings to gain the upperhand on the opening day of the firstTest here on WednesdayIndias premier spinner recorded his best overseasfigures of 6 for 46 in 134 overs to trigger a collapse thatsaw the islanders being shot out in just 494 overs in theirfirst innings after skipper Angelo Mathews opted to make firstuse on a track that had turn on offer on the first day itselfAt stumps India looked in command as they reached 128for two after opener KL Rahul 7 and Rohit Sharma 9 weredismissed cheaplyIndian team celebrates the fall of a Sri Lankan wicket on Day 1 of their Test match at Galle on Wednesday Pic AFPShikhar Dhawan seemed to continue from where he left offin Bangladesh as he stroked his way to an unbeaten 53 whileskipper Virat Kohli looked supremely confident during hisundefeated knock of 45India are only 55 runs short of Sri Lankas firstinnings total and will be looking to build a sizeable lead ona pitch that is offering substancial turn at timesThe first day panned out exactly in the manner thatskipper Kohli might have wanted it to beIshant Sharma 130 in 11 overs bowled a good openingspell where he hit the deck hard to extract disconcertingbounce One such delivery that took off from short of goodlength saw lefthander Dimuth Karunaratne 9 fend itawkwardly as Ajinkya Rahane took a simple of catch runningforward from gullyKaushal Silva 5 was a touch unlucky after ShikharDhawan earlier dropped a dolly at first slip off Varun Aarons168 in 11 overs bowling But this time was ball that wasdug short which Silva wanted to pull but hit his arm guard asDhawan ran back to dive and take a catch The replays showedthat umpire Nigel Llong got it wrongOnce Ashwin was brought into the attack in the 12th overhe completely stamped his supremacy on the islandersKumar Sangakkara 5 had a forgettable first innings inhis penultimate Test match as he tried to push one offbreakoff the backfoot which saw young Rahul take a sharp catch atsilly pointWith Sri Lanka reduced to 27 for three it becameincreasingly difficult for them to claw their way back intothe gameSri Lanka suffered from lack of partnerships as with onlyskipper Angelo Mathews with a fighting 64 and DineshChandimal 59 runs 77 balls 9 fours being the only batsmen to cross the 25run markStarting from 65 for five after lunch Mathews andChandimal 5 not out stitched up a 79run sixthwicketpartnership to stem the rotThe duo though was helped in this endeavour bywicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha who dropped Chandimal in thesecond over after resumption of play In the 25th over IshantSharma 130 induced an edge from Chandimal on 5 and itshould have been a regulation catch but Saha spilled itAshwin 646 then bowled only two overs in the firsthour of play inexplicably while Harbhajan Singh 017bowled a long spell with either Ishant or Varun Aaron 168giving him company from the other endWhile the offspinner kept things tight he bowled a tadshorter than Ashwin and wasnt able to get as much turn Thebatsmen used their feet well against him and werent in muchdifficult as compared to facing Ashwin who made them push andprod with his probing lengthsMathews playing with a ligament tear in his left wristthen reached his 22nd Test fifty off 77 balls in the 38thover and also brought up the 50partnership with Chandimalsubsequently At drinks they were placed at 118 for five andwhen play resumed skipper Virat Kohli brought Ashwin backinto the attackThe partnership was broken in the 42nd over then withMathews caught off Ashwin as the ball lobbed off his batpadand Rohit Sharma completed a stunning onehanded catch onsecond attempt at forward short legDhammika Prasad 0 then lasted only six deliveries andwas trapped LBW by Ashwin as he completed his maidenfivewicket haul in Sri Lanka He also improved on hisprevious best outside India 587 against Bangladesh in JuneAmit Mishra 220 then came into the attack and strucktwice in two balls in the 49th over Ashwin then bowledRangana Herath 23 runs 24 balls 4 fours to complete therout just before tea