Ind vs SL: 5 key takeaways from opening day of 1st Test

Ind vs SL, 1st Test, Day 1: Vihari puts up a strong case for No. 3 position

Ind vs SL, 1st Test, Day 1: Hanuma Vihari replaced Cheteshwar Pujara at the No. 3 slot and made a strong case for himself with a fluent half-century

After Rohit Sharma got out in the 10th over, Sri Lanka would have fancied their chances on day 1 morning with three seamers and a new-look middle order for India.

Hanuma Vihari, though, settled the nerves for India with a well crafted and fluent 58. He negotiated spin and seam with equal solidity and was quick to pounce on anything loose. He played some gorgeous drives at the start of the innings.

This is just the stuff you desire from your Test No. 3. This innings would have given a lot of confidence to the team and its fans regarding Vihari's ability as a long-term No. 3 for India.

But given the bench strength of the team, he will need to convert these starts into big scores to cement his place in the team.