Herath spins it, wins it: Sri Lanka snatch victory from India

Off-spinner stars with seven as tourists suffer 63-run defeat in first Test

GALLE:

Veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath grabbed seven wickets as Sri Lanka stunned India by 63 runs in a thrilling first Test in Galle on Saturday.

The tourists, set a victory target of 176 runs, were skittled for 112 in their second innings after lunch on the fourth day to give Sri Lanka the lead in the three-match series.

Ajinkya Rahane top-scored with 36, but only three other batsmen reached double figures as India folded up in just 49.5 overs.

In a remarkable turnaround, Sri Lanka won after being reduced to 95-5 in their second innings before lunch on the third day, still 98 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat.

Dinesh Chandimal smashed a brilliant 162 off 169 balls, sharing valuable partnerships with Lahiru Thirimanne (44) and Jehan Mubarak (49) to lift the hosts to 367.

India’s hopes of celebrating Independence Day in style vanished in a dramatic morning session in which six wickets fell after the tourists started the day at 23-1.

The 37-year-old Herath picked up four of those wickets to finish with seven for 48 in 21 overs, his 22nd five-wicket haul in 61 Tests.

Young off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal backed his senior partner by taking the other three wickets for 47 runs.

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews said he was “speechless” at clinching victory after his team was down in the dumps on the third morning.

“What a turnaround this has been, I am quite speechless,” he said. “It was a great effort to come back from where we were. Chandimal was outstanding and he single-handedly got us to a fighting score.”

“We are a team in transition, so this win is a real morale-booster. (I) hope we can continue like this.”

Indian captain Virat Kohli refused to make excuses, saying the batsmen were unable to take the pressure of chasing in the fourth innings.

“We did not counter what was being thrown at us,” he said. “We should have been smarter with how we play the spinners. There are no excuses. It was a case of us not playing fearless cricket.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2015.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.