First hour key in India's chances of enforcing a result in Kolkata, says Bhuvneshwar Kumar

What's the story?

Perhaps, shedding light into the team's mindset, Bhuvneshwar Kumar believes that India can still find a way to emerge victorious in the opening Test against Sri Lanka at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. With India's lead at the close of day four amounting to just 49 runs, the seamer has asserted that their chances of enforcing a favourable result will largely depend on the first hour of the final day's play.

Speaking to reporters at the end of the fourth day's play, Bhuvneshwar insisted, "It (possibility of attacking declaration) depends on how captain and coach plan tomorrow. It (India's chances of winning) depends on how we play in the first session, especially the first hour, and then we’ll see how it goes."

When asked about the nature of the surface, the 27-year old affirmed, "It’s good for us that we are playing in India on such wickets. We haven’t got such wickets often. So as pacers we were talking that since we have got this wicket, we should make it count. We bowled a bit badly as well, because we were tired and there was too much humidity too. (Overall) we did as much as we could have done on this wicket, we bowled well enough."

The background

When the fourth day's play began, Sri Lanka were only seven runs adrift of India's first-innings total. Riding on Rangana Herath's invaluable 105-ball 67, the visitors clinched a handy lead of 122 runs. With four wickets each, Bhuvneshwar and Mohammed Shami were the pick of the Indian bowlers.

The heart of the matter

Despite facing a significant deficit, India's opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul batted aggressively to revert pressure on Dinesh Chandimal's team. The duo punished the waywardness of Sri Lanka's seamers by ruthlessly capitalising on scoring opportunities.

Extra Cover: KL Rahul-Shikhar Dhawan's opening stand troubles Sri Lanka

When it seemed like he would score the first century of the match, Dhawan edged a sharp delivery from Dasun Shanaka to the wicket-keeper and had to settle for a well-made 94. Meanwhile, Rahul saw off the remainder of the fourth day's play to remain unbeaten on 73 even as Cheteshwar Pujara joined him at the crease.

What's next?

Dhawan has also declared that India will be looking to 'make a match out of it' on the fifth day. The onus will be on the well-set Rahul to continue his free-flowing stroke-play and propel the hosts to a powerful start during the final day.

Author's take

With the green-tinged Kolkata pitch turning into a docile track after bathing in sunshine, procuring ten Sri Lankan wickets in double quick time might be an improbable ask. A more realistic expectation would be for the Indian batsmen to operate without any pressure and keep the visiting bowlers on the field for the vast majority of the fifth day.