Prior to the India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test in Mohali, the spotlight was majorly on two of the dynamic Indian batters – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. For Rohit, it was his first-ever Test match as India’s captain; a milestone that he achieved at the age of 24. Kohli, on the other hand, gearing up for his 100th match for India in the longest format of the game.
But a day after the game commenced, it was all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja who garnered all the limelight and continued to be under it until India defeated Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs on Sunday; two days in advance to the actual date of conclusion.
While Jadeja’s all-round show laid the foundation of India’s 5th biggest Test win, his partner Ravichandran Ashwin also produced a remarkable performance and scripted history on Sunday. As the hosts take a 1-0 lead in the series, let’s have a look at talking points of the third day of the Test match.
Man of the Match, Jadeja: 175 not out – highest score by an Indian player batting at No. 7 – was just the beginning of a happening match for Jadeja. On Sunday morning, he bagged his 10th five-wicket haul in Test cricket and then picked another four after India enforced follow-on. He registered a match haul of 9 wickets after conceding 86 runs. His heroics made him the rightful contender for the Player of the Match award.
ALSO READ | ‘Sir Jadeja Defeated Sri Lanka’: Twitter Explodes as India Record Massive Win in Mohali
Ashwin breaks Kapil Dev’s record: After ending the first innings with just two scalps to his credit, the veteran off-spinner returned stronger and bagged a four-fer in the second innings. In due process, he took his career wicket tally to 436 and shattered the long-standing record of former captain Kapil Dev who had picked 434 wickets in his career. With this feat, Ashwin became the second-highest wicket taker for India in the longest format of the game, only behind Anil Kumble (619 wickets).
Dickwella’s fighting fifty in vain: While the Lankan batters kept on falling prey to the Indian spin twins, there was just one man who batted patiently and returned unbeaten. Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batter Nisroshan Dickwella scored an unbeaten 51 as the team was bowled out for 178. He faced 81 balls during his stint and smashed 9 boundaries.
Rohit’s Test captaincy journey begins with a thumping win: India captain Rohit Sharma becomes the second Indian captain to win his maiden Test in charge by an innings after Polly Umrigar, under whom India beat New Zealand by an innings & 27 runs in Mumbai BS in 1955-56.
ALSO READ | IND v SL: We Ticked All Boxes, Says Rohit Sharma after Winning His Maiden Test as India Captain
Third-biggest innings defeat for Sri Lanka: The defeat in Mohali also marked the third-biggest innings loss for Sri Lanka. Back in 2017, Virat Kohli-led side defeated the island nation by a margin of an innings and 239 runs which tops the list.
Get all the latest updates on Cricket News, Cricket Photos, Cricket Videos, IPL Auction 2022 and Cricket Scores here