Did India delay in declaration? Cheteshwar Pujara slams Shubman Gill for delaying declaration on Day 4 in Galle originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Cheteshwar Pujara believes India should have declared five to six overs earlier in Galle. India were bowled out for 193, setting Sri Lanka a target of 372. Rain is forecast for Day 5, which could cost India valuable overs.
Cheteshwar Pujara slams Shubman Gill for delaying declaration India ended Day 4 in Galle with one hand on the Test, but Cheteshwar Pujara has questioned whether they left themselves enough time to finish the job. The former India number three believes the tourists batted on too long in their second innings, a decision that could prove costly if the weather intervenes. India were bowled out for 193 in 48.5 overs on Tuesday, with Rishabh Pant top-scoring on 66 off 69 balls and Devdutt Padikkal contributing 44 from 75 deliveries. That set Sri Lanka a target of 372, which would be the highest successful chase in the venue's history. The hosts closed on 84 for 4 after 34 overs, still requiring a further 288 runs, with captain Dhananjaya de Silva unbeaten on 31 and first-innings centurion Sonal Dinusha on 25. Manav Suthar claimed two wickets, while Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna took one apiece. MORE: Highest successful run chases in Test cricket at Galle International Stadium: Full list of records Why Cheteshwar Pujara wanted an earlier India declaration in Galle Pujara's concern centres on the forecast for the final day, with rain expected in Galle. Speaking during a discussion on Cricinfo, he argued that India should have prioritised giving themselves a cushion of overs with the ball rather than batting until the innings ended naturally. "There should have been a declaration 5-6 overs earlier. As a team, if you want to get to 370, maybe you can try and accelerate a bit more," Pujara said. He acknowledged that the decision may yet prove immaterial but warned India could be left ruing those lost overs. "Ultimately, India might win this game if there is no rain interruption. But, if there is a rain interruption, you don't want to be in a situation on Day 5 where you are thinking that we could have declared five to six overs earlier," he added. MORE: 'Awful umpiring': Cricket World reacts to Dhruv Jurel catch controversy in IND vs SL Test Pujara's Day 5 blueprint for India in Galle While India's spinners are expected to do the bulk of the damage on the final day, Pujara stressed that the role of the seamers should not be underestimated. He suggested a specific plan to open the day's bowling. "I think they should start with a seamer. I would like to see Siraj starting the innings from one end, and you can have either Kuldeep or Manav Suthar bowling from the other end," Pujara said. "I would love to see four overs of Siraj and four overs of Prasidh Krishna from one end. Continue bowling with spinners from one end and rotate your spinners from the other end." The suggestion is grounded in the seamers' returns in the first innings, where Siraj recorded figures of 1 for 29 from nine overs and Prasidh took 1 for 47 from 14. With the Galle surface offering a sharp turn, India will hope their four-pronged spin attack can do the rest. As for Sri Lanka, they will once again depend on Sonal Dinusha. The all-rounder scored a maiden hundred in the first innings to save the Islanders from a follow-on. Now with just six wickets remaining and India looking dangerous, it is up to him once again.
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