Colombo, Sept 1:
India today broke a 22-year-old jinx on Sri Lankan soil with an emphatic 117-run win over the hosts in the third and final cricket Test, recording their first ever overseas series triumph from a 0-1 deficit.
After setting a daunting victory target of 386, India managed to dismiss Sri Lankan for 268 despite captain Angelo Mathews valiant century to wrap up the series 2-1, their first overseas series victory since June, 2011 against the West Indies.
The last time an Indian team won a series in Sri Lanka was way back in 1993 under Mohammed Azharuddin’s leadership when they sealed the series with 1-0 scoreline.
Since 1993, India has toured Sri Lanka five times but had not managed to win a series. While they had travelled to Sri Lanka in 1997, 2001, 2008 and 2010 for a bilateral series, in 1998-99 they competed there in the Asian Test Championships.
Till now, India have won only three Test series after losing the first Test and this is the first time that the achievement has come on foreign soil. India won a series in 1972-73 against England and against Australia in 2000-2001 at home.
It was new captain Virat Kohli’s first series win ever since he took over the reins of the team from Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
On an absorbing final day’s play, the visitors took two quick wickets in the morning session before Mathews (110) and debutant Kusal Perera (70) scripted a spirited fightback to frustrate the Indians.
The duo put on a resolute 135-run partnership for the sixth wicket, the second-highest stand in the fourth innings in Sri Lanka’s Test history. Roy Dias and Duleep Mendis hold the record of biggest fourth innings partnership with a 214- run stand.
Off-spinner R Ashwin was the pick of the Indian bowlers with four for 69 while paceman Ishant Sharma scalped three for 32. Umesh Yadav chipped in with two for 65.
The fifth day’s action was not devoid of drama as more on-field altercation took place with Kusal Perera being involved in a heated exchange with Indian players.
Ashwin took the last wicket of Nuwan Pradep to bring about India’s moment of glory, triggering scenes of wild celebrations in the dressing room as the players hugged each other and picked up the stumps as mementos.
Ashwin provided the vital breakthrough by breaking the sixth-wicket partnership with Perera’s scalp. The second new ball, taken after tea break, turned the tide completely in India’s favour with Ishant getting rid of Mathews in the very first over.
Mathews struck his seventh Test hundred as the skipper was solid from one end while the keeper-batsman Perera looked to go on the offensive. With the pitch easing out and India rotating their bowlers in short spells, the two batsmen made merry at the crease.
Their 50-run partnership came off only 85 balls as Sri Lanka crossed the 100-mark. In the first hour after lunch, they added 39 runs in 13 overs with the match hanging in balance. Then the 200-mark came up in the 68th over.(PTI)
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