Sri Lanka v India 2nd Test Review: India level series with thumping win

Sri Lanka v India 2nd Test Review: India level series with thumping win: What a remarkable comeback it has been from India. After going down in a humiliating fashion at Galle it was going to take a lot of self belief and grit to turn the tables and that is exactly what the visitors have done. India won the second Test by a comprehensive margin of 278 runs. The series is levelled at 1-1 but India have certainly been the better team for most part of the 9 days of cricket played so far.

Sri Lanka were hardly thinking about a win when the 5^th day in Colombo started. Their primary goal was to avoid defeat in what was to be Sangakkara’s last international game. The hosts would have accepted a draw gleefully as they were already 1-0 up in the series. But batting on a 5^th day pitch is not an easy task and requires application and all Lanka displayed was madness. None of the batsmen were ready to grind it out and the hosts eventually lost the game just after the rain interval which had prompted an early lunch. This loss will hurt Sri Lanka as much as it will please the Indians.

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India received a huge lift in their quest to level the series when Umesh Yadav dismissed Angelo Mathews off the first ball of the fifth morning. Onus was now on Chandimal and Thirimanne to bat as long as possible. Kohli’s decision to bring on leg spinner Amit Mishra ahead of lead spinner Ashwin bore instead dividends when the leggie bowled Chandimal around his legs with a classical leg break. Sri Lanka lost a flurry of wickets thereafter. Ashwin picked up the crucial wicket of Thirimanne and the Lankan resistance was all but over. The offie eventually ended with 5 wickets as he ran through the Sri Lankan lower middle order.

Even a spell of rain, with India just a wicket away from victory, couldn’t stop them from completing the formalities and it took the visitors just four deliveries in the post-lunch session to wrap the second Test. Sri Lanka were bowled out 134 giving the visitors a 278-run series levelling win. Unfortunately Kumar Sangakkara ended his Test career with a defeat. The end of one chapter marks the beginning of another with this being Virat Kohli’s first Test win as captain. This is also India’s first Test win in more than a year.

Though Virat talked about being more aggressive and positive it was patience which paved the way for this massive victory. The bowlers were willing to bowl nagging lines for hours while the batsmen waited for loose deliveries and cashed in. The Lankans must be planning to have a hard look at their strategies and team combination. Whether playing 5 bowlers is a solution, only time will tell. Jehan Mubarak is all set to be dropped after failing to perform the number 6 role and Tharanga might replace him. India on the other hand will be delighted with Mishra’s performance. They were desperately lacking a spinner who could support Ashwin and the leggie’s showing has come as a welcome relief.

The visitors have come storming back into the series. As at Galle, they dominated the entire Test and this time made sure that they applied the finishing touches as well. It all started with a KL Rahul century on the first day of the Test. Rahane and Vijay played crucial knocks in the 2^nd innings while Mishra and Ashwin were simply outstanding. While the Indians celebrate their victory let us not forget to salute Sangakkara for being an absolute legend of the game.

Brief Scores:

India 393 (Rahul 108, Herath 4-81) and 325 for 8 dec. (Rahane 126, Prasad 4-43) beat Sri Lanka 306 (Mathews 102, Mishra 4-43) and 134 (Karunaratne 46, Ashwin 5-42).

by 278 runs and level the series 1-1 with one match to go

Man of the Match – KL Rahul