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India beat Sri Lanka by a huge margin of 238 runs in the second Test with more than seven sessions to spare. Rohit Sharma started in style as he won his debut Test series convincingly. Dimuth Karunaratne delayed the inevitable with his record-breaking century but it went in vain as Sri Lankan middle-order batters displayed lack of application once again.
Indian bowlers got an unexpected fightback from Sri Lankan batters on Day 3 of the pink-ball test at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. Karunaratne did not let Sri Lanka post another low score as he shared a 97-run partnership for the second wicket Kusal Mendis. Even after Mendis’ wicket after a 60-ball 54, Karunaratne seemed like he was batting on a different pitch which did not favour the spinners.
While wickets kept falling at the other end, the Sri Lankan skipper scripted history as he became the first captain and opener to score a century in the fourth innings of a pink-ball Test. The left-handed batter’s resistance came to an end as Jasprit Bumrah cleaned him up from around the wicket. He scored 107 runs from 174 deliveries including 15 fours. Also, he became the seventh Sri Lankan captain to score a Test century against India.
Apart from Karunaratne and Mendis, only wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella managed to score in double digits as Ravichandran Ashwin-led spin attack dominated the visitors. While Ashwin picked four wickets and surpassed Dale Steyn to become the eighth-highest wicket-taker in the format, Axar Patel picked up two wickets. Ravindra Jadeja too contributed the wicket of veteran Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews.
Earlier Sri Lanka started the day with 28 runs on the board for the loss of one wicket with a 447-run target in front of them.
The win also helps India jump one spot on the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship Table. The win takes them to the fourth position with a win percentage of 58.33. The massive loss also means that Sri Lanka fall from third place to fifth with two losses from four games in the current cycle. The table is currently led by Australia, followed by Pakistan and South Africa.
