Suthar, Jadeja break Sri Lanka resistance as India win by 165 runs

Having started the day at 84/4, the hosts had an enormous task ahead of them to prevent India from going 1-0 up in the series. The pitch didn’t have any hidden demons, and to make any inroads, the bowlers had to be patient and be consistent in their line and lengths. And the right-left pair of De Silva and Dinusha was in no mood to make the win any easier for India. For 202 deliveries, during which time they stitched a 95-run stand for the fifth wicket, they ensured India had to use every ounce of energy to separate them. You could hear Suthar, who ended up with six wickets and, ended up with a match haul of 10/131, almost grunting each time he rolled his arm. Ditto with Kuldeep Yadav. It was one such surface, where the spinners had to put everything in to get the rewards. They would keep masseurs busy for the next couple of days as there is only a three-day turnaround before the second Test at Sinhalese Sports Club.

Ravindra Jadeja in action. (CREIMAS)

When Jadeja had overstepped late on last evening after dismissing De Silva with a peach, little did India know they had to work so hard for this win. When it comes to batting in the second innings, the Sri Lanka captain is the only subcontinent batsman to have an average over 50. So when it comes to applying himself on a deteriorating pitch, Sri Lanka could bank on De Silva. Of course, the win was far out of their sight.

Hard toil

But right through the stand, the approach from De Silva (57) and Dinusha (84), who were unfortunate not to end up with a century in each innings, didn’t enter a shell. They were not going in search of boundaries either to put pressure on India’s attack. But they found a middle ground – rotate the strike and don’t allow the spinners the opportunity to tie one of them at one end. It meant the trio of Suthar, Jadeja and Kuldeep had to keep switching their angles and lines. With the pitch getting further slower, to their credit, both Suthar and Jadeja showed the patience that the conditions demanded. It was always going to be a matter of one wicket, and it was De Silva who went back kicking the turf.

Right through his knock, he had shown restraint when it came to picking the right deliveries to sweep. But sweeping ones in the line of stumps, particularly from the only rough patch on the pitch, brings its own risk into play. And as soon as he swept Jadeja from the line of stumps, he knew the writing on the wall was getting clearer. The lone remaining threat for India was the unpredictable Niroshan Dickwella, who had scored 80 in the first essay, curbing his natural instinct to a large extent.

Prasidh Krishna in action. (CREIMAS)

Here, with a game to save, more than Prasidh Krishna, it was Yashasvi Jaiswal who ensured his stay was short. As Prasidh was tempting to take on the short ball, Dickwella was hesitant at first before Jaiswal urged him to take on. It was a fun banter, but one ended up with Dickwella making room and trying to slash Prasidh over covers, only to nick to Rishabh Pant. The laughter said it all.

Thereafter, Dinusha, in the company of Keshara Nuwantha, frustrated India again, adding 43 off 91 deliveries as the lunch break arrived at the right time for the visitors. And once they came back after the break, Suthar wrapped up India’s 600th Test with a win in the space of 16 deliveries. First he had Dinusha caught at leg-slip; with extra bounce, he generated the key. Off the next delivery, he cleaned up Prabath Jayasuriya’s stumps before finishing that over with his second five-wicket haul. Having picked up four in the first innings, Suthar castled Nuwantha as India took a crucial step in the direction of qualifying for the World Test Championship final.