India equal their biggest Test win in Sri Lanka mauling

New Delhi: Sri Lanka made a mess of their second innings on Monday and succumbed to Indian bowling led by offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin as the hosts won the second Test by an innings and 239 runs on the fourth day to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Starting the day at 21/1, the Lankans innings folded for 166, after the 205 they made in the first essay and were then plundered by Indian batting (610/6 declared) led by Virat Kohli’s double century.

The victory margin also equalled India’s biggest win in Test cricket, matching their innings-and-239-run win over Bangladesh in 2007.

Leading India’s win, Ashwin (4/63) completed 300 Test wickets reaching there in his 54th Test, which beat the world record that until Monday stood in the name of fast-bowling great Dennis Lillee (56 Tests).

The offie registered a match-haul of 8/130 after going wicket-less in the drawn first Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav two wickets apiece in Sri Lanka’s second innings that folded up in 49.3 overs.

Earlier during the fourth morning session of the match, Sri Lanka lost 7 wickets for 124 runs to push themselves to point of no return.

The visitors’ scorecard read 145/8 at lunch, still 260 runs behind India. India completed the last rites quickly post lunch with Ashwin and Yadav taking the last two Sri Lankan wickets.

Skipper Dinesh Chandimal (61) scored his second half-century of the Test and was once again the best Lankan batsman on show.

The manner of abject surrender in this Test match would certainly hurt the island nation that until a few years back was a force to reckon in international cricket.

Ishant (2/43) looked menacing as he bowled short and quick while Jadeja (2/28) was the beneficiary of some sharp fielding from Murali Vijay and indiscretion from the part of opposition batsmen.

Dimuth Karunaratne (18) was the first to get out when he tried to flick Jadeja and Vijay standing at short leg had the ball jam into him. The Tamil Nadu player showed good reflexes as Karunaratne was left stunned.

Lahiru Thirimanne (23), currently a senior player in the team stunned one and all when he chased a wide delivery from Umesh Yadav to hand Jadeja at point the simplest of catches. It was a shocking dismissal as the ball was on the imaginary sixth stump and should have been left alone.

Former captain Angelo Mathews (10) was expected to show some responsibility while batting alongside Chandimal but his choice of shot also left a lot to be desired.

Having hit Jadeja for a six over long-on, he tried the same shot over long-off but failed to clear Rohit Sharma at mid-off. The former skipper is a pale shadow of his self and questions have been raised about his form and commitment which has been hurting Lankan cricket for some time now.

Mathews used to look a fine player when Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara were around but post their retirement, he has not been able to find his mojo.

The Sri Lankan cricket had expected Mathews to carry on the legacy of Mahela and Sangakkara but over the past two years, he has failed miserably with no significant contribution in Sri Lankan victory.

Niroshan Dickwella (4) got a snorter from Ishant which he awkwardly fended off to Virat Kohli at third slip, who gobbled it on the second attempt.

It was then Ashwin, who joined the party after Shanaka hit him across the line for a boundary and a six. But it was an act of desperation that was for a brief period of time before he was holed out at long-on by KL Rahul giving the off-spinner his 297th victim.

Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath were then dismissed in quick succession as he closed in on his world record.

For Chandimal, it was all about being helpless watching the manner of dismissals with none of the batsmen showing any stomach for fight. More than the technique, it was the temperament that was questionable considering that the pitch and conditions weren’t the most difficult to bat on.

The third and final Test begins in Delhi on December 2.

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