India’s away Test record has been maligned much in the recent past. Its inability to take that last big step, and thereby falling away from the threshold of many a victory, has stood up starkly; like in Johannesburg 2013, in Wellington 2014, and in Galle 2015.
For a brief while on Tuesday, when Sri Lanka saw a sliver of hope with Angelo Mathews (110, 240b, 13x4) and Kusal Perera (70, 106, 11x4) in a battling stand that had the potential to go down as one of the best rearguard actions ever, it was tough for observers to not dwell on the past. India had yet again threatened to come good, but what next?
On the final day of the last Test here, India finally made good on that threat, beating Sri Lanka by 117 runs to record its first away series win in four years, and also its first ever away win from 1-0 down.
Needing a further 319 runs with seven wickets in hand, the hosts folded up for 268 to succumb to their first loss in more than a decade at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
Early in the day, India seemed to be in a hurry. Umesh Yadav let a 140.3 kmph delivery climb awkwardly on to Kaushal Silva, who had to go through with the pull he had shaped up for as the time for evasive action had lapsed. The catch was held by Cheteshwar Pujara at short mid-wicket.
Mathews and Thirimanne scored at less than two runs an over. In a departure from the past, though, they were much more assured outside the off stump.
While Thirimanne had all along jabbed at the ball while being stuck at the crease, here he moved on occasion to get in line. The 33-run partnership off 102 balls though did not hurt India much.
The stand that did came in the post-lunch session. Like on the previous day, the pitch eased out in the afternoon. With spinners R. Ashwin and Amit Mishra bowling way too short, Perera and Mathews had no qualms waiting for the ball and directing it square off the wicket or behind. That yielded almost a boundary an over.
The left-handed Perera, who had erupted like a volcano in the first innings, looked far more subdued. Yet his batting was as fluid as molten rock. He cut, drove and pulled with familiar ease. So confident was he that, at one point, he read a googly from Mishra, and nonchalantly left it, grinned and then danced down the track the next ball to lift him over mid-wicket for four.
Mathews could have been out thrice. When on 25, he edged one to the ’keeper, only for Ishant to be found to have overstepped for the umpteenth time. Then, on 30, Ashwin could have run him out at the non-striker’s end with a direct hit. On 93, he survived a close shout for leg-before off Mishra.
But it would be remiss to not acknowledge his supreme effort. It is from his 21 Tests as captain that Mathews has scored 2,133 of his 3,801 runs and six of his seven centuries, and he averages 68.80.
All along he had harped on playing counter-attacking cricket. However, as the situation demanded, his innings on the final day was risk-averse; his strike-rate was less than 50 and most runs were on the leg-side implying that he played as close to the body as he could.
In the lead up to tea, Stuart Binny was carted for three fours in the 73rd over. Perera flayed one through covers, Mathews cut the second to the fence to bring up his second century of the series. A celebratory pull for four came the very next ball.
The 135-run stand for the sixth wicket finally ended when Perera, as is his wont, perished by the sword, hitting a reverse sweep straight to Rohit Sharma at point off Ashwin.
The stage was thus set for a final burst with the new ball, and Ishant duly obliged by trapping Mathews in front in the first over after tea with a full incoming delivery. It was Ishant’s eighth wicket of the match and 200th of his career.
The cleaning up of the tail, done by the spinners, was merely a matter of time.
