But Dinesh Chandimal (Man-of-the-Match) scored an unbeaten 162 to help the hosts avoid an innings defeat and take their second innings score to 367. This was a return to what Sri Lanka do really well: runs to play with, in-and-out fields so they are both attacking and defending at the same time, and their spinners landing everything on a penny. “We have good-quality spinners and the wicket was turning quite a lot”. The visitor seemed unprepared for that onslaught, probably thinking the slightly risk-fraught approach wouldn’t last too long. Kaushal takes the final wicket and India are all out for 112.
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Consequently, what could have been a straightforward victory in the first Test has now become a tricky chase. If I have said I am going to play with five bowlers, I can not go down after a performance like this and say I wish I had an extra player. However, they stunned all by failing to chase down 176 and losing the first Test by 63 runs to Sri Lanka.
In the first of a three-Test series, Sri Lanka trailed for most of the match after being bowled out on the opening day for 183.
When India batted a second time, the hosts opened their attack with left arm spinner Rangana Herath, in a repeat of what India had done the previous evening.
President Maithripala Sirisena visited India in February, which was his first overseas visit after assuming office while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a historic visit to Sri Lanka in March, the first stand alone bilateral visit to Sri Lanka by an Indian Prime Minister since 1987. However, left-hander Sangakkara nudged an Ashwin delivery that took a sharp turn away from him only to see a diving Rahane pouch a brilliant catch at slip in the 25th over. Ravichandran Ashwin was on three.
Kohli did come for the mandatory post-match conference well prepared, but for all talk of aggression and playing five bowlers, he hopefully knows what all needs to be sorted out. As India waited for things to happen, Chandimal took it upon himself to make them happen.
Were you a batsmen short? “So it was a case of giving one other batsman an opportunity”, the skipper added.
It was perhaps the ideal day for Chandimal to buy a lottery ticket. “We just went for our shots and it worked”.
According to a report from Indian express, he said, “You should try to get as close to the ball as possible, to stop it from spinning and bouncing”. He also terminated any chance of India’s comeback by getting Rahane, whose 9th wicket partnership of 21 runs with Amit Mishra (15) was delaying Sri Lanka’s victory march. Reamrking over Indian team’s one of the most depressing defeats, Kohli said, “We got no one to blame but ourselves”. A day earlier they were nearly certain of a win, but a turnaround began their inexplicable resistance to DRS and an excellent counterattack by Dinesh Chandimal.
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This brought Mathews and Sangakkara together at the crease, and they resisted the Indian bowling for 20.4 overs. India eventually needed the second new ball to round off the entertainment as Ashwin packed off Nuwan Pradeep, but Chandimal couldn’t be conquered.
