Sri Lanka’s most resilient performance on their tour of India couldn’t stop Rohit Sharma’s men storming to a 238-run victory in the day-night test in Bengaluru. Chasing 447, Sri Lanka were eliminated on day three of the second and final Test with 208 but they will be proud of Dimuth Karunaratne’s battling 107 and a fine 57 from Kusal Mendis.
India had outsmarted Sri Lanka in the first Test at Mohali thanks to Ravindra Jadeja’s 175 and 9 wickets and Rishabh Pant’s 96. In Bengaluru it was Shreyas Iyer’s slamming attack, Jasprit Bumrah’s searing pace and variation, and Pant’s ability to drive fear deep into the hearts of crackpots leaving Sri Lanka rattled. Although the inevitable was delayed on Monday, at no point did Sri Lanka look like it would even ring alarm bells for India.
IND vs. SL, highlights from Day 3 of the Pink Ball Test
Rohit Sharma relied on his strongest strike bowlers to knock out the two powerful Sri Lankan batsmen on the final day of the Test and series. While R Ashwin got rid of Mendis, Bumrah sacked Karunaratne as India headed for their 15th straight home win in the Tests series.
India’s bowlers missed ideal lengths on Monday, allowing Sri Lanka’s batsmen to succeed and finally break the 200-run mark for the first time in the series. However, the pitch was still extremely difficult for batsmen to survive long periods of time and in the end Bumrah opened the floodgates for an emphatic Indian victory.
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— BCCI (@BCCI) March 14, 2022
BUMRAH: 8/47 WITH PINK
Jasprit Bumrah, who made his first 5-wicket draw in the first innings, finished the tournament with match figures of 8/47, the best bowling figures by an Indian pacer against Sri Lanka in the longest format of the game. He was ably assisted by Ashwin, who took 4 wickets in the first innings after passing by Dale Steyn’s record 439 Test wickets on Monday.
The win sees Rohit Sharma complete his fifth straight clean win as full-time captain – a streak that began when India beat a visiting New Zealander 3-0 at home in a T20I series last year. Under Rohit, India beat West Indies 3-0 in both the ODI and T20I series earlier this year and outclassed Sri Lanka 3-0.
IYER, PANT STAR FOR INDIA
Early in the Test, Rishabh Pant hit a Quickfire 50 in the 2nd inning while Shreyas Iyer continued his good form and hit 67 as India scored 303/9 in the 2nd inning and set up a mammoth goal. Captain Rohit got going, but the skipper was fired for 46 in the 2nd inning while former captain Virat Kohli was naught by another underplayed delivery for 13.
Shreyas Iyer continues to establish himself in the middle tier as he makes the most of the opportunities presented to him in the absence of Ajinkya Rahane in 5th place. Iyer hit 92 of just 98 balls in the first innings as he helped India total more than 250.
Bumrah’s 5-wicket haul broke Sri Lanka’s batting unit’s back in the first innings as the Mumbai Indians pacesetter warmed up with a record-breaking pink ball show for the 2022 Indian Premier League.
