Sri Lanka’s batsmen gave Bumrah returns of 5 for 24, his first five-wicket bag in India, and eighth overall. But Bumrah’s advantage is that he does not hunt alone. This pack includes Mohammad Shami, who seams the ball in all conditions and sets up batsmen with extreme guile. R Ashwin takes over as Bumrah’s new-ball partner on rank turners in India and he not only targets the premier batsman, he has too many tricks in the bag for tailenders, as he proved on the day, stupefying Suranga Lakmal and Vishwa Fernando. It is as though Rohit Sharma, as captain of the team, has a cricketing Swiss Army knife at his disposal. For every situation, every demand, there is a solution at hand. In the day-night Test, this was not just handy, it was too good for the opposition.
In the early part of the first day, when the ball was turning, India’s batsmen had the wherewithal to put a decent total on the board. Then when the lights came on and the ball began to swing a bit, they had the quick bowlers to back them up. On the second day, Sri Lanka lost 23 for 4 in 5.5 overs, their resistance lasting all of 27 minutes. With a lead of 143, India’s batsmen could go out there and do their thing without the fear of scoreboard pressure.
But, being so far ahead perhaps resulted in batsmen not maintaining the fierce focus that was very much on display in the first innings. Rohit and Hanuma Vihari both got starts, only to throw away their wickets, the former caught on the fence and the latter missing a straight one trying to sweep. And what of Virat Kohli? For the second time in the game, he got a ball that kept low. This much you have to give him, but for the second time in as many days he had played right back, and when his attempt to work the ball to the onside failed he was trapped plumb in front. India in a spot of bother? You would think so, but Sri Lanka, by now, would have known better. The way this this team is going, a lot of those records are going to be rewritten.
