IND vs SL 2017: 5 Talking Points from the Test Series

Team India registered their 9^th consecutive Test series victory against Sri Lanka but not before the visitors put up some resilience and prevented the hosts from completing yet another drubbing.

Barring the 2^nd Test in Nagpur, the Lankans played some good cricket in the series as mentioned by their skipper Dinesh Chandimal. Even on the final day of the series, two youngsters, Dhananjaya de Silva and Roshen Silva played out of their skin to eke out a draw for Sri Lanka.

The Indian batsmen performed exceptionally well through the series with captain Virat Kohli returning as the top scorer for the team. The bowling department of the Lankans lacked penetration, but on seam-friendly conditions in Kolkata, they troubled the hosts in the 1^st innings and bowled them out for 172.

There were several brilliant performances from either team as India eventually won the series by 1-0 after the Lankans managed to salvage a draw in the three-match Test series.

Let us now have a look at five talking points from the series.

Virat Kohli’s exceptional run in the series

King Kohli was at his ominous best all through the series and treated the Sri Lankan bowlers with disdain. He was hardly troubled by any of the Lankan bowlers, as he kept on churning out runs after runs. Barring a duck in the 1^st innings of the Kolkata Test, Kohli looked a man possessed, and it seemed impossible to get him out.

In the 2^nd innings in Kolkata, the Modern Master smashed a sensational counter-attacking century which set up the match for India perfectly in the final session of the game. It was his attacking display of batting and a sporting declaration which was the difference between a full draw and a fascinating final day’s display.

In the following two Tests, Kohli smashed consecutive double centuries and went to the top of the list for captains with most Test double hundreds breaking the record held by Brian Lara. He also joined the elite list of batsmen to have scored 600 runs in a Test series on more than three occasions.

The Return of Rohit Sharma

The ODI wonder Rohit Sharma finally got his opportunity in the longest format after a long lay off and stormed his way back to form with a brilliant century in the 2^nd Test at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. He looked in complete control and struck some delightful shots to complete his 3^rd Test century. It was his first Test century since twin tons in his first two Tests against the Windies in 2013.

Rohit backed it up with a half-century in the 1^st innings of the final Test in New Delhi and shared another century-plus stand with skipper Virat Kohli.

Murali Vijay Makes a Sensational Comeback

Vijay who was out of the national team for a considerable amount of time yet again put his name as the premier opener in the longest format for the South Africa series after smashing back to back centuries on his return.

He made a comeback at the expense of KL Rahul in the 2^nd Test and showed everyone why he is a class player especially in Tests.

When Vijay gets going, he is a delight to the eyes. He drove and cut to perfection and completed a brilliant century in the 2^nd Test in Nagpur and followed it up with his 11^th Test ton in the 3^rd and the final Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. He got dismissed for 155 in the final Test and in the process shared a mammoth 183-run partnership with Kohli.

Ajinkya Rahane’s Horrendous Form in the Series

It is perhaps for the first time that Rahane had a lackluster Test series where he failed to go beyond 10 in any of the innings, as all other batsmen around him kept on piling on runs after runs. He managed to score a mere 17 runs in the five innings. He didn’t get dismissed off exceptional deliveries, and he has only to blame for his dip in form.

He tried to attack his way back to form in the final Test in New Delhi but couldn’t quite execute it to perfection and got dismissed on 10. He looked out of place and his form will definitely be a huge concern for Kohli ahead of the tough South Africa tour.

Tough Resistance Shown by the Lankans

The Lankans never scared the Indians but at least gave them a competition and eked out a couple of draws from the series. Not many would have given Sri Lanka any chance of drawing a couple of matches, but they defied the odds and put some up resistance in the 1^st and the 3^rd Test.

In fact, the Lankans were bossing the opening Test in Kolkata after bowling India out for 172 in the 1^st innings. However, they couldn’t quite carry on their good work and eventually managed to come out with a draw after brilliant bowling by India on the final day.

They were pretty mediocre in the 2^nd Test, and there was hardly any positives to take for them in that particular match. In the final Test, the batsmen rose to the occasion and defied the Indian bowlers. In the 1^st innings, it was twin centuries from the blade of former captain Angelo Mathews and current captain Dinesh Chandimal which ensured Sri Lanka saved the follow-on.

In the 2^nd essay, it was the brilliance of youngsters Dhananjaya de Silva and Roshen Silva which ensured Sri Lanka managed a draw. The visitors lost only a couple of wickets on the final day of the series.