India, Aug. 26 -- Enforcing the follow-on is never an easy decision. Unless the opposition is bundled out inside 50 overs, most Test captains are averse to make the call as it challenges them to extract the best from their tiring bowlers.

On Wednesday, during Day 4 of the second Test at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, skipper Shubman Gill was left to make this tough decision to enforce the follow-on after bowling out Sri Lanka for 290, the hosts folding up 213 runs behind.

India's bowlers had toiled for 89.4 overs in the first innings and it was tough to return to work straightaway. After such a workload, most modern Test captains prefer to give their bowlers a break and unleash them fresh.

To add to India's challenge, there wa...