- Disastrous selection blunder costs Sri Lanka first Test
- Humiliation culminates under three days
- Jadeja takes nine wickets after hammering 175
- As hosts played three spinners, Lanka put only one to pay heavy price
- Lahiru Kumara’s inclusion puzzles even the commentators
Highlights
- Sri Lanka lost 16 wickets for 244 runs within 82 overs on the third day yesterday (6)
- Ravindra Jadeja (175 n.o. and a match-haul of 9/87) is only the sixth Test cricketer to score 150-plus runs and take five-plus wickets in the same match
- Jadeja’s 175 n.o. is the highest score by a No. 7 batter in Tests, going past Kapil Dev’s record of 163
- Taking the wicket of Pathum Nissanka in the second innings, Ravichandran Ashwin surpassed Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath (433 wickets at 28.07) in the highest wicket-takers list of the world
- Taking Charith Asalanka’s wicket, Ashwin got past Kapil Dev’s wicket number 434 to become India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests.
- The current standings for India’s highest Test wicket-takers: 1. Anil Kumble 619 wickets in 132 matches (average 29.65), 2. Ravichandran Ashwin 436 in 85 (24.26), and 3. Kapil Dev 434 in 131 (29.64)
- Now Ashwin is in ninth place in the world’s highest Test wicket-takers list headed by Muthiah Muralidaran
- Jadeja ended his third-straight Mohali Test as the Player of the Match
- Ashwin has taken Thirimanne out seven times for 50 runs in Tests, and 14 times for 140 runs in international cricket
Brief scores
- India 1st innings 574/8 declared
- Sri Lanka 1st innings (overnight 108/4 in 43 overs) 174 all out in 65 overs (Pathum Nissanka 61 n.o. in 133 balls – 4×11, Charith Asalanka 29, Dimuth Karunaratne 28, Angelo Mathews 22, Lahiru Thirimanne 17; Ravindra Jadeja 5/41, Jasprit Bumrah 2/36, Ravichandran Ashwin 2/49)
- Sri Lanka 2nd innings (following on) 178 all out in 60 overs (Niroshan Dickwella 51 n.o. in 81 balls – 4×9, Dhananjaya de Silva 30, Angelo Mathews 28, Dimuth Karunaratne 27, Charith Asalanka 20; Ravindra Jadeja 4/46, Ravichandran Ashwin 4/47, Mohammed Shami 2/48)
Result: India win by an innings and 222 runs
Player of the Match: Ravindra Jadeja
Second and final Test: At Bengaluru on Saturday (12) from 2.30 p.m. (day/night pink ball Test)
An all-round performance from Ravindra Jadeja (175 runs and nine wickets) and Ravichandran Ashwin (61 runs and six wickets) helped India register a resounding win in the first Test by an innings and 222 runs under three days yesterday (6) at the Punjab Cricket Association I.S. Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh.
The way Sri Lanka folded before Jadeja and Ashwin was nothing but humiliating when one thinks that they had historically been a spin bowling powerhouse that produced an array of world-class spinners and batters who usually excel on spin-friendly tracks.
The humiliation of their loss under three days (they were all out in the second innings 25 overs after tea yesterday) was all but increased by their appalling selection blunders, as was noted by even international television commentators.
Why did Sri Lanka opt to go with three pacies – one of them being a half-fit Lahiru Kumara – and only one specialist spinner in Lasith Embuldeniya, whereas the home team went with three specialist spinners and two pacies?
The two Indo spinners took 15 of the 20 Sri Lanka wickets to fall indicating how woeful the Lankan management had read the wicket in spite of all the “specialists” that govern, coach, consult, and manage the national team, ranging from Mahela Jayawardene, Tom Moody, Aravinda de Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Muthiah Muralidaran et al.
The victory gives India 12 crucial points in the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship (WTC) keeping them at No. 5 in the table whilst Sri Lanka slip to No. 3 with this loss. The hosts have also taken a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
This match was former India Captain Virat Kohli’s 100th Test and his successor Rohit Sharma’s first after assuming full-time captaincy duty.
