Sri Lanka v India 2nd Test Match: 5 Talking Points

Sri Lanka v India 2nd Test Match: 5 Talking Points: The Indian team won the 2^nd Test match at P Sara Oval by a huge margin of 278 runs. Now the 3-match Test series is leveled at 1-1. It was also the farewell Test match of Kumar Sangakkara who bid adieu to international cricket. Though it didn’t end the way Sri Lankan fans and Kumar Sangakkara would have liked. In the first two days of the match both the sides fared up equally but from the third day on-wards things started tilting in favor of the tourists. And by the end of the fourth day Indian’s were in position of abrupt domination. On the fifth day, Indian bowlers blew away the Lankan innings like a pack of cards and as a result won the Test match comprehensively.

Here is the Sri Lanka v India 2nd Test Match: 5 Talking Points:

1. Kumar Sangakkara’s retirement:

Finally with the end of the 2^nd Test match at P Sara Oval it was curtains on the dazzling international cricketing career of the Sri Lankan Talisman Kumar Sangakkara. When he came to the middle for the final time in the Lankan jersey, the P Sara Oval was on its feet while Indian’s gave him a guard of honour. Yesterday, Ashwin scalped his wicket for the 4^th consecutive time in the series. Overall he made 50 runs in the match.

2. India’s brilliant batting:

The Indian’s were in the driver’s seat until their batting faltered in the 2^nd innings of the 1^st Test match at Galle. But, this time around there was no let-up on the batting front. In the 1^st innings India posted a big total of 393 runs while in the 2^nd innings they declared the innings on 325 runs which set-up a big target of 413 runs for the Lankan lions to chase. KL Rahul with his classical innings of 108 runs was the protagonist in the 1^st innings. While in the 2^nd innings, Ajinkya Rahane stroked an elegant knock of 126 runs. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also played key knocks in the match.

Also Read – Twitter Reactions: Kumar Sangakkara bids adieu to International Cricket

3. Sri Lanka’s batting collapse:

The Sri Lankan batting was sailing smoothly in the 1^st innings. But then the downfall of Lahiru Thirimanne turned the match on its head. From 241/3, the hosts got bundled out for 306 runs. They lost their last 7 wickets for 65 runs. In the 2^nd innings as well the wicket of Angelo Mathews triggered a major batting collapse. From 72/2 they got all-out for 134 runs. Their last 8 wickets could add only 62 runs. If a team collapses like this in both the innings, then a comeback in the match becomes next to impossible.

4. Indian spinners:

In this match, the Indian team excluded Harbhajan Singh from the side. The duo of Ashwin and Mishra performed exceedingly well in the match. They accumulated 14 wickets in the match and ripped apart the Lankan batting. Both of them took 7 wickets each. The Indian spin department looked far more settled in the match as the off-spinner Ashwin complemented the leggie Amit Mishra very aptly in the match. And both of them turned venomous for the Lankan batters.

5. Herath’s rare failure:

Rangana Herath is one of the most lethal spinners going around in Test cricket. It was his spell from hell in the Galle Test that won his country the match from the jaws of the defeat. Rangana Herath had ended the 2^nd innings at Galle with figures of 7/48. But this time around in the 2^nd innings of the match he was ineffective and didn’t take even a single wicket. And as a result India set a big target of 413 runs for the hosts. In the match he took only 4 wickets and all of them came in the 1^st innings.