At the end of Day 4, Sri Lanka are 229 for 6, with a tiny lead of just 16 runs. With their batting looking shaky, Team India will be hoping to grab the last four wickets quickly on the final day. If they do, the target to chase will be very small.
IND vs SL Test 2026: The second Test between India and Sri Lanka started in Colombo on Sunday. Team India is already in the driver’s seat after winning the first Test. As things stand at the end of Day 4, Sri Lanka is ahead by just 16 runs. Given the situation, if India can take the remaining wickets quickly on the last day, they will have a very small target to chase. A victory looks very much possible (india vs sri lanka live score).
India needs four quick wickets on the final day
India won the toss and chose to bat first, and they certainly made it count by piling up a mountain of runs. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 45, while his partner KL Rahul made 18. Coming into the middle order, Devdutt Padikkal once again made a big contribution. He scored a brilliant century in the second Test as well, playing a superb innings of 117 runs (ind vs sl 2nd test). Meanwhile, captain Shubman Gill scored 50, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant made 63, and Ravindra Jadeja added 43 runs. We have to give a special mention to Dhruv Jurel.
His smart batting put Team India on an even stronger footing. Jurel played an unbeaten innings of 115 runs. His century helped India increase their total significantly. However, Saransh Jain couldn’t do much and returned to the pavilion for just 6 runs. Manav Suthar scored 18, and Mohammed Siraj added 3 runs to the scoreboard. Prasidh Krishna remained not out on 4. Finally, India declared their first innings at 503 for 9. Three partnerships were crucial: the 120-run stand between Shubman Gill and Devdutt Padikkal, the 74-run partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Devdutt Padikkal, and the 112-run partnership between Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel.
Sri Lanka ahead by just 16 runs at the end of Day 4
For Sri Lanka, Asitha Fernando took 4 wickets. Prabath Jayasuriya and Kesara Nuwantha picked up two wickets each, while Lahiru Kumara got one. In reply, Sri Lanka’s innings folded for just 290 runs. Opener Lahiru Udara made only 1 run, the other opener Kamil Mishara scored just 19, and Prabath Jayasuriya went back for 2. Kamindu Mendis scored 32, while captain Dhananjaya de Silva added only 8 runs. Wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella couldn’t even open his account. Kesara Nuwantha made 18, Lahiru Kumara 12, and Asitha Fernando was out for 1. It’s clear that the Sri Lankan batting lineup completely crumbled in front of the Indian bowlers.
However, in the middle of all this, Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Sonal Dinusha put up a bit of a fight. Sooriyabandara played a solid innings of 80, and Dinusha scored a century with 103 runs. But even that wasn’t enough for Sri Lanka to avoid the follow-on. Their innings ended at just 290. For India, Manav Suthar bowled well in this match too, taking 3 wickets. Prasidh Krishna also got three wickets. Saransh Jain picked up two, while Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket each. Forced to follow-on, Sri Lanka started their second innings, but it was another disaster. Opener Lahiru Udara was sent back for just 3 runs, while the other opener Kamil Mishara scored 32. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva added 23 runs to the board. Pasindu Sooriyabandara once again made a crucial contribution with a fighting knock of 92, and Kamindu Mendis added 55 runs.
Wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella couldn’t do much in this innings either, scoring only 6 runs. At the end of Day 4, Sri Lanka’s score is 229 for 6. The Lankans have a lead of 16 runs. It will be very difficult for this weak batting lineup to fight back. So, if Team India can take the remaining four wickets quickly on the final day, the target will be very low. In that case, a win is just a matter of time. However, the threat of rain is an extra cause for concern.