Chameera and the Sri Lanka injury carousel

In the approach to this match, there had been worries in the Sri Lanka camp that Nuwan Pradeep's body may not be able to withstand two Tests in a row. Fair to say they were well off the mark. Pradeep's body could barely withstand one Test in a row. Somewhere between the fourth day in Galle and the first at the P Sara, Pradeep had tweaked a hamstring. Sri Lanka have not said how the injury happened, but no one who has followed the fate of their seamers over the past decade will be surprised if it had been the vibrations from the team bus that proved too much for his thigh.

Pradeep is now the third top quick to be unavailable in this series. Shaminda Eranga had spent the entire Pakistan tour on the sidelines thanks to a back complaint, then just as he seemed to be ready for India, strained a muscle in his groin. Suranga Lakmal recovered from a groin complaint himself to play one Test against Pakistan, but in the weeks since, has strained his side.

Sometimes it feels like Sri Lanka seamers are on an injury carousel. They come into view briefly, have their few seconds in the spotlight, then move back into the shadows and go unseen for a few weeks at least. To suggest they are made of cardboard doesn't quite do justice. More likely they are comprised of powder. Every time the wind blows, a little part of the pace attack is carried away with it. If the first homo sapiens had been Sri Lanka seamers, our species would have become extinct 90,000 years ago.

The injuries are not the quicks' fault, of course. Not even a little bit. Almost every bowler in the pace battery was discovered relatively late in life, and as such, had not had the chance in adolescence to prepare their bodies for the rigours of fast bowling. They are also usually from families of very limited means. Only after they arrive in the Sri Lanka team do they begin to get halfway-decent nutrition.

But with three of the top four seamers out of action, it came down to 23-year-old Dushmantha Chameera to consolidate Sri Lanka's early gains on Thursday. Tall, quite quick, and possessing a smooth action, there is plenty about him to be excited about. There is also plenty for him to learn. If the senior bowlers ahead of him had stayed fit for longer, Chameera might have had that ideal, gradual introduction to international cricket - where he would have played as the third frontline quick on the juicier tracks, before eventually taking on more substantial duties. Instead, he finds himself thrown in the deep end.

On a P Sara track less helpful to seamers than Sri Lanka expected, Chameera's first spell eased the pressure on India's top order. Four boundaries were struck in his first 13 balls, and that first spell of four overs cost 24 runs. Later in the day, he dismissed centurion KL Rahul with the bouncer. But it doesn't quite eclipse the fact he was largely wayward when he banged it in short and was picked off by Rahul, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Chameera did have Rahul dropped for 11 in his very first over, and maybe his figures would have been prettier at the end of the day if that chance had been taken at gully. "Had we taken that catch off Rahul, the first session would have been different," senior bowler Dhammika Prasad said. "We might have been able to take even more wickets, with a new batsman coming to the crease. That did cost us a bit."

As Sri Lanka seem to have introduced a dropped-catch quota of at least three per Test, Chameera might as well get used to having batsmen reprieved from his bowling. He is doing a brave job in a tough situation for now, but he will not want too many more days in which he finishes with an economy rate of 4.53.

With Angelo Mathews' removal of Rohit off the last ball, Sri Lanka have ended day one with some credit. Prasad hoped they could claim the final four India wickets before the total, currently at 319, grew to 350. Even if India get closer to 400, the match remains winnable for the home side.

Loaded with undue responsibility, Chameera's inexperience was exposed in patches. He will probably improve quicker in the national team, than he would have in Sri Lanka's first-class system. That is unless he gets injured first.