March 29, 2024

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Ravichandran Ashwin Stars For India, while Dinesh Chandimal Brings Sri Lanka Back in 1st Test

Ravichandran Ashwin Stars For India, while Dinesh Chandimal Brings Sri Lanka Back in 1st Test

By: Drcricket7 Staff

Ravichandran Ashwin was the standout performer with ten wickets.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the standout performer with ten wickets.

Around the time India were the No. 1 Test team in the world, they never used to start a Test series away from home with a bang. There was always some kind of a setback in the initial stages. So much so that India drew a few of the series.

However, things may look to change if for good the new generation of Test cricketers under Virat Kohli want to break the shackles of losing the first match of a series away from home. They want to start winning from the word go, which the previous generation of cricketers did try but weren’t successful in doing it.

In fact, India started off the ongoing Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle with a lot of authority. Thanks to Ravichandran Ashwin. After a successful stint in the last Test series against Bangladesh, the Tamil Nadu off-spinner continues to rule the roost and bowling like the best spinner in the sub-continent.

Ashwin also took six wickets in the first innings and four more in the second to take the tally of ten wickets for the first time outside India, his third overall.

While leggie Amit Mishra also scripted another success story by taking five wickets in total. Their incredible spells restricted Sri Lanka to 183 in the first innings and also troubled them in the second essay of the match.

In reply, India did better than Sri Lanka batsmen and took a first innings lead of 192. Spearheaded by Shikhar Dhawan’s 134 and captain Kohli’s 103, the visitors made 375. In the lower middle-order Wriddhiman Saha made a much needed 60 to boost the Indian team, which is playing this Test match with five bowlers.

The biggest surprise of the match was Ajinkya Rahane taking eight catches in the match. Earlier, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat. Their decision to bat first backfired after the Indian pace duo of Ishant Sharma and Varun Aaron sent back the Lankan openers in quick succession.

From there on, Ravichandran Ashwin took three more quick wickets to reduce the hosts to a score of 65 for five before lunch was taken. His senior colleague, Harbhajan Singh, was the only bowler who went wicket-less in the first innings, but he got one in the second.

Right in the middle-order, captain Angelo Mathews did try to resurrect Sri Lanka innings with a brave 64 along with Dinesh Chandimal, but it wasn’t enough to lift the out-of-sorts Islanders.

In front of Ravichandran Ashwin, the Lankan batting looked absolutely brittle. In a way, Ashwin’s spell offered a wonderful opportunity for India to stamp their authority in the match but the visitors lost two early wickets.

In the second innings, Lankan displayed better application on the field. They made 367 in the second innings. At one point, Lankan were three down with a score of five. Fortunately, the middle-order held their nerves together.

Dinesh Chandimal got his act to together once again in the match and along with a few others took the Sri Lankan score to a respectable position. He was also the highest scorers of the match.

He scored his 100 off 100 deliveries and then completed his 150 off just 160 balls. It was one of those knocks, which is a starting point of any big match player.

It was Dinesh Chandimal fourth hundred that will forced India to bat again in the second innings. And to win the match, Kohli and his men will have to bat like it did in the first innings to surpass the winning score of 176.

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