Sri Lanka waltzed to a richly deserved eight wicket victory over India in the final Test and also a series clinching 2-1 victory at the P.Sara Oval yesterday, 65 minutes after tea on the fourth day. Chasing 122 for victory, they achieved the target- 123-for two wickets with Malinda Warnapura unbeaten on 54 and Mahela Jayawardena 50 not out and with it the Idea Trophy.

Loud cheers from an appreciative crowd rent the air signaling Sri Lanka’s victory when Jayawardena magnificently square cut a delivery from Virender Sehwag to the fence to also reach his 50. And didn’t Jayawardena and Warnapura jubilate.

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Sri Lanka last won a series against India in Sri Lanka was when Sanath Jayasuriya’s 2001 team beat them 2-1. In this series Sri Lanka won the First Test at the SSC and lost the Second in Galle and won the Third at the P.Sara Oval. When the Lankans began their chase for victory, they lost Michael Vandort bowled by Harbhajan for 8 at 11 and then first innings century maker Kumar Sangakkara for 4 with the total on 22.

Sangakkara’s out of this world timing of his push to off saw the ball flying to Gambhir at mid off. Zaheer Khan was the bowler. At 22 for 2 things looked a bit tricky. With the batting jet in a bit of turbulence.

But Jayawardena proved a clever pilot and with an able co-pilot in opener Malinda Warnapura steered the jet out of the turbulence, a clear course and a copy book landing which was an eight wicket memorable victory.

Jayawardena played his signature off drives and lofted shots with superb timing while left hander Warnapura pulled and drove with consummate ease for his runs. They were involved in an unbroken stand of 101 for the third wicket.

In inflicting this defeat the Lankans earned themselves an extra day to celebrate and India an extra day to lick their wounds and go back to the drawing boards and study where they went wrong, considering that they won the all important toss and took strike.

The Indians dug their own grave when they lost their way with some irresponsible batting in the first innings especially on a wicket that had a bag full of runs for the taking. Then they did a repeat in the second innings. There was no imagination in their batting and once they collapsed for 249, the game for them was as good as over. When play began on the fourth day, India were 161 for 5 a lead of 14 runs with two of their most experienced and tested batsmen Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman at the wickets on 46 and 17 respectively.

Incidentally it was Dravid 180 and Laxman 281 who turned the cricket world upside down, when they figured in a big stand of 376 for the fifth wicket in the Second Test at Eden Gardens, Calcutta in 2001 against Australia, after India was asked to follow on and it was their stand that helped India win the Test by 171 runs and the series 2-1.The Test seemed lost until they got their batting act together. The Lankans were a bit apprehensive wondering whether these two could perform a similar act this time too.

Dravid and Laxman thwarted the spin of Muttiah Muralitheran and Ajantha Mendis to close on lunch with some very correct batting, cutting out the risks and going about their job of taking their side to a formidable lead from where they could probe for victory. Skipper Jayawardena gave his spin twins attacking fields in an endevour to unsettle the batsmen. He had a short leg, silly mid on and a man just behind mid on and a leg slip and a slip.

Then after adding 85 for the sixth wicket, the persevering Ajantha Mendis had Dravid who made his first fifty of the tour nicely taken by Jayawardena in the slips off a well disguised doosra. The wicket fell at 216. The batsman made 68 with 6 fours in 166 balls and 226 minutes. That was the wicket that the Lankans badly needed. It was Mendis’ 26th wicket in the series. A great effort.

Dravid played some of his exquisite drives on either side of the wicket. But it was obvious that he has slowed down and his days in the team are numbered. And this series defeat could also see the end of the glittering careers of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble. Laxman who was hobbling around with his ankle injury, laboured to remain unbeaten on 61 when the Indian innings ended on 268. He stuck it out for 193 minutes facing 157 balls and hitting 3 fours. After the dismissal of Dravid, India lost Anil Kumble run out for 9.

Harbhajan Singh came in and played a breezy knock of 26 with 5 fours and then faling LBW to Vaas, Zaheer Khan was run out for no score and Ishant Sharma went caught at leg slip off Muralitheran for no score and the Indian innings ended at 268. A lead of 121 leaving Sri Lanka 122 for a series clinching win. It was a brilliant effort by the bowlers especially Muralitheran and Mendis to restrict the Indians to a score of 268. Muralitheran bowled unchanged, while Mendis who had a couple of spells was his usual teasing self. Muralitheran had 3 for 99, Mendis 3 for 81 and Dhammika Prasad 2 for 60.

Kumar Sangakkara was the Man of the Match for his fighting knock of 144 and Ajantha Mendis was undoubtedly the Man-of-the-Series for his bag of 26 wickets on debut in a Three Test series which saw him also break the 63 year old record that was to the credit of former England paceman Alec Bedser against India in England in 1946 under the captaincy of Wally Hammond when he bagged 23 wickets on debut.

India 1st innings 249
(G. Gambhir 72;
A. Mendis 5-56)
Sri Lanka
1st innings 396
(K. Sangakkara 144; H. Singh 3-104)

INDIA 2nd innings
(overnight 161-5):
G. Gambhir b Prasad			26
V. Sehwag c Samaraweera b Prasad		34
R. Dravid c M. Jayawardene b Mendis		68
S. Ganguly lbw b Muralitharan		18
P. Patel lbw b Mendis			 1
S. Tendulkar lbw b Mendis			14
V. Laxman not out				61
A. Kumble lbw b Muralitharan			 9
H. Singh lbw b Vaas			26
Z. Khan run out				 0
I. Sharma c Warnapura b Muralitharan  	 0
EXTRAS (b5, lb3, nb1, w2)			11
TOTAL (for all out)		            268
  

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-62 (Sehwag), 2-65 (Gambhir),
		  3-108 (Ganguly), 4-109 (Patel), 5-131 (Tendulkar),
		  6-216 (Dravid), 7-229 (Kumble), 8-266 (Singh), 9-268 (Khan),
		 10-268 (Sharma).

BOWLING: Vaas 5-0-20-1,
	 Prasad 11-0-60-2 (nb1, w2),
	 Muralitharan 37.5-4-99-3,
	 Mendis 34-7-81-3.

SRI LANKA 
2nd innings M. Vandort b Harbhajan 		 8
M. Warnapura not out			54
K. Sangakkara c Gambhir b Zaheer  		 4
M. Jayawardene not out			50
EXTRAS (b4, lb3)				 7
TOTAL (for two wickets)		            123

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-11 (Vandort), 2-22 (Sangakkara)

BOWLING: Zaheer 6-1-22-1,
	   Harbhajan 14-2-44-1,
	   Kumble 10-2-34-0,
	   Sehwag 3-0-12-0,
	   Ganguly 0.1-0-4-0.

by Elmo Rodrigopulle (dailynews.lk)