Web Desk (August 14, 2017): India registered an emphatic win over clueless Sri Lanka, completing a historic 3-0 clean sweep of an away Test series. Bundled out for 135 in the first innings and made to follow on, Sri Lanka went down without a whimper to be all out for 181 at the Pallekele International Stadium on Monday.
The innings win inside three days meant India have for the first time inflicted a whitewash in a three-Test series away from home.
Virat Kohli and Co won the first Test in Galle by 304 runs and the second by an innings and 53 runs in Colombo. At Pallekele, Sri Lanka never recovered from the stunning assault by Hardik Pandya (108 off 96 balls). And up against India’s total of 487, the home team batsmen fell like nine pins.
Resuming their second innings on 19 for one, it was abject surrender by the home team against the bowling of R Ashwin and Mohammed Shami, who finished with four and three wickets respectively.
There was token resistance from the fifth wicket pair of skipper Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews, but chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav broke the partnership at the score of 105 and the innings caved in.
It was another episode in Sri Lanka’s sorry story in the series. They have struggled to get a partnership going, and whenever they have seemed like getting one, India have broken through.
Seldom have India been so dominant in an away series. India were all over the Sri Lankan team in the series. Openers Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul not only laid a platform in Pallekele, but got runs rapidly to seize the initiative.
In the third Test, they set the tone with an aggressive 188-run partnership. The middle-order made merry in the first two games, and for once when they struggled at Pallekele, the lower-order more than made up with Hardik Pandya slamming a brilliant hundred.
The roll of dice also went against the hosts with Virat Kohli winning all three tosses and getting his team to bat first and set the tone.
In their final act of the series, Sri Lanka needed opener Dimuth Karunaratne to produce one of his second innings specials like he did at Galle and Colombo. But the hosts were in trouble soon after resuming at 19/1.
R Ashwin struck in his first over on Monday, the third of the day, to remove Karunaratne. The two have had a personal battle with Karunaratne scoring a hundred in the second Test. But here he had no chance, Ashwin producing an off-spinner’s special to have him caught at slip. The ball drifted, turned and bounced and took the top of the bat and glove.
Pallekele woke up to overcast conditions and like most pace bowlers, Mohammed Shami just loved it. In good rhythm through the match, Shami bowled a fiery spell. He pitched at three-quarter length and around the off-stump with an excellent seam position.
His fuller delivery was too good for nightwatchman Malinda Pushpakumara and the thick outside edge was gobbled up by wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.
Sri Lanka’s hopes of a fight received a serious setback when rising star Kusal Mendis succumbed to the pressure built by Shami. Trying to break the shackles, the batsman attempted to work the ball to the on-side but missed to be trapped leg before.
Chandimal (36 off 89 balls) was the fifth wicket to fall, caught at short leg by Cheteshwar Pujara off Kuldeep Yadav. And R Ashwin effectively hit the final nail 14 runs later when he trapped Angelo Mathews leg before.
