Sri Lanka are still 518 runs behind and will need a Herculean effort to avoid the follow-on even though more rain is forecast for Saturday.
With recent matches indicating that chasing teams have fared slightly better, the toss-winning captain may opt to bowl first.
Australia, who have already secured their place in the final of the World Test Championship against South Africa, won the opening Test, also in Galle, by an innings and 242 runs.
Former Australia wicket-keeping great Ian Healy has questioned the tactical acumen of Cooper Connolly, saying he was "angry" with the way the opener handled India's pace spearhead Mohammed Shami in the Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai.
Arsenal snapped a season-long jinx against Newcastle United with a nervy 1-0 win in their last Premier League home game on Sunday.
A stoppage-time finish from Rayan Cherki earned Olympique Lyonnais a dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz withstood a charge from qualifier Luca Nardi for a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory in the second round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha on Wednesday.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri seized the first proper pole position of his Formula One career at the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday with the fastest lap yet around the Shanghai International Circuit.
Lewis Hamilton smashed the Shanghai circuit lap record on his way to a stunning first sprint race pole for Ferrari in China on Friday.
Australia's middle order enforcer Josh Inglis said their depleted side will draw a lot of confidence after pulling off a record chase against England in their Champions Trophy opener on Saturday.
Starc's withdrawal comes after pace stalwarts Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were ruled out due to injuries.
Australian Oscar Piastri roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris on Sunday.
Sumit Nagal will take on Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic in the opening round of the Australian Open
Drivers returned to the pits, under a darkening sky, with engineers using torches in the garages before back-up generators came on and the session resumed about an hour later.
Images from Day 4 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the MCG on Sunday.
A round-up of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Hyderabad FC secured their first victory in nine Indian Super League matches with a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Jamshedpur FC.
The Indian batters' inability to grind it out against a relentless Australian pace attack in testing conditions left the team precariously placed at 51/4 at the end of a rain-marred day three.
Becomes ISL's youngest goal scorer as Punjab FC defeat Hyderabad FC 3-1
Liverpool moved one win away from sealing the Premier League title as substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold secured a 1-0 victory at Leicester City
Pakistan's players were fined 25 percent of their match fee and docked World Test Championship points for failing to maintaining a slow over-rate during the second Test against South Africa.
Factbox on Italy's Jannik Sinner, who beat Germany's Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the Australian Open final
Ferrari's underwhelming pace was a surprise to their rivals and to Hamilton, whose quickest lap in the final qualifying session (Q3) was nearly nine-tenths of a second slower than Norris's.
Defending champions Inter Milan secured a 2-1 home win against Udinese in Serie A on Sunday with first-half goals from Marko Arnautovic and Davide Frattesi.
Australia's winning streak in day-night Tests was ended in January by the West Indies, who won a cliffhanger by eight runs at the Gabba.
While Sinner is into his fifth Grand Slam semi-final, Shelton, who turned pro in 2022, is set to play just his second after reaching the last four at the 2023 US Open.
Lakshya Sen defeated Lanier 21-17 21-11, securing a handsome prize purse of around Rs. 36 lakh.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and No. 8 seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland will clash in the ABN Amro Open semi-finals on Saturday after both posted victories on Friday in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
McLaren's Lando Norris swept to victory in a wet and wild Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off defending champion Max Verstappen in a white-knuckle finish to a Formula One season-opener littered with crashes and safety cars.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek crushed Dayana Yastremska 6-0, 6-2 and 2023 champion Elena Rybakina powered past Britain's Katie Boulter 6-0, 7-5 to reach the fourth round of Indian Wells on Sunday in displays of dominance.
Aerospace major Rolls-Royce has announced its intention to double its supply chain sourcing from India over the next five years. The company plans to increase sourcing of complex parts for advanced aerospace engines, naval propulsion systems, diesel engines, and gas turbine engines to grow its presence and participation in India's defense sector. Rolls-Royce currently sources a wide range of high-precision parts and engine components from Indian partners for its civil aerospace, defense, and power systems businesses. The company highlights India's emergence as a preferred global sourcing hub and emphasizes its commitment to strengthening partnerships with both existing and potential Indian suppliers to develop capabilities for manufacturing complex engine components locally for global markets. Rolls-Royce highlights its established ecosystem of strategic partnerships, skilled talent, engineering and digital capabilities, service delivery, supply chain, and manufacturing in India, along with a history of successful technology transfer for licensed production of various engines in the defense domain. The company believes that strengthening the supply chain and enhancing ecosystem capabilities will pave the way for future co-production opportunities, supporting India's vision of becoming a self-reliant defense powerhouse. Rolls-Royce emphasizes its commitment to serving the needs of India's armed forces and its focus on participating in co-development opportunities for critical combat engine technologies.
Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch said that Alex Carey and Rishabh Pant, two left-handed wicketkeeper-batters will be extremely important for their respective sides during the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka led by example and smashed a belligerent hundred to set up a 49-run victory over a depleted Australia.
Daniil Medvedev might have to delay his holiday plans a while longer after rediscovering his spark to beat Australia's Alex de Minaur in straight sets at the ATP Finals on Tuesday.
A summary of Saturday's action in LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
Australia's historic pedigree in cricket's biggest tournaments will count for nothing when they run into an Afghanistan side that is fast cementing its place in the game's top table in the Champions Trophy match in Lahore on Friday.
No. 2 seed Casper Ruud of Norway will take on unseeded Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the Dallas Open final on Sunday after both notched semi-final victories.
Ram Madhvani's series is all over the place and also boring to watch, complains Deepa Gahlot.
Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith hailed his side's resounding innings and 242-run victory over Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday as "near flawless" after the visitors retained the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy.
A summary of Thursday's Europa League quarter-finals second-leg.
