GALLE: Juxtaposed by a blend of tentative batting from the Indian top order and some inspired by Sri Lanka’s spinners, India conceded a Test they had conclusively dominated in the first two-and-a-half days. The 63-run defeat couldn’t have been more mortifying for the Indians.
Though Dinesh Chandimal-enabled Sri Lanka had set a competitive 176 on a crumbling strip, Indian batters were supposed to surpass it. But they were hampered by the combined efficiency of Rangana Herath and Tharindu Kaushal, who took seven wickets among themselves to send India crashing 78 for 7 at lunch.
After a disciplined burst by pacers Dhammika Prasad and Nuwan Pradeep in the morning, the latter beating Shikhar Dhawan’s outside edge on numerous occasions, the spinners began to weave their web of deception. With his first ball, Herath dismissed nightwatchman Ishant Sharma, who was earlier dropped by Lahiru Thirimanne at second slip.
He was soon to strike more decisive blows, as he castled Rohit Sharma with a beautiful delivery, that drifted into him and spun away to beat his forward thrust and brush his off stump. Sharma wasn’t exactly looked troubled in his stay, and telegraphed his touch with a glorious cover drive. But as has been his case in the longest version, a momentary misjudgment undid him, as he played inside the line of the ball after being set up by a couple of arm balls.
His understudy Tharindu Kaushal, a mix of genuine potential and youthful abrasiveness, then delivered the killer blows, winkling out the first-innings centurions, Virat Kohli and Dhawan, the former courtesy of a spectacular catch by Kaushal Silva at short leg, lunging forward to the bat pad. Dhawan’s laborious stay was curtained by a brilliant return catch. The southpaw was too cautious for his own comfort and trenched a hole around himself. He consumed 36 deliveries for his first run of the morning, which fortuitously came when he inside edged Pradeep for a boundary.
Herath then wrapped off Wriddhiman Saha, stumped after being beaten in the flight, and Harbhajan Singh, Silva pouching another blinder to chop the wheels of India’s chase. Soon after lunch, India lost Ravichandran Ashwin, to gift Herath his sixth wicket.
Briefly, Amit Mishra and Ajinkya Rahane showed some resistance with a 21-run partnership. But Herath again ended it, by dismissing Rahane. With it, evaporated India’s wildest hopes of victory. The moment of inevitability arrived when Kaushal exited Mishra, for Sri Lanka to celebrate an unbelievable heist. And in no little matter it owed to a brace of incredible performances, first by Dinesh Chandimal with the momentum-twisting 162 not out and then by one of Sri Lanka’s most unsung performers, Herath, whose 7 for 48 befuddled the muddle-minded Indian batsmen.