Ashwin, Jadeja star in Indian win

Spin twins took three wickets each in the second innings as the tourists demolished Sri Lanka by 304 runs to win first Test.

clinically dismantle the hosts on the penultimate day itself.

Joining forces in the post-lunch session after the quick dismissals of Kusal Mendis (36) and Angelo Mathews (2), Karunaratne and Dickwella steadied the Sri Lankan ship to take them to 192/4 by tea.

Karunaratne›s gritty 208-ball knock proved to be the stumbling block for the Indians as he along with Dickwella added 101 runs for the fifth wicket before Ashwin, playing his career›s 50th Test, ended the stumper›s 94-ball vigil.

Ashwin struck again with the key wicket of the left-handed opener, who dragged a bottomedge onto his stumps when he was in sight of a sixth Test hundred.

Tailenders Nuwan Pradeep (0) and Lahiru Kumara (0) failed to provide any support to Dilruwan Perera (21 not out) and were dismissed in quick succession by Ashwin and Jadeja respectively.

Earlier, after India declared their second innings at 240/3, the new ball duo of Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav dealt two quick blows in the form of Upul Tharanga ( 10) and Danushka Gunathilaka (2) respectively to reduce the home side to 85/2 at the lunch break.

Having got an attacking 64 in the first innings, Tharanga failed to cash on the advantage when Kohli dropped him at first slip, to be bowled off an inside edge in the next ball from Shami.

Gunathilaka also gifted his wicket by flicking Yadav›s delivery straight to square leg fielder Cheteshwar Pujara before Mendis and Karunaratne joined forces.

Resuming the day at 189/3, India skipper Virat Kohli (103 not out) went on to complete his 17th Test century, as the visitors stretched their second innings lead to 549 runs. Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane (23 not out) added a quickfire 51run fourth wicket stand in 6.3 overs.

The India captain, who went unbeaten on 76 at stumps on the third evening, started tapping for singles and doubles, before latching on a Dilruwan Perera delivery to clobber over midwicket for six to move to 89.

He completed his hundred with a single to midwicket, reaching the landmark in 133 balls and thereby surpassed former India skipper Sourav Ganguly›s tally of 16 Test tons. IANS