STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Follow UsAt the end of day two, a win for India was inevitable in the second Test. However, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis, the overnight batters, didn’t make it easy for the Indian bowlers in the first session. But, it was always a matter of one wicket.
A pitch that tested the batsmen’s skill with each ball, Karunaratne displayed a batting masterclass of the highest caliber. After a half-century by Mendis, skipper Karunaratne continued and went on to register a century.
None of the other Sri Lankan batsmen could partner Karunaratne to put up a fight and they were bundled out for 208 and handed India a 238-run win. Ravichandran Ashwin with a four-wicket haul was accompanied by Jasprit Bumrah, who backed up his five-for in the first innings with a three-wicket haul. Sri Lanka’s search for a win in Tests in India still remains as a hurdle for the island nation.
A Dimuth masterclass
At the start of the day, it was looking good for Sri Lanka. Throughout the series, for the first time, their batsmen looked more accomplished. However, the joy was limited as far as other batters were concerned.
Karunaratne with his pinpoint foot-work, was able to counter the spin trio of India. There were some balls that went past the outside edge, but on that minefield, it is expectable. When he reached his half-century, Karunaratne registered his eighth 50+ score in the fourth innings, which is the most for a Sri Lankan opener.
Despite losing wickets at the other end, Karunaratne wasn’t hampered by it. He converted his 50 into a century and registered the first ton of this match, which looked impossible for a batsman. His century was only the fifth by a visiting batsman in the fourth innings in India. On course to his century, he also became the third Sri Lankan batsman after Kumar Sangakkara (1163) and Mahela Jayawardene (1096) to score 1000+ runs in the fourth innings of a Test.
Ashwin becomes the first to 100 wickets in WTC
Throughout the series, Ashwin was busy breaching records. In the first Test, he went past Rangana Herath’s record to be the fourth highest wicket taker among spinners in Tests and later he went on to become the second highest wicket taker for India with 435 surpassing Kapil Dev. In today’s match, with the wicket of Dhananjaya de Silva, Ashwin surpassed Dale Steyn’s tally of 439 to become the eighth highest wicket taker in the longer format.
By adding two more wickets to his tally, Ashwin became the first bowler to bag 100 wickets in the ICC World Test Championships.
Rishabh Pant – the first Indian WK to bag Man of the Series
In just 30 Tests, Pant has already registered many records for India. The highest score for an Indian wicket-keeper in South Africa, England and Australia, fastest half-century by a wicket-keeper in Tests and for an Indian (overall) and most sixes in Tests since his debut are few of those.
In this series, he achieved another feat that no Indian wicket-keeper has achieved in Tests. After being adjudged the Player of the Series, Pant became the first Indian wicket-keeper to win the award in Tests.
The curse of a 50+ score in the 4th innings of a day/night Test
Karunaratne isn’t the only batsman who scored a century in the fourth innings of a day/night Test and lost the match. There are three other instances of it. In fact, in all the four instances a batsman has registered a century in the fourth innings of a day/night Test, their respective teams have gone on to lose. Asad Shafiq has endured that pain twice.
To be even more precise, out of the 10 instances a batsman registered a 50+ score in the fourth innings of a day/night Test, nine of them have come in a losing cause. Joe Burns against India in 2020 is the only one to hit a winning 50+ score in the fourth innings.
