Published on 12:35 PM, November 20, 2017

India-Sri Lanka Test ends in draw

Sri Lanka's Suranga Lakmal (L) celebrates with teammates the wicket of India's Cheteshwar Pujara during the final day of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka. Photo: AFP

Bhuvneshwar Kumar took four quick wickets to give Sri Lanka a scare but the visitors held on to draw the first Test against India on Monday's final day.

Chasing 231, Sri Lanka finished on 75-7 when bad light stopped play in the final session of the game in Kolkata. Rangana Herath and Dasun Shanaka played out the final few balls of a nervy session.

The action now shifts to the second Test of the three-match series in Nagpur starting Friday.

India were 251 for five at lunch, leading Sri Lanka by 129 runs in their second innings on the fifth day of the rain-hit opening Test in Kolkata on Monday.

The hosts, resuming the final day on 171-1, lost three of their top batsmen, including opener Lokesh Rahul for 79, to paceman Suranga Lakmal. Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera also chipped in with a wicket.

Skipper Virat Kohli, on 41, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who is yet to open his account, were batting with two more sessions to go in the first of the three matches.

Paceman Suranga Lakmal took three key India wickets on Monday's final day of the first Test to give Sri Lanka hope of claiming a historic victory.

Lakmal tested the batsmen with his probing line and length and was rewarded with the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara, who added 20 to his overnight two.

Pujara was taken by surprise by an awkward bouncer and gave a leading edge to gully where Dilruwan Perera took a sensational catch diving forward.

Ajinkya Rahane became Lakmal's third victim when trapped lbw for a duck as the hosts slipped to 213 for four.

Off-spinner Perera then sent back Ravindra Jadeja for nine.

Kohli, after a tentative start, remained solid during his 71-ball stay.

India's 166-run opening stand between Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan, who made 94, enabled them to bounce back after conceding a 122-run first innings lead on day four of the rain-affected match, the first in a three-Test series.