MOHALI, INDIA (AP) – Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared eight wickets as India beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs in the first test yesterday.
Ashwin took 4-21, while Jadeja had 4-46 as Sri Lanka collapsed to 178 all out (60 overs) after India had enforced the follow-on on day three.
After lunch, Sri Lanka lost Pathum Nissanka (6) early and was reduced to 19-2. The tourists then put on a semblance of resistance with Dimuth Karunaratne (27) and Angelo Mathews (28) adding 26 runs for the third wicket.
But Mohammed Shami (2-48) had Karunratne caught behind with some clever reverse swing and despite a 49-run partnership between Mathews and Dhanajaya de Silva (30) the innings started to unravel again.
Jadeja got the initial breakthrough as de Silva played a loose stroke and holed out.
Sri Lanka then went to tea at 120-4 in 35 overs.
In the final session, Sri Lanka lost three wickets in 11 deliveries immediately after the resumption of play.
Charith Asalanka (20) had played some attacking strokes, but was caught at slip off Ashwin in the first over after tea.
It was Ashwin’s 435th dismissal in test cricket, which moved him past Kapil Dev to become the second-highest wicket-taker in test cricket for India. Anil Kumble tops that list with 619 wickets.
Ashwin is now also ninth in the overall top wicket-takers’ list in test cricket just behind South Africa’s former pacer Dale Steyn with 439 though still some way behind Sri Lanka spin great Muttiah Muralitharan who is top with 800.
Jadeja maintained the momentum and trapped Mathews lbw ending his 118-minute stay at the crease. Three balls later, Suranga Lakmal holed out for a three-ball duck in a replay from the morning’s first-innings’ dismissal.
The collapse saw Sri Lanka slump from 94-4 to 121-7 in the space of 24 balls. Lasith Embuldeniya (2) survived for 46 minutes as he helped the score past 150 with Niroshan Dickwella for company.
Jadeja broke his resistance with Rishabh Pant taking a sharp catch behind the stumps.
Shami trapped Vishwa Fernando lbw for a duck but Dickwella (51 not out) soldiered on to complete his half-century off 81 deliveries.
The match came to an early end as Lahiru Kumara (4) holed out off Ashwin. Sri Lanka’s second innings lasted just 254 minutes.
