T20 specialist Hardik Pandya played an extraordinary innings of controlled hitting to score his maiden century in any format and place India in a strong position to push for a 3-0 whitewash of the three-match series against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Stadium yesterday.
Pandya’s blazing knock of 108 off 96 balls saw India recover from 339-7 to 487 all out. By stumps Sri Lanka shot out for 135 in their first innings and forced to follow-on 352 runs in arrears for the second successive Test ended the second day on 19 for the loss of Upul Tharanga’s wicket to trail by 333 runs with three days of play left. Dimuth Karunaratne was unbeaten on 12 and nightwatchman Malinda Pushpakumara on nought.
Kusal Mendis who looked in good touch ran himself out at 18 and from then onwards it was a series of poor shot selections that led to the dismissals. Mathews collected his second duck of his career (121 innings), Dickwella played with his usual flair scoring 29 off 31 balls before giving the charge to left-arm spinner Kuldip Yadav and being stumped yards down the track. Yadav also accounted for Dilruwan Perera, Malinda Pushpakumara and Vishwa Fernando to end with career best figures of 4 for 40 in 13 overs in only his second Test.
Pandya’s amazing innings clearly shifted the balance heavily in India’s favour. Without a first-class or one-day hundred behind him Pandya who came to bat at number eight blazed his way to a century off 86 balls that included seven sixes and seven fours, his second fifty required only 25 balls. In that second phase he slammed six sixes and two fours that included 26 runs off a Malinda Pushpakumara over – the third most scored off one over in Test cricket. The left-arm spinner was punished for two fours and three sixes in his 23rd over as Pandya ran riot after India’s ninth wicket had fallen for 421.
Until that time he had played a decent knock building up useful partnerships of 62 with Umesh Yadav (26) and 20 with Mohammad Shami (8). It was pure clean hitting and all his shots were so powerfully struck that it cleared the boundary line with ease.
During Pandya’s onslaught it was difficult to fathom the tactics of Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal who was found wanting in his captaincy skills. He allowed Pandya to retain the strike shielding last man Umesh Yadav without bringing the field in towards the end of the over on several occasions. And then again when paceman Lahiru Kumara was bowling at Pandya he had nine men patrolling the boundary line without a single catcher in position for the edge. It was unbelievably poor captaincy that allowed Pandya to dominate.
Another sore point was under bowling Dilruwan Perera who delivered only eight overs in the entire Indian innings of 122.3 overs - strange tactics this. He did not get a bowl at all yesterday with Chandimal sticking to his other two spinners Lakshan Sandakan and Pushpakumara.
It was Sandakan who finally ended Pandya’s superb innings when he had him caught by Perera at deep cover trying another big hit - off the third ball after the lunch break that brought the Indian innings to a close.
Sandakan picked up his first five-for in a Test innings with figures of 5 for 132. He claimed three of the last four Indian wickets to fall yesterday for 48 runs in a 10.3 over spell. Pushpakumara failed to add to his tally of three and ended with his figures spoilt by Pandya’s assault conceding 82 runs.
India’s Hartik Pandiya celebrates his century off 86 balls on the second day of the third and final
Test against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Stadium yesterday.
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