India thrash Sri Lanka inside three days to seal series clean sweep

Rohit's side clinch 238-run victory in Bangalore despite defiant century from tourists' captain Karunaratne

India's players celebrate after beating Sri Lanka by 238 runs in Bangalore on Monday, March 14, 2022. The home side completed a 2-0 series clean sweep. AFP

India's Virat Kohli waves to spectators after winning the second Test on Day 3 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. AFP

India players celebrate their victory over Sri Lanka. AP

India bowler Jasprit Bumrah, left, celebrates after taking the wicket of Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne. AFP

Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne is bowled by Jasprit Bumrah. AFP

Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne celebrates after reaching his century. AFP

India's players celebrate after the dismissal of Sri Lanka's Charith Asalanka for five. AFP

Sri Lanka's Niroshan Dickwella is stumped by India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant for 12. AP

Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne plays a shot on his way to a defiant 107 off 174 balls. AP

Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne celebrates reaching fifty. AP

India's Ravindra Jadeja, right, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Sri Lanka batter Angelo Mathews for one. AFP

Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis plays a shot on his way to 54 off 60 balls. AFP

Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis celebrates after reaching his 50. AFP

India's Hanuma Vihari takes the catch to dismiss Sri Lanka batter Dhananjaya de Silva for four. AFP

Jasprit Bumrah helped India thrash Sri Lanka by 238 runs inside three days in Bangalore to complete a 2-0 series clean sweep.

Chasing an unlikely 447 for victory in the second Test, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 208 in the second session – despite captain Dimuth Karunaratne's defiant 107.

Fast bowler Bumrah (3-23) ended Karunaratne's magnificent knock and finished with eight wickets in the match, while spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took 4-55 in the second innings.

Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant scored 67 and 50 in India's 303-9 declared on Day 2 to play key roles in securing an emphatic victory. India also won the opening Test in three days and this win gives new all-format captain Rohit Sharma a winning start to his Test leadership.

“It's been a good run and I've enjoyed it personally and as a team. We wanted to achieve a few things as a team and we've done that,” Rohit said.

“Pink ball tests are challenging. We never knew what it was like to play with the pink ball in India, but we are learning to make those adjustments. The crowd just makes it more special.”

With the tourists chasing a daunting target, Karunaratne battled hard to bring up his 14th test ton but wickets fell regularly and they were bowled out for little over 200.

Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis had chipped away in the first session and together the pair survived a couple of edges to bring up Sri Lanka's highest partnership of the series (97) while Mendis also brought up his half-century.

India made the breakthrough when spinner Ashwin enticed Mendis (54) to dance down the track, with the batsman misjudging the line as Pant collected the ball and quickly whipped off the bails.

Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka's top scorer in the first innings, lasted only five balls as Ravindra Jadeja broke through his defence to knock over his leg stump while Ashwin struck again to have Dhananjaya de Silva caught at forward short leg.

Karunaratne stitched together another 50-run stand with Niroshan Dickwella before India's Axar Patel got in on the act in the second session and opened the gates to the lower order with two wickets.

He first had Dickwella stumped in identical fashion to the Mendis dismissal before Charith Asalanka gave Sharma an easy catch at backward short leg to leave Sri Lanka at 180-6.

Despite the circumstances, Karunaratne afforded himself a smile when he brought up a well-crafted century, with the crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium giving him a standing ovation.

“I would have been happier if we had won the match. Once I got in, I knew I could get a big one,” Karunaratne said. “We know we are a decent team. We didn't get enough good starts to capitalise. As a bowling unit we gave too many loose balls.”

But his stay at the crease was cut short soon afterwards when Bumrah uprooted his middle stump with a delivery that sneaked through the gap between bat and pad.

Suranga Lakmal, playing in his final Test, was sent back when Bumrah bowled him out and the whole India team went up to shake the 35-year-old veteran's hand as he walked off.

Ashwin picked up the final wicket of Vishwa Fernando and his four wickets moved him up to eighth in the all-time Test list on 442 scalps, with West Indian quick Courtney Walsh next up with 519.

India's Iyer was named man of the match for his two half-centuries, while wicketkeeper-batsman Pant was the player of the series.