Sri Lanka was bowled out for 183 in its first innings after electing to bat first and India took a lead of 192 runs after piling on 375 in reply.
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Off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal, who took five wickets in the first innings, provided superb support by picking up two more in the second innings as India staggered to lunch on 78-7 after resuming on 23-1. We love Sanga for the way he has entertained and he has been a fantastic ambassador for the game of cricket.
While pundits of the game called the last two sessions that spelled doom for India a “disaster”, Indian team’s thrashing at the hands of a young Lankan team has raised questions over Kohli’s capabilities as a test captain.
Skipper Angelo Mathews has overtaken his team-mate Kumar Sangakarra and, in the process, moved up one place to fifth in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen after scores of 64 and 39. To all our happiness, some of them did, after the bowlers (minus Harbhajan Singh) put on a brilliant effort to wrap the Sri Lankan first innings for less than 200 runs. Sri Lanka is high on morale and will try to keep India under pressure.
This Sri Lanka tour has been an unlucky one for the Indian openers. He may be 37 but he keeps coming up with such match-winning spells. It was an innings that had “legend-in-the-making” written all over it. And playing to the gallery has always been Kohli’s biggest strength – be it blowing kisses after a ton or showing the “middle finger” to uncouth fans. “[He] didn’t get many in that [Galle] Test, hopefully in future”. There was no point attacking him and give 20 runs every over. It was all about being smart at that stage and at that situation it was the best plan.
“All credit to him (Chandimal), he play a very good knock”. I am not shocked. “He is a quality player and certainly has the ability to play like that”. We didn’t use our feet. Don’t want get into the debate of DRS or some other issues in this particular game. I don’t think both Sanga and Mahela (Jayawardene) have got the accolades they should have got.
“We will definitely go for the kill”, he said. The need of the hour was to take calculated risk when you are chasing a small total.
“As a person, as a leader and as a player he has been unbelievable to all of us”.
Turns out, it was Dinesh Chandimal in the opposition camp, who ended up taking notes from the “Fearless and positive cricket” class of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri.
“Let’s hope lightning doesn’t strike twice, because we will not change our style of play”. The moment he was batting with the tail, he might have been batting on 120 by then with three wickets in hand. “We were very tentative”. “We bowled in good lines and lengths”.
“He played with a crack and he came out with a hundred [in the first innings], and his hand was badly hurting, yet be batted in the second innings and scored 30-odd”.
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Easily the most unsafe spinner the Lankans have had after Muttiah Muralitharan, the left arm bowler was menacing and accurate even as the Indian batsmen played poor cricket.
