Kusal Mendis (169 not out) slammed a free-flowing, counter-attacking maiden century on a wicket where every other batsman struggled to even get to a half-century, putting Sri Lanka in a fighting position on Day 3 of the first Test against Australia.

For the third day in succession, there was an interruption in the final session of the day's play. Bad light and then rain brought some enthralling cricket to a halt. The Lankans finished at 282/6, recovering from a perilous 45/3, to get to a lead of 196 in the second innings.

At a certain point in the Lankan innings, Mendis had accounted for 71 per cent of his team's runs. It almost looked as though the 21-year-old was playing on a surface different from the rest of the batsmen. Poor bowling and captaincy also played a part in the visitors losing their foothold.

Australia dominated much of the first two days of the match. Dimuth Karunaratne falling to Mitchell Starc early in the day displayed classic Aussie ruthlessness. Mendis was singlehandedly causing problems at this stage, cutting and flicking with scant regard for the situation his team was in.

Spin continued to hold fort, as Steve O'Keefe and Nathan Lyon caused problems. Even Mendis curbed his attacking instincts here, and the Lankans only got 14 from 10 overs with the slower bowlers operating.

O'Keefe deserved more for his efforts, but the rest of the Aussie attack – Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Lyon and Mitchell Marsh – hardly troubled Mendis. There was support in the form of vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal (42), with whom he stitched a game-changing 117-run stand, the best of the match so far.

Dhananjaya de Silva (36) also played a useful part. Mendis's century resembled Chandimal's pyrotechnics against India in Galle last year. It's certainly even stevens now.

Brief Scores

Sri Lanka – 117 (Dhananjaya de Silva 24; Nathan Lyon 3/12, Josh Hazlewood 3/21) and 282/6 (Kusal Mendis 169*, Dinesh Chandimal 42; Mitchell Starc 2/44, Nathan Lyon 2/98) – lead Australia - 203 (Adam Voges 47, Mitchell Marsh 32; Rangana Herath 4/49, Rangana Herath 4/58) – by 196 runs.