Jadeja five-for rolls over Sri Lanka for 174 as India stride towards facile win

 

Ravindra Jadeja’s superb all-round show put India firmly on course for a big innings victory, his five-wicket haul helping the hosts end Sri Lanka’s first innings at 174 on the third day of the first Test here.

With 400 runs behind India’s first innings score of 574, Sri Lanka, after following on, reached 10 for 1 at lunch in their second innings.

Virat Kohli’s 100th Test and Rohit Sharma’s first game as skipper is turning out to be Jadeja’s match as his 5 for 41 in 13 overs had the islanders crashing in just 45 overs.

Worse, Sri Lanka lost six wickets for 13 runs as they were 161 for four after the first hour, with Pathum Nissanka (61 no off 133 balls) and Charith Asalank adding 58 runs.

It all changed after Jasprit Bumrah (2/36 in 14 overs) got one to straighten and trap Asalanka leg-before.

The batters who came in after that didn’t show enough application to stick around and some of the shot selections, to say the least, were atrocious.

Niroshan Dickwella’s (2) slog sweep off Jadeja was the most indiscreet as he top-edged it to Shreyas Iyer at square leg.

Suranga Lakmal survived a DRS but soon jumped out to only offer a skier to Ashwin and then it was just a matter of time before their first innings folded.

Ashwin (2/49) and Mohammed Shami (1/27) also got their names on the wickets column with the islanders not even looking like being in the context.

Jadeja has had his 20th five-wicket haul in Test cricket and there are no marks for guessing who the player of the match will be when India complete the formalities.

In the Sri Lankan second innings, Ashwin, handed the new ball, removed Lahiru Thirimanne, who was caught by skipper Rohit at second slip. Ashwin is now one short of Kapil Dev’s 434 wickets.