India registers dominating win over Sri Lanka in second Test match played at Nagpur; lead series 1-0
Nagpur, November 27: Indian cricket team continuing its good run in the Test matches as it registers a dominating victory over Sri Lanka. Notably, India defeated Sri Lanka by an innings and 239 runs in the second test match of three-match series held in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Sri Lankans were bowled out for 166 runs in 49.3 overs in their second innings just after lunch on the fourth day i.e on Monday. India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took 4-63 in the second innings, overtaking former Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee as the fastest to 300 test wickets in the Test cricket format.
Sri Lanka chasing a massive score of 405 runs collapsed to 166 all out on Monday handing India an innings and 239-run victory. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up four wickets for India, while Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma shared six wickets between them. With this win, India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Dimuth Karunaratne was the first to get out after scoring only 18 runs when he tried to flick Jadeja and Murali Vijay standing at short leg had the ball jam into him. The Tamil Nadu player showed good reflexes as Karunaratne was left stunned. Lahiru Thirimanne also scored only 23 runs got out after he chased a wide delivery from Umesh Yadav to hand Jadeja at a point the simplest of catches.
Former captain Angelo Mathews was also immediately caught while Niroshan Dickwella got a snorter from Ishant which he awkwardly fended off to Virat Kohli at third slip, who grabbed it on the second attempt. It was then Ashwin who came into the balling attack and took a wicket of Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath, Shanaka and Chandimal.
Earlier, India had declared their first innings at 610 for six, taking a massive 405-run lead. Sri Lanka made 205 in the first innings. The first Test had ended in a draw. The third and final test will be played at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla from Saturday.
Importantly, R Ashwin became the fastest bowler to reach the milestone of 300 Test wickets today in his 54th match, breaking Dennis Lillee’s record during India's win over Sri Lanka in the second Test. Australian fast bowling legend Lillee had reached the milestone in 56 Test matches way back in 1981 and it took 36 years for another bowler to eclipse the record. Ashwin is only the fifth Indian bowler to complete a career 300 wickets in Test cricket behind Anil Kumble (619), Kapil Dev (434), Harbhajan Singh (417) and Zaheer Khan (311).