Crushing victory over Sri Lanka marks India’s 100th Test win

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KANPUR - India thoroughly outplayed Sri Lanka in the second cricket Test to win by an innings and 144 runs and go 1-0 up in the three match series here at the Green Park stadium Friday.

Thilan Samaraweera delayed the inevitable with a fighting unbeaten 78 before Sri Lanka, following on, folded up for 269 an hour after lunch on the fourth day.

The visitors were bowled out for 229 in their first innings in reply to India’s imposing total of 642 built around the centuries of Virender Sehwag (131), Gautam Gambhir (167) and Rahul Dravid (144).

Sehwag and Gambhir’s explosive stand of 233 laid the foundation of the victory. India scored at a furious pace on the first day ending at a record 417/2.

That left Sri Lanka with very little hope on a pitch of variable bounce.

From there on, the batsmen and the bowlers made sure that they cashed in on the opportunity.

Shanthakumran Sreesanth made a sensational international comeback with a five-wicket burst to rock the Sri Lankan batting in the first innings on a slow and turning track. He was declared the man of the match.

Spinners Harbhajan Singh (3-98) and debutant Pragyan Ojha (2-36) wrecked the Sri Lankan batting in the second innings.

The victory was all the more memorable as it was India’s 100th Test victory in 431 matches. Also Mahendra Singh Dhoni continued his success as Test captain. This was his sixth win as captain in nine Tests without a single loss.

Coming into the fourth day, Sri Lanka were staring at defeat after being reduced to 57/4 Wednesday.

They lost four wickets in the morning session. Harbhajan took two wickets while Zaheer Khan and Pragyan Ojha got one each.

Angelo Mathews was the first to be dismissed when he top-edged a pull off Zaheer and Rahul Dravid took a good catch running in from gully.

Harbhajan then removed Prasanna Jayawardene and Rangana Herath.

Muttiah Muralitharan (29) played an entertaining cameo, picking up Harbhajan for special treatment.

He sent Harbhajan soaring over long on for a six in the second ball he faced and then struck two consecutive four in the next two balls.

Muralitharan was finally bowled while trying to hit a second six off Ojha, but missed the line of delivery completely.

Samaraweera, who earlier in the day had struck three fours in a Sreesanth over, brought up his 50 with a four off Ojha.

At lunch, India were two wickets away from victory.

But Samaraweera and Ajantha Mendis (27) frustrated the Indian bowlers with a 37-run stand. Samaraweera, who had a highly successful year, looked good to score a century. More importantly, he showed his fellow batsmen that the pitch was not playing too many tricks and runs could be scored with patience and application.

Yuvraj Singh broke the partnership when he trapped Mendis lbw. Ojha soon dismissed the last man Chanaka Welegedara.