Twitter Reactions: Sri Lanka in driver’s seat after opening day of first Test against New Zealand at Hagley Oval

New Zealand (Photo source: Twitter)

The Dimuth Karunaratne-led side started brilliantly in the two-match Test series against New Zealand. Batting first, the visiting team posted 305 runs with the loss of six wickets after Day 1 of the first Test. Skipper Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis were sensational as the Lankans are in the driver’s seat after Day 1.

Now, opening the innings, the 34-year-old skipper scored 50 off 87 deliveries while Mendis smashed 87 off 83 deliveries. Meanwhile, soon after their dismissal, Angelo Matthews and Dinesh Chandimal took control of the situation and didn’t let Sri Lanka slip away from the game. After Matthews got out on 47, Dhananjaya de Silva took the matter into his own hands as he was batting on 39* at end of day 1. Kasun Rajitha is batting alongside him as Sri Lanka looked brilliant so far.

Meanwhile, for New Zealand, nothing has gone according to plan. After their sensational win against England in the second Test of the series, they were expected to dominate the Lankans on their home turf, but that hasn’t been the case so far. Skipper Tim Southee picked up three wickets while Matt Henry picked up two but other than that, they looked very average with the ball.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka are desperate to get a win and qualify for the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC). Now, in case India lose their fourth and final Test against Australia in Ahmedabad and Sri Lanka manages to defeat New Zealand in the Test series, Dimuth Karunaratne and company will qualify for the finals and take on Australia at the Oval in June.

However, things are not going to be that easy. The pitch is expected to favour the batters and given New Zealand’s depth, they are expected to make a comeback on Day 2 of the Test match. Former skipper Kane Williamson will lead them with the bat while in-form batters Henry Nicholls and Daryl Mitchell will have the responsibility to put New Zealand back on track.

Here’s how Twitter reacted –

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