India blank Sri Lanka for first clean-sweep away from home
India won all three Tests against Sri Lanka. (Source: Reuters) India won all three Tests against Sri Lanka. (Source: Reuters)
As R Ashwin struck to dismiss Lahiru Kumara with a delivery that pitched outside the off stump line and straightened to beat the outside edge and uproot the sumps, India registered yet another comprehensive win, this time by innings and 171 runs. And, with the win, India also completed a 3-0 series-sweep over Sri Lanka and this is their first over clean-sweep away from home in a series with three or more Tests.
India have now won five consecutive Test matches in Sri Lanka and all under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. After the loss in Galle in 2015, India have not lost or drawn any Test in Sri Lanka.
With Sri Lanka bowled out for just 181 runs and the 135 runs in the first innings, the hosts were unable to match India’s 487 runs from the first innings. In the previous two Tests in the series too, India posted defiant wins – 304 runs in Galle and innings and 53 runs in Colombo.
This was also the first instance when Sri Lanka have lost two consecutive Tests by an innings. They had lost the Colombo Test by an innings and 53 runs. Also, this is the second time when Sri Lanka have lost a series 3-0 after losing to Australia by same margin in 2004.
In the Pallekele Test, India made 487 runs int he first innings with Shikhar Dhawan and Hardik Pandya scoring centuries before the bowlers rattled Sri Lanka to bowl them out for 135 in the first innings. Having a lead of 370 runs, India asked Sri Lanka to follow-on and once again bowled them out for 181 to win the Test.
Pandya was named the man-of-the-match while Dhawan was named the man-of-the-series for his 389 runs in the three-match series.
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