Ind vs SL: Sri Lanka fall in spin trap, lose by innings and 222 runs
Deepankar Sharda
Mohali, March 6
Rohit Sharma’s first Test as captain had all ingredients of the most successful Indian formula — a dry track guaranteed to aid spin, a huge score after batting first, and rout of the opposition batsmen by India’s top-class spinners. Before the match, Sharma expressed satisfaction with the conditions for the match — he said the pitch was a ‘typical’ Indian surface and would support India’s strengths, batting and spin.
6th man — Ravindra Jadeja — to score 150 or more and take a five-for in the same Test. Jadeja fell one wicket short of becoming the first man to score 150 or more in an innings and take 10 wickets in the match
436 Wickets taken by Ravichandran Ashwin in 85 Tests. He crossed Kapil Dev (434 wickets in 131 Tests) to become the second-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests. Anil Kumble leads the chart with 619 wickets from 132 Tests
9th position Ashwin climbed up to in the list of top wicket-takers in the world. He is three wickets behind Dale Steyn
52.5 Ashwin’s strike-rate in Tests. The off-spinner has the best strike-rate and average (24.26) among India’s top 10 wicket-takers
He picked up the right bowling combination — three spinners and two top-class pacemen — and it all worked like a charm. Sharma got a victory in his captaincy debut without much exertion, for the Sri Lankan batsmen did not have the technique and temperament to defy wily spinners and menacing pacemen at Sharma’s disposal. Sri Lanka lost 16 wickets on Day 3, getting bowled out for 174 in the first innings and 178 in the second after being asked to follow on, handing India victory by an innings and 222 runs.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared 15 of the 20 Sri Lankan wickets to fall, and Jadeja was named the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 175 runs and nine wickets for the match.
Tough ask
Sri Lanka, a team in transition, had little going for them. After Sharma won the toss, they found little respite —India scored a mammoth 574 without being bowled out, and then the spinners their job to perfection. Sri Lanka could not cope and surrendered without a fight.
Two of their top-6 batsmen are just starting out and the 34-year-old Angelo Mathews, who batted at No. 4, is not the force he once was. No. 7 Niroshan Dickwella is a fighter, but after that comes the tail that can’t be expected to last long on a tricky surface.
No. 3 Pathum Nissanka, who had scored a hundred on debut less than a year ago in the West Indies, was the only man to put up a fight in the first innings with an unbeaten 61. He watched in horror as batsmen at the other end perished, and Sri Lanka slumped from 161/4 to 174 all out in seven overs. They lasted only 65 overs in their first innings, which would amount to just over two sessions.
India enforced the follow-on, and Sri Lanka’s second innings was even shorter, lasting only 60 overs, bowled out for 178.
Dickwella top-scored with 51 in the second innings while no other batsmen passed even 30.
Day 3 was dominated by Jadeja and Ashwin as they toyed with the Sri Lankan batsmen. Jadeja became the first player ever to score over 150 runs and claim nine wickets, while Ashwin picked up his 435th wicket during the course of the day to go past Kapil Dev’s mark of 434 — Ashwin is now the second-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests.
Jadeja on fire
After his personal best of 175 yesterday, Jadeja was again in the limelight, this time with the ball. He claimed a fifer in the first innings, followed by 4/46 in the second.
He made full use of the helpful track and troubled the Sri Lankan batsmen. He used the angles well, bowling into the right-handers and turning the ball the other way. The tricky wicket, with some balls keeping low, did the rest.
Ashwin’s fine form
For Ashwin, reaching here 10 days before the start of the match worked well — he got a feel of the conditions and was able to work on his strategies. He claimed six wickets in this match to reach 436. He dismissed Charith Asalanka for his third wicket of the second innings to get past Kapil Dev’s 434.
Double act
Star spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin did a great double act in the Test match — they not only raised an important 130-run partnership, but they also shared 15 wickets between them. Jadeja was a very dominant figure in the match — there were three 100-run partnerships in the Indian innings, and he figured in all three. Sri Lanka failed to match his unbeaten 175 in their first innings and exceeded it by only three runs in the second.
My lucky ground, says Jadeja
In four Tests in Mohali, Ravindra Jadeja has scored 327 runs at an average of 81.75 and taken 27 wickets at 14.66. No wonder he called it his ‘lucky’ ground. “I would say this is my lucky ground. Whenever I come here I get positive vibes,” he said. “I was looking to build a partnership with Rishabh (Pant), give him the strike and enjoy his batting from the other end. To be honest I don’t know about any stat. I look to keep it very simple out in the middle.”
It’s a big thing in his cricketing career to achieve that feat. He is an all-time great in my eyes. He is playing for so many years and performed for the country. So many match winning performances, so for me he is an all-time great — Rohit Sharma, India Captain on R Ashwin
