An unrelenting R. Ashwin bowled tail-ender Lahiru Gamage for his eighth victim of the match, raced to the 300th wicket in a record 54 Tests and brought victory by an innings and 239 runs as India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series against Sri Lanka on Monday.
The resounding result also matched India’s biggest Test match win which it had achieved against Bangladesh at Mirpur in 2007. India had declared its first innings then at 610 for three.
Trailing by 405 runs in the first innings, Sri Lanka, palpably, did not have the motivation to compete against the home team that had dictated terms with ball and bat in the first three days of the second Test at the VCA Stadium here.
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To start with, opener Sadeera Samarawickrama, playing only in his sixth Test innings, looked utterly confused in the closing minutes of the third day and offered his wicket on a platter to Ishant Sharma.
In the first session on the fourth day, the visiting team, barring captain Dinesh Chandimal and to an extent Suranga Lakmal, fell like a pack of cards.
Delaying the inevitableADVERTISEMENT
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The umpires put lunch on hold for fifteen minutes after the downfall of Rangana Herath, five minutes before the long interval, to find out if India would be able to wrap up the match. As it transpired, Lakmal showed sufficient gall to keep the bowlers at bay for eleven overs and two balls.
With their team set to face the inevitable defeat anytime, Chandimal and Lakmal went after the bowlers, especially Ashwin, who perhaps was trying to force mis-hits from the batsmen.
Dasun Shanaka threw his wrist at everything and sent the ball twice over the ropes off Ashwin before K.L. Rahul converted a catch that came spiralling down at mid-on.
Chandimal and Lakmal held on for 41 minutes before the Lankan captain flicked Umesh Yadav straight to Ashwin at long leg for the speedster’s 99th Test wicket.
Chandimal had defied the Indian attack with confidence to score his 15th half century. The ninth wicket cost India 58 runs and Gamage defended for a further ten minutes before getting beaten off the wicket to be bowled.
The fourth day’s proceedings began with Virat Kohli deploying a spin-pace combination in Ashwin and Ishant. India came close to a breakthrough when left-hander Dimuth Karunaratne nicked the Delhi fast bowler short of Cheteshwara Pujara at slip.
Holding on
The home team sent the first Sri Lankan batsman indoors when Kohli rung in a change by replacing Ashwin with Ravindra Jadeja. Immediately Karunaratne attempted an on side shot off the left-arm spinner and short-leg fielder Vijay managed to control the catch with his hands and legs.
Wicketless in the first innings, Umesh struck after taking over from Ishant. He invited Lahiru Thirmanne with a widish delivery and the left-hander steered the ball straight to Jadeja at backward point.
The massive lead began to tell on the Lankans and immediately after the drinks break, Angelo Mathews drove Jadeja straight into the hands of mid-off and Niroshan Dickwella fended a lifter to Kohli at second slip, who held the catch with the right hand after missing it with two.
Kohli used the fast bowlers in short bursts and the spinners in short spells to reap the rewards. A cut above the rest, Chandimal was a class act, carving Umesh for an off-side boundary and picking up eight more, but after a 110-minute confrontation, he fell to the same bowler.
This was a Test where India called the shots right through and won with almost five sessions remaining, a few hours before the selection committee meeting to choose teams for the remaining part of the series against Sri Lanka and the three-Test series in South Africa.