Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Chandimal was forced off the field and taken to hospital for a scan after suffering a nasty right shoulder and neck injury while fielding during the fourth day of the first Test against India in Galle on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old sustained a shoulder and neck injury while attempting to save a boundary early in India’s second innings. Chandimal dived and landed awkwardly, immediately appearing to be in considerable discomfort as he clutched the right side of his neck while remaining on the ground.
SL vs IND Live: 1st Test Day 4 Updates
The Sri Lanka Cricket team physio and doctor attended to Chandimal on the field before he was taken to hospital for further assessment. SLC confirmed that he had been sent for a precautionary scan, with further updates expected once the results are available.
The timing of the injury could be particularly concerning for Sri Lanka, who face a potentially demanding fourth-innings chase against India. Chandimal was dismissed for just four in the first innings as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 284, giving India a substantial 178-run lead.
INDIA TAKE HUGE LEAD ON DAY 4
India strengthened their position further on Tuesday as Devdutt Padikkal scored a fluent 44 in the second innings. The left-hander, who had made 167 in India’s first innings, held the innings together before falling shortly before lunch.
India reached 116 for four at Lunch, taking their overall lead to 294 runs, with Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel at the crease.
Sri Lanka had already lost ground after India’s imposing first-innings total, with Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja sharing seven wickets as the hosts were restricted to 284 despite a century from Dinusha. India consequently secured a 178-run advantage heading into their second innings.
India’s second innings did not begin smoothly, with Yashasvi Jaiswal edging Asitha Fernando to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella in the opening over. KL Rahul then appeared to have been trapped lbw by Prabath Jayasuriya, but successfully overturned the decision through DRS before eventually falling for 35.
Captain Shubman Gill also departed lbw to Jayasuriya, before Padikkal once again provided stability with a composed knock.
In the second session, Rishabh Pant dominated the hosts with a rapid knock of 66 runs, where he hit 8 fours and 2 sixes. India’s lead went past 350 runs in the second session of the match.
CONCUSSED CHANDIMAL RULED OUT
Late in the second session, the Sri Lanka Cricket board announced that Chandimal was ruled out of the Test match due to concussion and would be replaced by debutant Pasindu Sooriyabandara.
Sri Lanka will have a daunting task ahead of them to chase down a massive target in the first Test match. India are in desperate need to win the Test match, to keep their hopes for the World Test Championship Final alive.
– Ends
