Colombo: Ravi Shastri’s second homecoming as Team India coach, against the backdrop of the controversial removal of his predecessor Anil Kumble, couldn’t have been better construed. He is guiding India against a Sri Lanka team who not only are woefully short of international standards, but also have been plagued by injuries and the lack of form of their top spinner Rangana Herath. A negative result could have been a bad omen for Shastri, but he can now breathe easy as India took complete control of the second Test against the hosts at the SSC here Friday.
Sri Lanka were 50 for two in reply to India’s first innings score of 622 for nine declared on a pitch that is huffing and puffing and spitting dust like the old locomotive engine of the sixties used to. Unlike his Sri Lankan spinning counterparts, Ravichandran Ashwin, who took both the Sri Lankan wickets to fall, has already found the right areas to bowl at and this certainly is not a good omen for the Lankan batters.
India, resuming the day at 344 for three posted a 600-plus score for the second successive Test, thanks to half centuries from Ashwin (54, 92b, 5×4, 1×6), Wriddhiman Saha (67, 134b, 4×4, 1×6) and Ravindra Jadeja (70 n o, 85b, 4×4, 3×6). It was only the second time in 253 away Tests that India had six half centurions on their scorecard, an ample testimony to their supremacy over the Sri Lankan bowlers.
Overnight centurions Cheteshwar Pujara (133, 232b, 11×4, 1×6) and Ajinkya Rahane (132, 222b, 14×4) could not add much to their overnight score. Pujara departed early at the start becoming stand-in pacer Dimuth Karunaratne’s first wicket in 41 Tests while Rahane became the maiden scalp for Malinda Pushpakumara (2/156) in his debut Test.
However, even that did not stop the Indian juggernaut. They went on piling the runs and when you have an all-rounder of Jadeja’s caliber coming at No.9, that is only expected.
Ashwin, especially, looked well and truly back in his elements and bowled brilliantly to the left-handers. He dismissed opener Upul Tharanaga for a duck as the southpaw whipped one straight into the abdomen of KL Rahul at forward short-leg, who did well to latch on to the ball.
A little later, Ashwin sent back Tharanga’s partner Karunaratne (25) with the one that took the outside edge on way to the first slip where Rahane made no mistake.
Press Trust of India
