SL v IND, 3rd Test, Day 3 Review: India maintain Test dominance as they complete a sensational whitewash

Day 3 of the 3rd and final Test match between India and Sri Lanka marked a historic series victory for the Indians away from their home.Virat Kohli and his men completed a sensational whitewash today by clinching the series 3-0. Yet another ghastly performance from the Sri Lankan batsmen completely sums up the current state of Sri Lankan cricket.

Sri Lankan second inning:

The Lions were already on the back foot coming into the 3rd day as they were asked to follow on after getting bundled out for just 135 runs in the first inning. Their first inning total was a mammoth 352 runs short of the Indian score. Dimuth Karinaratne and nightwatchman Malinda Pushpakumara started the proceedings for the Lions today but was sent back by the Indians bowler pretty quickly. While Karunaratne scored 16 runs from 48 deliveries, Pushpakumara stayed at the crease facing 32 deliveries but earning only a single run from those.

The Sri Lankan middle order faltered once again and it has been a familiar sight throughout the series. Star batsman Kusal Mendis maintained his poor form in the series apart from a century in the second inning of the second Test at the SSC. The right handed batsman departed after scoring just 12 runs from 21 balls. Dinesh Chandimal tried to lead by example as he combined with Angelo Mathews to form a small partnership. However, both of them failed to make it big as the case has been throughout the series.

The spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin removed Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews respectively. Chandimal scored 36 runs from 89 balls while Mathews earned himself a score of 36 playing 96 deliveries. Niroshan Dickwella was the highest scorer of the Lions’ batting and that totally sums up kind of phase the hosts are going through.

When the batsmen were having a tough time against the dominant visitors, nobody expected much of a display from the bowlers with the willow in hand. The rest of the players in the list all fell within scores of 10 which included Lkshan Sandakan, Dilruwan Perera, Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando. The Indians wrapped up the hosts for a dismal total of just 181 runs, winning the match by 171 runs.

Indian bowling:

Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami were the highlights of the Indian bowling in the second innings. Ashwin picked up 4 wickets including the last one where he bowled Lahiru Kumara with a brilliant carrom ball. Mohammed Shami was on point with his deliveries too as he finished the innings with 3 wickets to his name. Umesh Yadav was tremendously economical in the 13 overs he bowled. He picked up 2 wickets at an economy of 1.62 and maintained his standard as the India’s finest pacer in recent times.

Hardik Pandya picked up the Man of the Match award for his trailblazing hundred in the Indian innings. The lanky right hander showed immense potential and completely justifying his position in the Test format. Shikhar Dhawan was declared the Man of the series for his breathtaking form with the bat in the series. After making a return in place of the injured Murali Vijay, Dhawan continued to grow as a Test player in the series and is now a serious threat for Vijay. However, this is healthy competition in the team which is necessary to enhance your performance at the top level.

Virat Kohli achieved a remarkable feat as a captain by winning the series. Kohli became the first Indian to perform a whitewash over a team away from home. Kohli has proved to be an iconic captain in the Test format in a very short time and he already has something in his bag which the legendary Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni could not do. The 3rd Test victory at Pallekele also marks the most wins by a team in Sri Lanka in the Test format.

It is also a brilliant news for head coach Ravi Shastri as he kicks starts his debut series with a whitewash win. The board demanded success while appointing the coach and Shastri has already started delivering.

Brief Scores:

India 487/10 (Shikhar Dhawan 119, Hardik Pandya 108, Lakshan Sandakan 5/132)

Sri Lanka 1st innings 135/10 (Dinesh Chandimal 48, Niroshan Dickwella 29, Kuldeep Yadav 4/40)

Sri Lanka second innings 181/10 (Niroshan Dickwella 41, Dinesh Chandimal 36, Ravichandran Ashwin 4/68