India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Day 4, Colombo, Highlights: Ravindra Jadeja’s five-for helps IND seal series
India thrashed Sri Lanka by an innings and 53 runs in the second Test to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Sri Lanka, asked to follow on after conceding a 439-run first innings lead, were dismissed for 386 late in the second session on the penultimate day. Dimuth Karunaratne top-scored for the hosts with a defiant 141 while Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming five for 152. Catch highlights and full cricket score of India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Day 4, here
15:10 hrs IST: And that’s it. Thank you for joining us. Until next time, it’s goodbye. Cheers!
Ravindra Jadeja (Man of the Match): “In the first innings, the ball was not turning that much. When we came onto bowl, we got turn from the middle part of the wicket. Mendis played very well and played some brilliant shots. Yeah, they batted very well. As a spinner, it is always a challenge when a batsman plays a sweep shot on a regular basis. We have to change our field and line and length.”
Virat Kohli: “The way the wicket behaved and how it was getting worse by the day and the lead of more than 440 prompted us to enforce the follow-on. I haven’t been a big fan of enforcing it, though. At international level, you expect teams to come and play like that (on Mendis’ and Dimuth’s innings). They batted really well. You need to have those tough times to improve as cricketers. If you enjoy the hard moments, you enjoy the good moments as well. Never get complacent as a side – that’s important.”
Dinesh Chandimal: “To be honest, you can’t control the toss. We were outplayed with bat and the ball in the first innings. But I was happy with the way we played in the second innings. We just want to take positives from this game. Kusal and Dimuth played some really good cricket.”
14:33 hrs IST: WICKET! And that’s it. India beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 53 runs, clinch series 2-0. Eighth consecutive series win for Virat Kohli’s men.
14:26 hrs IST: OUT! Hardik Pandya strikes, gets rid of Niroshan Dickwella. Second wicket for him. India one good ball away now.
14:21 hrs IST: Time for Kohli to bring in Shami and Umesh.
14:14 hrs IST: This Australian batsman is all set to undergo a shoulder surgery and that will keep him out of the India series.
14:05 hrs IST: Sri Lanka 363/8; Dickwella 14*, Herath 13*
13:56 hrs IST: Clinical performance from India across all departments. Deserve to win the series!
13:49 hrs IST: OUT! Jadeja, you beauty! Ninth five-wicket haul in Tests for the all-rounder.
13:43 hrs IST: With the current setup, India stand a good chance of winning overseas. All bases seem covered and it’ll just boil down to the application part.
13:36 hrs IST: Three boundaries in a row from de Silva. Sri Lanka 343/7
13:29 hrs IST: Sri Lanka 331/7; Dickwella 7*, de Silva 5*
13:21 hrs IST: WICKET! Jaddu it is. Fourth wicket for him. Dilruwan Perera departs for 4(10). India on the brink now.
13:17 hrs IST: Both set batsmen gone. Has been a good fight from Sri Lanka but unfortunately, it won’t be enough.
13:10 hrs IST: WICKET! And it’s Jadeja again. Uneven bounce, Mathews looks to cut but instead edges it back to Saha. Sri Lanka 315/6
13:03 hrs IST: Dickwella is in at No. 7. India five good balls away from sealing the series.
13:01 hrs IST: OUT! Huge breakthrough for India as Ravindra Jadeja dismisses Karunaratne for 141. SL 310/5
12:57 hrs IST: The bounce is getting lower with every over. SL 309/4
12:53 hrs IST: Karunaratne has played quite sensibly today and his partnership with Angelo Matthews will be key to Sri Lanka’s fightback.
12:49 hrs IST: Sri Lanka 306/4; Karunaratne 139*, Mathews 29*
12:42 hrs IST: Welcome back!
12:04 hrs IST:And that’s lunch. SL started well before Ashwin and Jadeja provided the breakthroughs. But since then, it’s been a good recovery from Mathews and Karunaratne. We’ll be back in 40 minutes time. Stay tuned.
11:56 hrs IST: Single and that’s 300 up for Sri Lanka. Still a lot of work remains to be done.
11:50 hrs IST: Sri Lanka 294/4; Karunaratne 133*, Mathews 23*
11:41 hrs IST: Sri Lanka 292/4; Karunaratne 132*, Mathews 22*
11:34 hrs IST: One more wicket and India will feel a lot more confident. For hosts, Karunaratne needs to continue the good work.
11:28 hrs IST: Good start from Umesh. Just a run off it. Sri Lanka 282/4; Karunaratne 125*, Mathews 19*
11:24 hrs IST: Umesh Yadav comes into the attack for the first time today.
11:21 hrs IST: Sri Lanka 279/4; Karunaratne 123*, Mathews 18*
11:16 hrs IST: Solid show from Mathews. Attacking Jadeja right from the word go.
11:11 hrs IST: FOUR! Fuller delivery from Jadeja and Mathews sweeps it over square leg for his first boundary. Sri Lanka 257/4
11:07 hrs IST: With spinners bowling so well, Kohli could delay taking the new ball.
11:01 hrs IST: Sri Lanka 249/4; Karunaratne 114*, Mathews 1*. 16 overs bowled by India in the first hour. Time for drinks.
10:54 hrs IST: Angelo Mathews, former skipper, comes to the crease.
10:52 hrs IST: OUT! And Jadeja joins the party. Big wicket for the visitors. Chandimal departs. Excellent catch from Rahane at the first slip.
11:01 hrs IST: Sri Lanka 249/4; Karunaratne 114*, Mathews 1*. 16 overs bowled by India in the first hour. Time for drinks.
10:54 hrs IST: Angelo Mathews, former skipper, comes to the crease.
10:52 hrs IST: OUT! And Jadeja joins the party. Big wicket for the visitors. Chandimal departs. Excellent catch from Rahane at the first slip.
10:47 hrs IST: Chandimal is the next man in.
10:45 hrs IST: WICKET! And India finally have a breakthrough. Ashwin strikes. Flighted delivery, Pushpakumara looks to play the switch hit but misses and it goes on to hit the stumps.
STAT ATTACK – This is Karunaratne’s second ton when following on in Tests. Only Martin Crowe and former England skipper Michael Vaughan (3) have more hundreds than him.
10:34 hrs IST: Three runs from the over. Sri Lanka 230/2; Karunaratne 102*, Pushpakumara 12
10:31 hrs IST: Ravichandran Ashwin now. Seems to a right move from captain Kohli.
10:28 hrs IST: FOUR! And that’s a well-deserved hundred for Dimuth Karunaratne, 6th in Tests. He gets a big round of applause from the dressing room. Needs to hang in now.
10:25 hrs IST: Sri Lanka 223/2; Karunaratne 96*, Pushpakumara 11*
10:20 hrs IST: Could be the right time to bring Ashwin into the attack. He holds the key here.
10:16 hrs IST: Consecutive boundaries from Pushpakumara. Costly over from Jadeja. Ten runs off it.
10:12 hrs IST: Dot ball to finish off. Sri Lanka 211/2; Karunaratne 93*, Pushpakumara 2*
10:09 hrs IST: Shami again, this time from over the wicket.
10:08 hrs IST: Two maidens in a row for India. Get a feeling the visitors need a good spell of 6-7 overs. Stem the run flow and wickets will come automatically.
10:06 hrs IST: Ravindra Jadeja comes into the attack. He took two wickets in the first innings.
10:05 hrs IST: Steady start from Shami. No margin for error. Sri Lanka 209/2
10:00 hrs IST: Time for live action. Karunaratne to take strike. Shami to bowl the first over.
09:45 hrs IST: ‘The pitch has started to tire, there are plenty of marks and the bowlers can still exploit it. Batsmen can still score runs on this track but a lot of discipline is required’, says Russell Arnold.
09:30 hrs IST: At 22 years, Kusal Mendis is now the youngest Sri Lankan to score a hundred while following-on.
09:20 hrs IST: One final time, the world-record holder furiously pumped the arms and legs on his gangly 6-foot-5 frame, desperately trying to reel in all those would-be winners as the finish line fast approached.
09:00 hrs IST: It should be fair to say Sri Lanka’s ‘sweeping’ success has kept them afloat. Kusal Mendis used the sweep shot to great effect after being asked to follow on.
08:50 hrs IST: A total of 28 sixes have been hit in the series so far, the second most in a Test series in Sri Lanka.
08:30 hrs IST: A warm welcome to HT’s live coverage of Day 4 of the second Test between India – Sri Lanka.
Ravichandran Ashwin was at his sublime best at the start of Day 3 and took three more wickets to get another five-for to ensure that Sri Lanka posted a modest 183 all out in reply to India’s mammoth first innings total of 622.
Things looked to be heading in the same direction when Umesh Yadav dismissed Upul Tharanga early in the second innings. However, Kusal Mendis and Dimuth Karunaratne’s stand has given Sri Lanka a chance to at least prevent an India win.
On Day 4, India will look to take more wickets and either finish the game off in this innings itself or ensure that Sri Lanka don’t set them a big target for the final innings.
