'India will have to be brave with their declaration': Cheteshwar Pujara's message to Shubman Gill to win Galle Test

With half the side gone in the first session, Sri Lanka were expected to be bowled out for a low score. But, dropped chances led to Sonal Dinusha and Niroshan Dickwella helping the hosts avoid follow-on. After Dickwella's 80-run knock, Dinusha registered his maiden Test century, taking Sri Lanka to 284 in reply to India's 462. At the end of Day 3's play, India had a 178-run lead in the bag. While India are still in control of the game, legendary top-order batter Cheteshwar Pujara wants skipper Shubman Gill to be brave about his declaration call, giving enough overs to the bowlers to guarantee a win keeping World Test Championship (WTC) points in mind.

“India will have to make their intentions very clear. Not a lot of time is left in the Test match. Also, you have to keep an eye on the forecast. You can’t ignore it. To qualify for the WTC final, they will have to win both the Test matches. To do that, they will have to be a little brave and a little more aggressive,” Pujara told on Cricinfo.

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“India will have to be brave with their declaration. They will have to give enough time to the bowlers. Maybe try and look at a minimum of 90-100 overs. To do that, India will have to declare at somewhere between 350-375,” Pujara added.

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On Day 3, Manav Suthar took a four-wicket haul, Ravindra Jadeja bagged three whereas Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav claimed one wicket each. Jadeja achieved multiple feats as he completed 350 wickets in Test cricket.

In the first innings, opener KL Rahul scored 82 whereas Devdutt Padikkal made the chance count with a 167-run knock, his maiden Test ton. Later, Dhruv Jurel's half-century helped India post 462.

What is the highest successful run chase at Galle?

The highest target achieved at the Galle International Stadium is 342. Pakistan achieved the feat in 2022. It is followed by Sri Lanka chasing down 268 against New Zealand.

The highest fourth innings score in a lost cause at Galle is 300 which belongs to Pakistan as well. The highest fourth innings score in a drawn Test in Galle is 210/9 by England against Sri Lanka in 2003.

Will India move up in WTC standings if they win at Galle?

If India win, they will stay in the fifth position with a win percentage of 53.33. Fourth-placed Bangladesh have a win percentage of 66.77 with their historic victory on Australian soil. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will stay in the sixth position as well even if they lose.