Ravindra Jadeja's five-wicket haul led India to a series victory over Sri Lanka in the three-match Test series. Jadeja took key wickets on Day 4 which led to India's comprehensive innings and 53-run victory over the hosts at Colombo on Sunday. Jadeja ended with figures of 5/152 in 39 overs. This victory also ensured India's eighth consecutive Test series win.
Twin tons from Dimuth Karunaratne (141) and Kusal Mendis (110) helped the hosts show some fight but an all-round bowling performance by the Indians saw the Islanders all-out for 386 in the second innings.
Once Karunaratne and former skipper Angelo Mathews (36) was dismissed by Jadeja within a space of five runs from each other, it was only a matter of time before India clinched the series. Karunaratne and Mathews added 69 runs for the fifth wicket as Sri Lanka were 310 for four at one stage before a collapse saw the last six wickets going down for 76 runs.
India has now won back-to-back away Test series in the island nation having clinched the previous edition in 2015 2-1. The quality, or the lack of it, of the Sri Lankan team, will give Virat Kohli and his boys a chance to complete a clean sweep in Pallekele (Kandy), where the third Test starts on August 12.
The Indian bowlers - especially the two spinners - were made to work much harder than their previous three innings in the Test matches so far. Ravichandran Ashwin (2/132 in 37.5 overs), after a good first innings show, did not look half as effective. He, however, got the final wicket of the Sri Lankan second innings to end the match. In the post-lunch session, it was Jadeja who hit the right areas, extracting sharp turn and bounce off the pitch.
Karunartane, after his 307-ball vigil, got a wicked delivery that jumped off his gloves with Ajinkya Rahane running behind the wicketkeeper to take the catch. Mathews then got one that had both turn and bounce with Wriddhiman Saha giving a superb exhibition of glove work.