PandyarocksLankawithmaidenton
POWER PLAY Young allrounder smashes seven sixes in completing 86ball century, India leave hosts facing big defeat in final Test in Pallekele
PALLEKELE: After an intense contestontheopeningday,normalcy was restored in the one-way battle between India and Sri Lanka withthevisitorscompletelydominating proceedings on the second day of the third Test at the Pallekele International Stadium on Sunday.
Sri Lanka’s bowling on the firstdayprovedanaberration,as theywereunabletomaintainthe intensitywhenchallengedbythe talentofyoungHardikPandya.It was a day when the Indian allrounder could do no wrong, smashing his maiden Test hundred (108 off 96 balls) to lift India’s total to 487 and then taking a wicket with the third ball he bowled.
After the Pandya show, India wereallovertheSriLankateam, like vultures hovering over their helpless prey. Led by Kuldeep Yadav’ssecondfour-wickethaul in as many Tests, the hosts were shot out for 135. Forced to follow-on,theywere19forone.With Indiastill333runsahead,thevisitors are firmly in line for a historic clean sweep in the threeTest series.
PANDYAHEROICS
The story of the day, however, wasHardikPandy’sbatting.The 23-year-oldBarodaplayerbatted with the responsibility of a seasoned pro to absorb all the early pressure before wading into the attack when left to bat with the last man.
Pandya moved from fifty to hundredoffjust25ballswithtwo fours and six sixes, reaching his hundred off 86 balls with sevenfoursandseven sixes.
Left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara bore the
n bruntofPandya’s blade, taken apart for 26 runs in one over with two fours and three sixes - the most runs scoredby an Indian batsman in one over in Tests, bettering Sandeep Patil and Kapil Dev, who both had 24 each.
Pandyagotinvaluablesupport from Kuldeep Yadav, the two sharinga62-runpartnership(117 balls) for the eighth wicket. Yadav made 26 runs (73 balls, 2 fours)beforehewaseighthoutat the total of 401. TheherooftheIndia’sbowling effortwaschinamanbowlerKuldeep Yadav, who finished with figures of 13-2-40-4 in his first away Test. It was a repeat performance for Yadav, who had claimedfourwicketsinhisdebut Test, against Australia at Dharamsala in March. Mohammed Shami and R Ashwin claimed two wickets each. CaptainDineshChandimal was the only one to offer some resistance with 48 (87 balls),buthealsogotoutinatame fashion. The seventh Sri Lanka wickettofall,Chandimalworked the ball into the hands of leg slip.
EARLYSTRIKES
As if inspired by Pandya’s heroics, Mohammed Shami gave India a dream start. Fast and swinging the ball both ways, Shami troubled Sri Lanka’s lefthanded opening pair of Dimuth KarunaratneandUpulTharanga withawayswingers.Onthethird ballofhissecondover,Shamihad Tharanga playing a ball outside off-stump and the thin edge was well taken by wicket-keeper Saha. Two overs later, Karunaratne too was consumed with a similar delivery. Their misery was complete when in-form batsman Kusal Mendis was run-out by a brilliant effort from R Ashwin. Four balls after the run out, AngeloMathewswasalso walking back. The rout was complete when Niroshan Dickwella and Dilruwan Perera fell to reckless shots. And India had no hesitation in asking Sri Lanka to bat again, and go for the kill.