Spinner Herath pushes India to brink of defeat in first Test (Lunch Report)

Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath claimed a five-wicket haul as chasing a target of 176, the Indian batting line-up collapsed to 78/7 at lunch on Day Four of the first Test match against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Cricket Stadium here on Saturday.

Herath returned figures of 5-37 while fellow spinner Tharindu Kaushal (2-24) also clinched a couple of wickets.

Ajinkya Rahane (18 not out) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3 not out) remained unbeaten at lunch with the visitors in a precarious position in the opening match of the three-Test series with 61 overs still to be played on the fourth and fifth days.

Resuming the fourth day's play on a sunny morning, the Sri Lankans were in an attacking mode as Herath and Kaushal gave the hosts early breakthroughs.

Nightwatchman Ishant Sharma (10) didn't last long as he was adjudged leg before wicket off the bowling of Herath in the seventh over of the day.

India suffered two successive blows thereafter in the space of three overs as Rohit Sharma (4) and skipper Virat Kohli (3) were also sent back to the pavilion by the Lankan spin duo. The Indian score was 45/4 at that time.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan (28) tried to wage a lone battle for India but he too fell, followed by Wriddhiman Saha (2) and Harbhajan Singh (1) to leave India totterring at 67/7.

Earlier, the visitors had ended the third day's play at 23/1 after Lankan batsman Dinesh Chandimal's unbeaten 162 helped the hosts avoid an innings defeat and take their second innings score to 367.

Sri Lanka were bundled out for 183 on the first day while India scored 375 in their first innings.