Galle: The Indian Test team under Virat Kohli proved once again as to why they are the number one side in the world as they thrashed hosts Sri Lanka by a whopping 304 runs with a day to spare in the first test match in Galle on Saturday.
The bowlers once again rose to the occasion as the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ran through the Sri Lankan batting line-up and helped the Indian team gain a 1-0 lead in the three Test match series.
This is India’s biggest overseas win in terms of runs.
The huge margin of victory would suggest how dominant the Indians have been. They had a firm grip on the match right from the first day when Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara dominated the proceedings.
The second day also was dominated by Virat Kohli and co as the bowlers dismissed half the side for 150 odd runs and the slide continued in the third day when they were shot out for 291 runs, conceding a huge 309-run lead.
The Indians capitalised on the lead and a solid 81 from Abhinav Mukund an unbeaten 76* from skipper Kohli, who went ahead to convert his overnight score into his 17th Test ton and 10th as captain, declared the innings with a target of 550 runs to chase for the hosts to gain an unlikely win.
But Jadeja (3/71) and Ashwin (3/65) destroyed the Lankan batting and helped in dismissing the hosts for just 245 runs, thus giving the Kohli-Shastri partnership winning start.
However, it would be wrong to say that there was no fight shown by the Sri Lankans. Opener Dimuth Karunaratne (97) and wicketkeeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella (67) were the only ones to cross the fifty run mark but their resistance wasn’t enough as the other batsmen were simply blown away by the Indian bowlers. Skipper Rangana Herath and Asela Gunaratne (who injured himself on the first day) were unable to bat as they were absent hurt.