Teenager Ishant Sharma gave a superb display of fast bowling to help India square the series with a 170-run victory over Sri Lanka in the second Test yesterday.
Sharma finished with three for 20 off 15 testing overs as Sri Lanka were shot out for 136 in their second innings in the closing session on the fourth day chasing a challenging 307-run target.
India lost the opening match of the three-Test series by an innings and 239 runs. The final match starts in Colombo on Friday.
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (4-51) and leg-spinner (2-41) built on Sharma’s effort to help their team win with more than a day to spare.
Harbhajan, who took six wickets in the first innings, completed his fifth haul of 10 or more wickets in a Test.
The 19-year-old Sharma wrecked Sri Lanka’s top order with two quick wickets in a sharp opening spell, before returning to break a stubborn partnership in his second spell.
Sri Lanka were on the back foot following Sharma’s double-strike, before collapsing against spin late in the day. The hosts lost their last five wickets for just six runs, with Harbhajan taking three and Kumble two.
The hosts began the chase on a disastrous note as they lost three wickets for a meager 10 runs in the opening four overs, with Sharma taking two and left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan one.
India’s spinners were expected to call the shots on a wearing track, but the tourists seized the advantage through their fast bowlers as Sharma unsettled the batsmen with his pace and bounce and Zaheer with his movement.
Thilan Samaraweera (67 not out) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (38) alone defied the Indian pace-spin combination with a 76-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Sharma broke the stand immediately after tea when he had Dilshan caught by wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik. Harbhajan had Prasanna Jayawardene caught by Sourav Ganguly, who took a well-judged catch at square-leg.
Sri Lanka were in deep trouble after losing Kumar Sangakkara (1) and in-form skipper Mahela Jayawardene (5), who are known for playing long innings.
Sharma, who removed Malinda Warnapura with his third ball, got the big wicket when he had Jayawardene caught by Rahul Dravid at gully. Jayawardene scored a century in the opening Test and 86 in the first innings.
Zaheer struck in his second over when he dismissed Sangakkara, beaten by the movement to be caught by Venkatsai Laxman at second slip.
Michael Vandort was dropped before he had opened his account when Dravid failed to latch on to a high catch at third slip in Zaheer’s opening over.
The Sri Lanka batsman was on 6 when he offered another chance, this time Dravid holding the catch, but it came off a Zaheer no-ball. His uncomfortable stay at the crease ended when he fell leg before wicket in Harbhajan’s opening over.
India earlier faltered against Sri Lanka spinners Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan as they were bowled out for 269 after resuming on 200-4. They lost their last five wickets for 17 runs in a dramatic collapse.
Unorthodox spinner Mendis, who took six wickets in the first innings, finished with four for 92 to complete a maiden 10-wicket haul in only his second Test.Muralitharan took two wickets in the morning to finish with three for 107.
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