India crush Sri Lanka to extend winning home streak

@BCCI/ Twitter

India extended their winning streak at home to 15 test series as they beat Sri Lanka by 238 runs in the second match on Monday.

The hosts wrapped up the day-night encounter in Bengaluru on day three to win the two-test series 2-0.

With the tourists chasing a daunting target of 447 for victory after India declared on 303-9, their skipper Dimuth Karunaratne battled hard to bring up his 14th test century (107) but wickets fell regularly and they were bowled out for 208.

India won the first test in Mohali by an innings and 222 runs inside three days and Rohit Sharma's side repeated the feat in Bengaluru when Sri Lanka were bowled out in the second session.

"It's been a good run and I've enjoyed it personally and as a team. We wanted to achieve a few things as a team and we've done that," Rohit said.

"Pink ball tests are challenging. We never knew what it was like to play with the pink ball in India, but we are learning to make those adjustments. The crowd just makes it more special."

Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis had chipped away in the first session and together the pair survived a couple of edges to bring up Sri Lanka's highest partnership of the series (97) while Mendis also brought up his half-century.

However, Sri Lanka then lost three wickets for eight runs as India took charge.

India made the breakthrough when spinner Ravichandran Ashwin enticed Mendis (54) to dance down the track, with the batsman misjudging the line as Pant collected the ball and quickly whipped off the bails.

Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka's top scorer in the first innings, lasted only five balls as Ravindra Jadeja broke through his defence to knock over his leg stump while Ashwin struck again to have Dhananjaya de Silva caught at forward short leg.

Karunaratne stitched together another 50-run stand with Niroshan Dickwella before India's Axar Patel got in on the act in the second session and opened the gates to the lower order with two wickets.

He first had Dickwella stumped in identical fashion to the Mendis dismissal before Charith Asalanka gave Rohit Sharma an easy catch at backward short leg to leave Sri Lanka at 180-6.

Despite the circumstances, Karunaratne afforded himself a smile when he brought up a well-crafted century, with the crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium giving him a standing ovation.

"I would have been happier if we had won the match. Once I got in, I knew I could get a big one," Karunaratne said.

"We know we are a decent team. We didn't get enough good starts to capitalise. As a bowling unit we gave too many loose balls."

But his stay at the crease was cut short soon after when Bumrah uprooted his middle stump with a delivery that sneaked through the gap between bat and pad.

Suranga Lakmal, playing in his final test, was sent back when Jasprit Bumrah bowled him out and the whole India team went up to shake the 35-year-old veteran's hand as he walked off.

Ashwin picked up the final wicket of Vishwa Fernando and his figures of 4-55 moved him up to eighth on the all-time list of most wickets (442 wickets).

India's Shreyas Iyer was named man of the match for his two half-centuries while wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was the player of the series.

More from Sports

  • Bencic stuns Rybakina to set up Krueger final

    Belinda Bencic is through to another Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open final after eliminating reigning champion Elena Rybakina in a pulsating contest. The Swiss star will now meet Ashlyn Krueger, who defeated Linda Noskova in straight sets, in Saturday's final.

  • Desert Vipers beat Sharjah Warriorz to reach final

    The Desert Vipers defeated the Sharjah Warriorz in the DP World ILT20 Season 3 Qualifier 2 clash bowling exceptionally well and followed it up with a scintillating batting display to cruise to a seven-wicket win at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.

  • Maguire heads Man United into FA Cup fifth round

    Manchester United clawed back from a goal down to beat Leicester City in a 2-1 fourth-round FA Cup victory on Friday at Old Trafford, thanks to a last-gasp controversial header from veteran defender Harry Maguire plus a strike from Joshua Zirkzee.

  • January football transfer spending reaches record levels

    Clubs worldwide spent a record $2.35 billion on international transfers in men's soccer in the January window, nearly a 58 per cent increase from last year, world soccer's governing body FIFA said in a study published on Friday.

  • FIFA suspends Congo Republic, Pakistan

    FIFA has suspended the Congo Republic's football association (FECOFOOT) and the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), barring both from international competitions, the world soccer's governing body has said.

News

  • H.H. Sheikh Mohammed to honour Arab Hope Makers

    His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai will meet with a group of young humanitarians at a ceremony on February 23, as part of the Arab Hope Makers initiative.

  • UAE Floating Hospital admits 30 Palestinians since ceasefire

    The UAE Floating Hospital in Al-Arish has admitted around 30 patients from Gaza since the start of the ceasefire and the resumption of medical evacuations through the Rafah crossing, as part of the Operation Chivalrous Knight 3.

  • UAE condemns school shooting in Sweden

    The UAE on Friday strongly condemned a shooting at an adult education centre in Sweden that killed 11 people, expressing solidarity with the victims' families.