IND vs SL: 2nd Test Review – India’s home juggernaut keeps marching
India defeated Sri Lanka by 238 runs in the second and final Test match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to seal the two-match series. Resuming their innings on the third day, the visitors still needed 419 runs chasing a mammoth 447.
After scoring 252 riding on Shreyas Iyer’s 92, India bundled out the Lankans for 109 on the back of Jasprit Bumrah’s fifer. They then posted 303/9 in their second innings after sensational middle-order performances from Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer.
Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis tried their level best to make a match out of it adding 97 runs for the second-wicket. Once the latter was dismissed for a well-made 54 runs off 60 deliveries, it opened up the floodgates for India as they then picked up wickets at regular intervals.
Karunaratne single-handedly took the matters into his hands thereafter and tried to delay the inevitable before being castled by Bumrah for 107 runs from 147 balls.
Top Performers
Jasprit Bumrah:
Jasprit Bumrah was the star of this Test match with the ball in hand. His figures of 5/24 in the first innings broke Sri Lanka’s backbone completely as they were skittled for just 109 runs. The pace spearhead then staged a remarkable comeback in the second innings removing opener Lahiru Thirimanne but more importantly getting the key wicket of captain Dimuth Karunaratne to finish with 3/23 thus, finishing with eight wickets in the contest.
Shreyas Iyer:
Shreyas Iyer might have agonizingly missed out on a century in the first innings but, his 92 was instrumental in India posting 252 on a tough surface while he ran out of partners at the other end. He did not stop there and went on to register another half-century in the second innings. The Mumbai cricketer scored 67 runs off 87 deliveries. His twin half-centuries were important for the hosts posting fighting totals which turned out to be fruitful in the end.
Stats and Milestones
- Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul in the first innings happened to be his maiden on home soil but more importantly, the 28-year-old equaled the legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev’s record. He now has eight five-wicket hauls in 29 Tests.
- Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant scored a quickfire 50 runs off 31 deliveries in the second innings. During that enterprising knock, the southpaw broke Dev’s 40-year-old Test record. Pant registered his half-century off just 28 deliveries. The previous best was Kapil’s 30-ball 50 against arch-rivals Pakistan in 1982.
