That said the pitch is going to get challenging for the batters as the game wears on.
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.
Here are the batters who brought the crowds to their feet at Chepauk on Sunday night...
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.
Gene Hackman had a long and rich career, playing leading and supporting roles in many Hollywood films.
The opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Perth marked a big moment for two young Indian talents, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made their Test debuts.
McSweeney will make his Test debut in the series opener in Perth next week, the 25-year-old given the chance to make the role his own following Warner's retirement earlier this year.
'When Prime Minister Modi met President Trump, they agreed to initiate a bilateral trade dialogue.' 'It makes sense to give these negotiations a chance.'
Mitchell Starc has paid a glorious tribute to the just-retired India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin
If CSK fails to win Friday's match against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai, it could turn to be a historic new low for them. It could be the first time that CSK have lost three matches in a row at home.
Chennai Super Kings will lean on their formidable spin strength under favourable conditions at the Chepauk as well as recent record against Mumbai Indians sans Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, when the two sides face each other in their Indian Premier League campaign opener in Chennai on Sunday.
'I think he's got the technique, he's got the patience to partner up with Uzzy (Khawaja) to allow himself to score big.'
'But I don't think the government is in a great hurry to sign the BTA.'
'We have nothing but respect for every Indian cricketer who takes the field on Friday'
We the people are left in the wind, waiting on the whims of an unengaged president and an oligarch with a nearly bottomless wallet, observes Sree Sreenivasan.
'He has not lived up to expectations.' 'If this was Shubman Gill from Tamil Nadu, he would have been dropped.'
Australia must avoid defeat in Melbourne to keep their hopes alive of taking back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Uncapped McSweeney to open with Khawaja in India series
Australia fast bowler Scott Boland believes his team is still well-placed for victory against India with two days left in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
Young blocked the first ball of the Abrar Ahmed over for a dot before sweeping the ball to square leg to bring up his century.
Australia and South Africa, two teams renowned for their batting prowess, will go head-to-head in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, aiming to secure a place in the Champions Trophy semifinals.
Australia announced a 16-member squad on Thursday with several fresh faces added to the group that played India in the fifth and final Test at Sydney last week. Australia won the marquee series 3-1.
Australia wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey was mesmerized by the way young opener Sam Konstas scored an audacious half-century in the Boxing Day Test against India, but insisted that it was unlikely to become a "blueprint" for future matches.
'Unique action, and it's a little bit tricky to pick up some cues.'
Despite the overcast conditions seemingly favouring the bowlers, the decision proved to be a gamble that didn't pay off immediately.
Unless something changes, Mr Trump is a huge threat right now, which is perhaps not being recognised fully, cautions Debashis Basu.
Images from Day 5 in the fourth Test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday.
The BAFTAs were held at London's Royal Festival Hall on February 16.
A confident New Zealand side will be eager to seal a semi-final spot when they take on Bangladesh, who will be fighting for survival, in their Champions Trophy Group A match in Rawalpindi on Monday.
A round-up of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Speaking as quoted by Fox Sports, Waugh said, "I think they have picked the team on winning these last two Test matches."
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka led by example and smashed a belligerent hundred to set up a 49-run victory over a depleted Australia.
Smith's unbeaten 120 is his second successive hundred of the series while Carey made a career-best 139 not out hitting 22 fours and three sixes between them.
Johnson is a coveted player on the T20 franchise circuit and took a million-dollar contract to play in the 2024 Indian Premier League.
Teenager Konstas to make debut in fourth Test against India
A "devastating" omission after below-par performances in the Border-Gavaskar series notwithstanding, opener Nathan McSweeney has not given up hope of returning to Australia's Test setup, saying he will try his luck as a long-term replacement for Usman Khawaja once the batting stalwart retires.
Australia has made a couple of changes to its squad, addressing Hazlewood's absence and the top-order issues. Sam Konstas replaces Nathan McSweeney in the squad for the fourth Test.
Rohit Sharma's aggressive batting and Shubman Gill's calculated approach have formed a formidable opening partnership for India in ODIs.
Liverpool took another step towards the Premier League title with a 2-0 win at Manchester City.
Australia's success has been compared with some of the nation's great Test teams led by Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.
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