Rohit Sharma has opened his account as India's full-time Test captain with a commanding victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Mohali. Ravindra Jadeja though emerged as the star of the match, scoring an unbeaten 175 before picking five wickets in the first innings and then four in Sri Lanka's second innings after India made the visitors follow-on on Sunday.
After declaring at 574/8, India didn't need to bat again as Sri Lanka were first bowled out for 174, then 178 as the hosts won the match by an innings and 222 runs.
Sri Lanka resumed their first innings at 108/4 this Sunday morning and all-rounder Jadeja completed his five-wicket haul as India bowled them out for 174.
The start to the day though wasn't rosy for India as Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka frustrated the hosts' bowling attack. Moreover, both players were given reprieves in different overs of Ashwin. While Asalanka's catch was shelved by Rohit Sharma at short cover, Shreyas Iyer at deep mid-wicket couldn't hold on to a chance from Nissanka.
Nissanka was troubled by Ashwin but outside of it, the batter fought his way to reach his fifth half-century in Test cricket. Asalanka, despite being bamboozled on many occasions, gave Nissanka good support with boundaries through leg-side off Ashwin.
The 58-run partnership between Nissanka and Asalanka came to an end when Jasprit Bumrah's slower ball from round the wicket deceived the latter, trapping him lbw. Captain Sharma reviewed the original decision to reverse it in India's favour as replays showed ball hitting top of middle-stump. From there onwards, Sri Lanka's batting went downhill as Jadeja ran through the lower order.
Two overs after Asalanka fell, Jadeja struck twice in the same over, taking out Niroshan Dickwella and Suranga Lakmal by luring them to play rash shots and hole out to square leg and mid-off respectively. But Nissanka continued to march forward with two leg-side boundaries off him.
Mohammed Shami took out Lasith Embuldeniya with a bouncer that took the edge of the bat to short leg. Jadeja then got his 10th five-for in Tests by taking out Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara on back-to-back balls, becoming just the sixth player in Test history to score above 150 and take a five-wicket haul in the same match.
Nissanka remained unbeaten on 61 as India enforced the follow-on.
Earlier in the day, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin took 4/46 and 4/47 respectively in the second innings, ensuring the match finished on the third day itself.
Sri Lankan opener Lahiru Thirimanne was the first wicket to fall with Ashwin getting him out on a duck, in the third over.
Four overs later, Ashwin picked his second wicket when Pathum Nissanka, the top-scorer from the first innings, poked at an away-turning off-break. The ball took a thin feather edge to keeper Rishabh Pant. The dismissal meant Ashwin equalled with Kapil Dev at 434 wickets in the list of leading wicket-takers in Test cricket.
Captain Dimuth Karunaratne looked assured in his drives, cuts and pulls. But Mohammed Shami got the ball to nip away and took the edge behind to Pant for a low catch. Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva got going with early boundaries and frustrated India with a partnership of 49 for the fourth wicket off 109 balls.
Just eight minutes before tea, India finally had a breakthrough when Ravindra Jadeja took out de Silva with a full delivery which dipped, turned and bounced, only for the batter to check his drive with no footwork and gave a comfortable catch to short cover.
With two overs left for tea, Mathews decided to attack and he did it in style, dancing down the pitch and lofting Ashwin over long-on. Charith Asalanka joined the party by hitting Jadeja for back-to-back sixes over wide long-on and down the ground. He then ended the session with successive fours through square leg and third man to take 20 runs off the over.
Though Sri Lanka added 110 runs in the second session, they lost three batters with Mathews still looking solid at the crease after playing 72 balls. But in the final session, Sri Lanka lost their way from the word go and the result of the game was a foregone conclusion.
On the third ball of the session after tea, Ashwin drew Charith Asalanka forward and extracted the outside edge which hit Rishabh Pant's thigh and flew to Virat Kohli for a catch at first slip. Asalanka's dismissal meant Ashwin went past legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev to have 435 Test wickets and become the second-highest wicket-taker for India after Anil Kumble's 619 scalps.
The next over saw Jadeja trap Angelo Mathews lbw with a big turning-in delivery which opened his front leg and rapped him low on the back pad. Mathews reviewed but couldn't overturn the decision. Jadeja's next victim in the same over was Suranga Lakmal, who repeated his first-innings dismissal of giving a catch to mid-off, this time to mid-on.
Niroshan Dickwella was in attacking mode, hitting Ashwin, Jayant Yadav and Mohammed Shami for boundaries to be the lone ranger for Sri Lanka with the bat. Jadeja grabbed his ninth wicket as Lasith Embuldeniya tried to defend off backfoot and the thick outer edge was pouched by a very sharp Pant.
Dickwella continued to hit gorgeous shots, whipping through mid-wicket, tucking through square leg and driving down the ground. The wicketkeeper-batter reached his half-century. But in the next over, Ashwin ended the match with Lahiru Kumara holing out to mid-off.
(With inputs from IANS)
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