Herath sends India crashing to Test defeat

Spinner picks up seven wickets as Sri Lanka claim unlikely 63-run win in the opening Test.

Sri Lanka''s Herath celebrates with his teammates after taking the wicket of India''s Rahane on the fourth day of their first test cricket match in Galle
Sri Lanka had slipped to 5-3 in their second-innings before the remarkable fightback [Reuters]

Rangana Herath picked up seven wickets in a sublime display of left-arm spin bowling to power Sri Lanka to a spectacular comeback win by 63 runs against India on the fourth day of the opening Test at Galle.

Trailing for most of the match after being all out on the opening day for 183, the hosts scythed through the Indian order with 37-year-old Herath adding six wickets to his overnight dismissal of opening batsman Lokesh Rahul for his 22nd five-wicket haul in Tests.

Off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal, who took five wickets in the first-innings, provided superb support by picking up three more in the second innings as India, who resumed the day on 23-1, were shot out for 112 an hour after lunch.

Ajinkya Rahane (36) was the only Indian batsman to provide some resistance but he too fell to Herath, edging the wily spinner to home captain Angelo Mathews at slip.

Sri Lanka looked dead and buried on 95-5 on Friday after conceding a first-innings lead of 192 but Dinesh Chandimal’s swashbuckling unbeaten 162 allowed them to stage a fightback and set India a victory target of 176.

“What an absolute turnaround it was,” home captain Angelo Mathews said at the presentation ceremony.

“I thought Chandimal was outstanding. He single-handedly got us a fighting score. We were down and out for past three and half days and we had to give it our best shot.”

The hosts, who lost their last Test series at home to Pakistan, put immense pressure on India with tight bowling and some smart catches in the first session on Saturday.

Amit Mishra was the final man out to Kaushal, sparking wild celebrations by the Sri Lankans.

“We got no one or nothing to blame but ourselves,” Kohli said.

“We failed to capitalise on taking the first five wickets (in the second innings). We should have finished the game off in that particular session. One bad session and things can turn around totally.

“Big, big credit to Rangana the way he bowled today. I think he’s a world-class bowler.”

The second Test, the last for retiring Sri Lankan batting stalwart Kumar Sangakkara, will start on Thursday in Colombo.

Scorecard:

Sri Lanka 183 all out & 367 all out (Chandimal 162*, Ashwin 4-114)

India 375 all out & 112 all out (Rahane 36, Herath 7-48)

Source: Reuters