India put the seal on a thoroughly dominant three weeks of cricket against Sri Lanka with a thumping 238-run victory in the second and final Test at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Monday.
The 2-0 series win followed the 3-0 sweep of the T20I series, ensuring that Rohit Sharma started his journey as captain in the best possible way. India also pocketed 12 all-important ICC World Test Championship points to rise to fourth in the table.
Resistance
The visitors didn’t necessarily roll over on the third and final day. They came up with their best batting performance of the series, going past 200 for the first time in four innings. But, 447 would have been a record-chase even in red-ball cricket, let alone pink.
Under the baking afternoon sun, with Sri Lanka needing a further 419 runs, expectations of an imminent Indian triumph hung heavy. But it was the final chance for Sri Lanka to show that it had the stomach for a fight. It was also a test of one of pink-ball cricket’s foundational objectives: to attract a sizeable crowd on a week day.
Sri Lanka responded well to the challenge, and the crowd aced it. Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and one-drop Kusal Mendis (54, 60b, 8x4) stitched together a 97-run partnership, Lanka’s highest for any wicket this series.
Through this, the spectator strength steadily built up and three-and-a-quarter hours later, as Karunaratne raised his bat after reaching his 14th Test hundred (107, 174b, 15x4), the 13,000-strong crowd applauded him like he was one of their own.
The first hour of play was manic. Batters were beaten, edges fell short and there were overthrows from panicking fielders.
Through this, Karunaratne and Mendis glowed, like the last embers of a dying fire. The captain stepped out and drove Ravindra Jadeja to the mid-wicket fence off the first ball of the day. Off the next 59 balls, 47 runs were scored.
Rush of blood
But a moment’s rush of blood cost Mendis. He was stumped by Rishabh Pant trying to step out to an R. Ashwin delivery that held its line from around the wicket. Jadeja soon uprooted Angelo Mathews’ leg-stump with a slider and when Ashwin had Dhananjaya de Silva caught at short-leg, Sri Lanka was reduced to 105 for four, losing three batters for just eight runs.
Again, to his credit, Karunaratne ensured that the last day of the tour wouldn’t go like every other day has gone for the island nation. With Niroshan Dickwella, he put on 55 runs for the fifth wicket.
The pitch didn’t spit fire the way it had on day one. Maybe the eyes — of both players and viewers — had gotten used to it. More likely was the way Karunaratne batted, using his feet well to smother the spin.
He played Jadeja and Axar Patel with the turn and used the sweep well against Ashwin. The century eventually came via a flicked four behind square off Jasprit Bumrah and the icing was a brilliant upper cut immediately after.
But just as daylight started dwindling, Bumrah rearranged his stumps, sneaking one through his defence. The sun soon set, on Sri Lanka as well.
