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Published 06 Mar, 2022 03:44pm

India beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs in Mohali

Hosts India defeated Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs inside three days in the opening test at Mohali on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Sri Lanka made 178 in their second innings after getting bundled out for 174 in the first. India, who declared their first innings on 574-8, enforced the follow-on.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who scored an unbeaten 175, picked up four wickets in the second innings for a match haul of nine. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took 4-47.

Facing a first-innings deficit of 400 runs after India scored 574-8, the tourists lost Lahiru Thirimanne for nought to the bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin as India sensed victory inside three days in Virat Kohli's 100th Test.

Jadeja followed his Test-best 175 with the bat on Saturday by taking 5-41 with his left-arm spin as Sri Lanka collapsed from 161-4, losing their last six wickets for just 10 runs.

Pathum Nissanka top-scored with an unbeaten 61 as he and his overnight partner Charith Asalanka, resuming at 108-4, stood firm in the face of an inspired spell of bowling led by Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah for close to an hour at the start of the day.

Bumrah finally broke through with the wicket of Asalanka, trapping the left-hander lbw for 29 after a successful review.

Nissanka, who survived an early reprieve when Shreyas Iyer dropped him on 26 off Ashwin, raised his fifth Test half-century in his seventh match to raise hopes of a fightback.

But Jadeja struck twice in one over to send back Niroshan Dickwella and Suranga Lakmal and expose the Sri Lankan tail.

Wickets kept tumbling and Jadeja got two in two balls to wrap up the Sri Lankan reply in the first session.

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