Images from Day 3 in the second Test between India and Sri Lanka, in Bengaluru, on Monday.
India snuffed out a faint spark in Sri Lanka's second innings to wrap up the second Test inside three days for a comprehensive 238-run victory, in Bengaluru, on Monday.
The 2-0 whitewash of the Islanders fetched India 24 points, but Rohit Sharma's men remain in fifth place in World Championship table due to a 'low percentage points' (54.16) despite 77 in their kitty.
Facing a herculean task, Sri Lanka took the field on Day 3 with a lot of determination though it was always going to be tough to negotiate the Indian attack on a track that offered turn and uneven bounce from Day 1.
Resuming at 28 for one in pursuit of an improbable 447-run target, the Sri Lankan batters, led by skipper Dimuth Karunaratne (107), resisted the Indian attack for some time before folding for 208 in the post-tea session.
Left-handed Karunaratne, one of the most consistent performers for Sri Lanka in recent times, raised his 14th Test century with a boundary off Jasprit Bumrah. He took some time to settle down but worked the ball around swiftly, consistently placing them in the gaps.
Bumrah (3/23) eventually sent him back with a slightly seaming delivery that beat his bat and shattered the stumps.
The lethal Indian fast bowler, who consistently made life tough for the Lankans, returned match figures of 8 for 47, having taken five at home for the first time in the first innings.
Ravichandran Ashwin (4/55), Axar Patel (2/37) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/48) did their bit in wrapping up the Lankan innings.
India have now won all three pink-ball Tests at home, having beaten Bangladesh (in Kolkata, 2019) and England (in Ahmedabad, 2021) before.
The visitors' early positive intent, something not been witnessed much in this series, resulted in a rare productive batting session for the Lankans who collected 123 runs for loss of three wickets.
Adopting a positive yet cautious approach, both Kusal Mendis (54 off 60 balls) and Karunaratne used their feet with confidence to counter the Indian spinners.
Earlier in the morning, Sri Lanka enjoyed a rare productive batting session in the series before India ejected three of their batters.
In pursuit of an improbable target, Kusal Mendis and Karunaratne showed stomach for fight. Their intent resulted in Sri Lanka scoring 123 runs.
At the tea break, Sri Lanka were 151 for 4, with Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella (10) at the crease.
With the sun beating down on a pitch that has been assisting the spinners from Day 1, surviving against Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja's guile was an onerous task for the visitors.
Yet, adopting a positive approach, both Mendis (54 off 60 balls) and Karunaratne used their feet with confidence to counter the Indian spinners.
Mendis was impressive on front and back foot as he pulled and cut the short-pitched stuff and used his feet to cut down the spin.
Karunaratne too charged down the wicket, following a similar plan but Mendis was more expressive. Later the skipper too batted with more confidence.
Mendis completed his fifty with a single off Jadeja but was beaten by flight on an Ashwin delivery and stumped by Rishabh Pant.
That brought an end to the pair’s fighting 96-run partnership for the second wicket.
Jadeja cleaned up Angelo Mathews (1) and Ashwin had Dhananjaya de Silva (4) caught at forward short-leg.
Karunaratne was adjudged caught behind by umpire off Jadeja, but the Lankan skipper survived, using DRS. The replay suggested that the ball had kissed the thigh pad and bat before lodging into Pant's gloves.
He completed his fifty with a single off Axar Patel, who replaced Ashwin from the pavilion end.
A small partnership began to develop between Karunaratne and Dickwella even as Mohammed Shami troubled the batters with his pace.
