New Delhi: India  finally managed to bundled out Sri Lanka for 291 on Day 3 of the first Test of the series at Galle on Friday to take a first innings lead of 309. But skipper Virat Kohli opted not to enforce follow on against the hosts.


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

This is the second time under Kohli's leadership that India have opted to bat despite gaining a sizeable innings lead. Earlier this year, in the one-off Test match against visiting Bangladesh, India took a first innings lead of 299, yet opted to bat again. India won the match by 208 runs at Hyderabad.


First time, India failed to enforce follow on after taking first innings lead of 300+ runs was in 2007 under Rahul Dravid the Oval. India scored 644 runs, then bowled out England for 345 to take a 319-run lead. The match, however, ended in a draw.


For the record, Asela Gunaratne, who injured himself while fielding on Day 1, didn't turn up to bat.

Call it a master stroke or a pragmatic approach or sheer good luck, India have won every Test when Kohli has not enforced follow-on. There were instances when he could easily enforced follow on after taking good leads. It can be said about his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Captain Cool hardly enforced follow-ons.


In 2015, India took a good lead of 213 runs against South Africa on a very difficult Feroz Shah Kotla top, but Kohli opted to bat again. And India won the match India by 337 runs.  Next October, India took a 258-run lead against New Zealand at Indore, then bowled out the Kiwis for 153 to win the match by 321 runs.


A month later, in the Visakhapatnam Test against England, India took a 200-run lead in the first innings, but batted for the second time take a 405-run lead. India eventually won the match by 246 runs.