3rd Test: India beat Sri Lanka by an innings, 171 runs; complete series whitewash

Pallekele, Aug 14: Team India crushed a listless Sri Lankan side by an innings and 171 runs to win the third and final Test match and claimed their first whitewash overseas here on Monday (August 14).

After enforcing follow-on Indian bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 181 in 74.3 overs in the second innings and winning the match by a huge margin. India folded the hosts to a paltry 135 in the first innings after posting a mammoth 487 in the first innings.

Match scorecard; Day 2 report

India, the number one ranked Test side in the ICC rankings, finished the match in a period of just three days to stamp their authority in the longer format of the game.

At lunch on the third day, the hosts trailed by 270 runs with six wickets remaining. With a 65-run partnership between Dinesh Chandimal (36) and Angelo Mathews (35), Sri Lanka managed to delay the inevitable.

What a fabulous way to end the test series! A big hug to the entire team for their outstanding performance. Good luck for the ODI series! pic.twitter.com/HaXfI7dPwo

— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 14, 2017

Once Kuldeep Yadav got rid of Chandimal and Ashwin removed Mathews soon after, the visitors restricted the hosts to 181.

Starting from overnight 19 for one, Mohammed Shami (3/32) bowled a fiery opening spell while Ravichandran Ashwin (4/68) emerged as the pick of the bowlers in the second innings. Umesh Yadav bagged two wickets while Kuldeep Yadav got a wicket.

Ashwin removed opener Dimuth Karunaratne (16) at the other end to give the hosts their first jolt on the third day. The ball took an extra bounce and lobbed off his glove as the batsman was caught at slip in the third over of the morning.

Shami then had night watchman Malinda Pushpakumara (1) caught behind in the 21st over.

Two overs later, he got the big dismissal as well, trapping Kusal Mendis (12) lbw with a sharp inswinger. The hosts lost 3 for 13 in the first passage of play this morning.

Thereafter, Sri Lanka crossed 50 in the 26th over, with Chandimal and Mathews holding fort together.

The duo gave up on the attack-minded tactic against the Indian bowling, instead of looking to play for time. In the 35th over, Mathews survived a shout for caught behind off Umesh Yadav (0-23), even as India appealed for DRS against the original not out decision. But there was no evidence to overturn the decision as Mathews continued his innings.

India lead the three-match series 2-0 after winning the first Test in Galle by 304 runs and the second Test in Colombo by an innings and 54 runs.

On day one of the final match, Shikhar Dhawan (119) and KL Rahul (85) put on the highest opening stand of 188 runs on Lankan soil as India finished at 329 for six at stumps.

Yesterday, Hardik Pandya scored his maiden Test hundred off 86 balls to help India reach 487 in their first innings. Sri Lanka then collapsed to 135 all out in their first innings with Kuldeep Yadav picking 4-40.

myKhel.com News/PTI