Sri Lanka 183 and 5 for 2 (Ashwin 1-0, Mishra 1-1) trail India 375 (Dhawan 134, Kohli 103, Kaushal 5-134) by 187 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

For the first time since the Wellington Test of February 2014, India got to bat with little pressure and could look forward to sessions of piling on runs. Back then they had bowled New Zealand out for 192, and took a lead of 246. Ten tough Tests later, having dismissed Sri Lanka for 183, India didn't quite bat Sri Lanka out of the game, but managed a healthy 192-run lead. It left Sri Lanka a narrow window, but in the four overs they had in the field, the Indian spinners bowled out the openers to now threaten a three-day finish.

Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli both completed fluent hundreds, and for a change, India were now against an attack missing the quality and the spirit of the ones that have tested them recently. Dhawan responded with his second century in two Tests, Kohli with his fourth century in his fourth Test as captain, and Wriddhiman Saha hit a maiden fifty. Kohli is now on the brink of his first win as captain, and Saha on his first as a Test player.

None of these batsmen had ever played a Test in Sri Lanka, but they are good students of the game and will appreciate how much more difficult it used to be for teams travelling to Sri Lanka before this. Rangana Herath soldiered on accurately, but he missed the zip of the old, Dhammika Prasad and Nuwan Pradeep produced moments of inspiration, and figures of 5 for 134 flattered Tharindu Kaushal. Twice India found themselves in tricky situations, but on both occasions they were let off by loose bowling and slack fielding. Kaushal was the biggest culprit, bowling a spate of full tosses, releasing any pressure built from the other end. His first 16 overs went for 84, his first maiden was his 31st over, and his wickets were either dubious lbws or those of tailenders.

India won't be complaining, though. Apart from the rained-out Test in Bangladesh, their last few assignments have been in South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia, where they often had to fight their way out of trouble. Here, they got loose deliveries readily, as they did on the first evening when they were down at 28 for 2. Even in the first session on the second day, Sri Lanka never looked in the game. In all Dhawan and Kohli added 227, India's best third-wicket stand against Sri Lanka, but two questionable lbws against Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane - within nine balls of each other - still gave Sri Lanka a chance.

At this point India led by just 74 and were about to have their ploy of playing only five specialist batsmen tested. Saha, in his first full series as a long-term wicketkeeper, was understandably edgy. Batsmen of the past in Sri Lanka expected Murali or Herath to give them a proper examination. Saha, though, got three juicy full tosses in the first 10 balls he faced from Kaushal, and was away. Although wickets kept falling on a pitch that was offering turn and bounce, Saha held the rest of the innings together to take the lead close to 200.

That was at least better than the first session for Sri Lanka. India were up against a deflated side, which began the day with a deep point in place. All they managed to do was make India wait, not work hard, for their runs. It took 50 minutes for the visitors to hit the first of only seven boundaries in the morning session, Dhawan's hundred off 178 balls was his slowest in Tests, and Kohli scored only 17 off the first 56 balls he faced. Scoring picked up in the second hour with 99 coming off the first session, but the wickets later in the day meant India were back waiting for their runs.