India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test to stay One Sided

A few Test games can last for five days, with all the players and the supporters having their say only when the match calls it a day. This one has not been this way. The opening Test of the two-match series between India and Sri Lanka has clearly been heading in one direction since India posted 462 for their first innings.It is becoming quite clear by the end of Day 4 that the game between India and Sri Lanka is heading in one direction after they opened the scoring with 462 in their first inning. The Sri Lanka 130/4 chase of 372 made it a pot of one thing with Sri Lanka being 92 percent out ahead of India on the Shiva Online Book win probability.

Dominance Of Team India

With India marking their first innings for the country, they were always going to have a difficult match to follow.The 462-gallon total during India's first innings would always prove to be too high for Sri Lanka to match. The home side were bowled out for 284 and the deficit was only 178, which instantly threw the match firmly into the camp of the home side. However, India did not rest on their trots and went again to give them an impressive 193-run lead and the target became a challenging 372.

It is highly uncommon to successfully deliver targets of more than 350 runs in the fourth innings particularly on the deteriorating wickets which have become more crumbling through the swing of the match. As far as strategy goes, both times India had come out with clear signs of a plan to root out the arrivals completely and leave too few runs to call home to Sri Lanka, which need too much of a mountain to climb.

Day 4 Re-cap

On the fourth day, Sri Lanka's second innings had reached 130 for  with 242 runs still needed to reach the target – a target that always appeared more of a dream than reality. The needs for 96.1 overs on the last day is a lot of time to bat, but time is all right and familiar in Test cricket as soon as the required rate climbs to an intractable level and the wickets start to fall at regular intervals.

Dhananjaya de Silva has been the best for Sri Lanka as he had no knock-out in his 54 off 131 balls and played the anchor uber-bout to perfection. He has been quite well supported by a lower order batsman who peppered him from a total of 43 balls, but stopped him from bringing fly in and adding to the collapse in the later stages. But after four wickets in so few deliveries, so much has yet to come that the consideration changed from "can Sri Lanka win" to "can Sri Lanka survive.

The Bowling Story

India bowlers are to be commended for the situation that the Indian side are placed in. The spin attack and their ruthless off-spinners have neither given Sri Lanka a turn nor bounce on shoddy play, adding momentum to their quest for a target with each maiden out. This is not an example of one bowler going through the opposition; it's so fundamental, patient and methodical – the kind of bowling on the road that secures Test victories.

This has given them much time. India have not had to go in search of wickets with facing fields and have also taken on the mentality of applying pressure upon the Sri Lankan batsmen who have upped the difficulty of defending or attacking. A manoeuvre which has proved successful time and time again during the match.

Creating a Momentum

The actual odds of India winning will not be just an interesting statistic: They are 92 percent.It's not just an interesting statistic that a Sri Lankan victory is only a 1 percent chance while India has a 92 percent chance of winning. It is reflective of the four-day onslaught of domination in the first innings, followed by a well-timed second-innings declaration batting display, before they got Sri Lanka under the pump for a nice blockbuster of disciplined individual and collective bowling effort.

Such models take into account pitch conditions, the historical chase data, wickets in hand, required run rate – in favor of India in a majority of cases, so far. As of now, the outcome of this match seems decided, barring, of course, some big change along the final day.

What's at Stake

It's the opening in a two-chip duel, so this one's one heck of an important one. Weighing a win in the light of this match, India would be 1-0 ahead with one Test to play in the series finale and will be able to play in the form of 1-point giveaway rather than 1-point with which to save the series. Sri Lanka's loss in this game would put the second Test in the shoes of the home side facing a must-win challenge to secure a series victory on its doors – which is a situation no home side wishes to be in.

Final Day Scenarios

This game is going to have three outcomes.There are three possibilities to that match, if realistic. The most probable, as is generally the case, is New Zealand beating Sri Lanka within a day, as the remaining six wickets are picked up before they can bounce back and get the job done. How likely as a draw would be why its a second option-not an impossible one, but a draw, which is an heroic rearguard effort from de Silva and support from the tail. The outcome in the third instance, if Sri Lanka were to post an outright victory, would be one of the most amazing series wagers in history and according to the win probability model, the probability of Sri Lanka winning that series is 1 percent.

Conclusion

Both sides have their own moments, but nothing about this one so far, from the first innings drought to the bowling discipline to the size of the strokes required and much more suggests the sort of one-sided confrontation that Indian troops might find themselves in. Nations men will do everything they can in the closing day, but numbers and momentum do tell the tale in Sri Lanka in particular as Silva rallied a team that didn't need much to go green. As long as something spectacular doesn't occur on Day 5 under the lights, this Test is all set to be headed towards a victory for India as it has been from the outset. Allpannel Exchange ID provides access to the platform's sports section, where users can check available match-related options and current odds. As we say that team India has won the match.