At stumps on day three, Sri Lanka were 15 for 1 in their second innings, still trailing the West Indies' first-innings total by 303 runs.
After being invited to bat first by the West Indies, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 308 in their first innings. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva led the batting effort with a superb 120, while Dinesh Chandimal contributed 54.
In reply, the West Indies declared their first innings at 626 for 9, establishing a commanding 318-run lead.
Amir Jangoo starred with a magnificent 233, while captain Roston Chase scored 194. The pair shared a record-breaking 401-run partnership for the sixth wicket, setting a new world record for the highest sixth-wicket stand in Test cricket. They surpassed the previous record of 399 runs set by England's Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow against South Africa.
The partnership also eclipsed the previous West Indies sixth-wicket record of 282 runs, set by Brian Lara and Ridley Jacobs.
For Sri Lanka, Milan Rathnayake was the standout bowler, claiming an impressive five-wicket haul.
With two days remaining, Sri Lanka will need a strong batting performance to avoid defeat and keep the first Test alive.
