Ind vs SL |
The innings and 222-run victory over Sri Lanka at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium here on Sunday may not rank among the greatest of Indian wins. But it was as ruthless and clinical as it could get.
Prior to the start, history did not favour Sri Lanka; even the best XIs put together by the island nation in the past hadn’t managed a win in India, let alone this outfit. Neither did Dimuth Karunaratne’s men have the quality to outlast the hosts over five days of rigorous Test cricket.
Spinners rule
The least that was expected was a fight. What one got instead was an abject surrender. Sri Lanka lost 16 wickets on the day, 12 of those to the rampaging spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and R. Ashwin.
Jadeja finished with a match-haul of nine for 87, while Ashwin went past Kapil Dev’s tally of 434 wickets to become India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests behind Anil Kumble (619).
Sri Lanka will now travel to Bengaluru for the day-night Test (March 12-16), its morale down and confidence shattered.
There were pockets of isolated resistance. Overnight batters Charith Asalanka and Pathum Nissanka survived by the skin of their teeth for almost 15 overs in the morning when Ashwin looked like taking a wicket every ball.
In the second essay, there was a 49-run partnership between Dhananjaya de Silva and Angelo Mathews for the fourth wicket. Just before Tea, Asalanka and Mathews smashed Ashwin and Jadeja for 26 runs in two overs, including three sixes and two fours.
There was also a neat little unbeaten cameo from Niroshan Dickwella (51, 81b), studded with nine fours.
But for that, Sri Lanka’s batting order was as tenuous as a house of cards. Jadeja precipitated the fall in the morning with a spell of 4-1-11-4. Sri Lanka was made to follow on, 400 runs adrift. Ashwin struck early in the second innings, dismissing Lahiru Thirimanne and Nissanka on either side of lunch to pull level with Kapil.
But India hit a block when de Silva and Mathews were batting. With not much happening, Virat Kohli tried to egg the crowd on and cupped his ear. The first responder was a fan who ran onto the field, only to be thrown out quickly by the staff and served an immediate life-ban (according to the stadium announcer).
Jadeja, who could do no wrong, took it upon himself to provide the breakthrough and had de Silva caught by Shreyas Iyer at short-cover. It opened the floodgates and off the third ball after Tea, Ashwin drew an edge from Asalanka, which Kohli lapped up off Rishabh Pant’s leg to give the offie his milestone wicket.
Jadeja dismissed Mathews and Suranga Lakmal in the span of three balls and Lasith Embuldeniya later to be on the cusp of a 10-wicket haul. But the final two wickets went to Mohammed Shami and Ashwin, leaving Jadeja short, just like on Saturday when he finished 25 runs adrift of a deserved double-century.
But there is little doubt as to whose Test it will be remembered as.
