NEW DELHI: Murali Vijay hit a century and skipper Virat Kohli powered past a new scoring landmark as India made 245-2 by tea on the opening day of the third Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Vijay was on 101 while Kohli’s 94 took him past 5,000 Test runs in his 63rd game. The pair put on an unbeaten 167 as Sri Lanka again suffered on their India tour.
Having made his fifty before lunch, Vijay smashed a boundary off left-arm wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan to register his second successive ton in the three-match series.
The right-hand opener celebrated his 11th Test ton with a little jig as the raucous home crowd applauded.
Kohli, fresh from his 213 during India’s thrashing of Sri Lanka in the second Test in Nagpur, led the batting charge with 14 boundaries in his 101-ball stay.
Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera, who got his 100th Test scalp in taking opener Shikhar Dhawan early in the day, failed to trouble the two batsmen at the crease.
Perera had struck in his second over to send Dhawan packing for 23 after the left-handed opener top-edged a sweep to deep-midwicket.
Cheteshwar Pujara was the second man out, caught at leg slip for 23 after flicking a sliding delivery from paceman Lahiru Gamage. He made 23.
Cricket skipper Kohli powers past 5,000 runs as India target big score
Cricket skipper Kohli powers past 5,000 runs as India target big score
Dejected Inter return to Scudetto charge as Juve lick their wounds
- Inter are 10 points clear at the top of Serie A
- Juventus’ hopes of reaching next season’s Champions League could be hit hard in Rome on Sunday night
MILAN: Inter Milan return to their bid to reclaim the Serie A title with Saturday’s visit of Genoa after a humiliating exit from the Champions League at the hands of Bodo/Glimt.
A 5-2 aggregate defeat, with losses in both legs, to the Norwegian minnows has left questions not only about Cristian Chivu’s debut season in the Inter dugout but also about Italy’s place in the contemporary football landscape.
Inter are 10 points clear at the top of Serie A, but on Tuesday night the division’s best team were undone by prosaic attacking and an inexplicable individual error from Manuel Akanji which effectively ended the tie.
The aftermath has been despondent and blunt, with the Gazzetta Dello Sport’s Wednesday front page simply saying “no excuses” after a historically bad result for one of the world’s most important footballing nations.
Chivu’s backhanded compliments to Bodo/Glimt also rang hollow, as he said that their only playing four matches in the last three months, all in the Champions League, was a factor in Inter’s defeat.
“They had a lot more energy than us, but that’s the Champions League for you. Let’s move on,” said Chivu.
While Inter flopped on the European stage, they have dominated domestically this term with just two points dropped in their last 14 league matches.
And will be heavy favorites to at least keep their distance from Milan with their derby coming up next weekend.
Juventus’ hopes of reaching next season’s Champions League could be hit hard in Rome on Sunday night following their own painful elimination on Wednesday night.
Luciano Spalletti’s players came close to a stunning comeback against Galatasaray but left themselves with too much to do after a 5-2 thumping in the first leg, and a trip to Roma is another difficult test.
Juve trail fourth-placed Roma and champions Napoli — in third ahead of their match at Verona — by four points and are on a run of four defeats in their last six matches in all competitions.
“We still have a lot to play for in the coming months, but you can see that the team is there,” said Juve icon Giorgio Chiellini, now a club official.
“We’ve had some slips and obstacles but we’re growing.”
Lurking a point behind Juve are Como and Atalanta, with the latter at Sassuolo still basking in the glow of a stunning comeback against Borussia Dortumund and a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Player to watch: Gleison Bremer
The Brazilian is by far Juve’s best defender and their collapse in Istanbul last week came soon after he had to be substituted with a thigh injury in the first half.
His return from a mercifully short lay-off will be key for Juve’s chances at Roma who have the division’s second-best home record and are gaining momentum under Gian Piero Gasperini.
Juve showed on Wednesday that they are a goal threat but Bremer will need to plug a leaky defense at the Stadio Olimpico.
Key stats
10 — Inter’s points lead at the top of the division
40 — the number of points Inter have collected in their last 14 matches
Fixtures (times GMT)
Friday
Parma v Cagliari (1945)
Saturday
Como v Lecce (1400), Verona v Napoli (1700), Inter Milan v Genoa (1945)
Sunday
Cremonese v AC Milan (1130), Sassuolo v Atalanta (1400), Torino v Lazio (1700), Roma v Juventus (1945)
Monday
Pisa v Bologna (1730), Udinese v Fiorentina (1945)
