India rout helpless Sri Lanka in the final Test, to complete whitewash

Picture Courtesy : Hindustan Times

India completed an emphatic series whitewash of  a helpless Sri Lanka beating them by an innings and 171 runs to win the third and the final Test at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Monday.

With this win, Virat Kohli led side  won the three-match Test series 3-0 . This is India’s first overseas series whitewash against any nation. This is also Sri Lanka’s first whitewash at home in a three-match Test series since losing to Australia in 2004.

This is the seventh time in the history of Tests that a home team has been whitewashed at home in a minimum of three-match series. India, who are the top Test playing nation, won their 8th Test series on the trot under the leadership of Virat Kohli. The series win is a perfect return for head coach Ravi Shastri .

The hosts were all out for 181 in their second innings after made to follow on. Sri Lanka were bundled out for 135 on Sunday after India posted 487 in their first innings.

India had won both in Galle and Colombo inside four days.

At lunch on the third day, the hosts trailed by 270 runs with six wickets remaining. Thanks to an unbroken 43-run partnership between Dinesh Chandimal (26) and Angelo Mathews (17), Sri Lanka managed to delay the inevitable.

Starting from overnight 19 for one, Mohammed Shami (2-20) bowled a fiery opening spell while Ravichandran Ashwin (1-33) removed opener Dimuth Karunaratne (16) at the other end. The ball took extra bounce and lobbed off his glove as the batsman was caught at slip in the third over of the morning.

Shami then had nightwatchman Malinda Pushpakumara (1) caught behind in the 21st over. Two overs later, he got the big dismissal as well, trapping Kusal Mendis (12) lbw with a sharp in-swinger. The hosts lost 3 for 13 in the first passage of play this morning.

Thereafter, Sri Lanka crossed 50 in the 26th over, with Chandimal and Mathews holding fort together. The duo gave up on the attack-minded tactic against the Indian bowling, instead looking to play for time. In the 35th over, Mathews survived a shout for caught behind off Umesh Yadav (0-23), even as India appealed for DRS against the original not out decision. But there was no evidence to over—turn the decision as Mathews continued his innings.

India lead the three-match series 2-0 after winning the first Test in Galle by 304 runs and the second Test in Colombo by an innings and 54 runs.

On day one of the final match, Shikhar Dhawan (119) and K L Rahul (85) put on the highest opening stand of 188 runs on Lankan soil as India finished at 329 for six at stumps. Yesterday, Hardik Pandya scored his maiden Test hundred off 86 balls to help India reach 487 in their first innings. Sri Lanka then collapsed to 135 all out in their first innings with Kuldeep Yadav picking 4-40.

Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara were the stars with the bat in the series with two centuries each . There were other fine contributors too – KL Rahul scored four fifties , Skipper  Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Hardik Pandya scored hundreds as well.Thereby giving a commanding show by Indian batsmen.

In bowling spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared 30 wickets in between with 17 and 13 wickets respectively.