IND vs SL 2022: 3 talking points as India crush Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs in 1st Test

India smashed Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs

A dominant display by the Indian bowlers slammed the door on a rather hapless Sri Lankan side as they won the first Test by an innings and 222 runs.

The surface was still a true one when the game ended, but the Sri Lankan batters were never quite in the contest against a top-notch and varied Indian attack.

After his batting heroics, Ravindra Jadeja was the star with the ball as he picked up nine wickets in the match, including a five-wicket haul in the first innings. All the other bowlers chipped in as Sri Lanka struggled to cross 200 in both innings.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧. 𝗔. 𝗪𝗜𝗡! 👏 👏

@ImRo45 begins his Test captaincy stint with a win as #TeamIndia beat Sri Lanka by an innings & 2⃣2⃣2⃣ runs in the first @Paytm #INDvSL Test in Mohali. 👌 👌

Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/INDvSL-1STTEST https://t.co/P8HkQSgym3

Here, we take a look at 3 observations from the third day as India crushed Sri Lanka:

3.) R Ashwin's brilliant display

Ashwin went past Kapil Dev's wicket tally

Ravindra Jadeja will garner all the headlines for his superb all-round display, but R Ashwin continued his dominance in Indian conditions. The off-spinner picked up six wickets in the match and in the process went past Richard Hadlee, Rangana Herath and Kapil Dev's Test wicket tally.

This after he scored an enterprising 61 in the first innings to stitch a vital partnership with Ravindra Jadeja.

"Sometimes I get ahead of myself with the bat but I have worked on things, was looking to take one ball at a time. The surface was a really good one, it was not easy to get batters out when they were defending.

"You had to bowl tight for sustained periods," he said after the match.

🎥 🎥 That moment when @ashwinravi99 picked the landmark 4⃣3⃣5⃣th Test wicket 👏 👏

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2.) Pacers getting the job done

Jasprit Bumrah was superb with his fiery spells

While India's spinners picked up 15 wickets across the match, Indian pacers Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah were also on the money throughout the Test. They picked up five wickets and never allowed any breathing space to the Sri Lankan batters.

Bumrah was sensational with the old ball on both days while Shami posed a lot of questions with the new ball. This pressure helped the spinners to come into their own and dominate proceedings.

"I think Shami and Jasprit created pressure from the end where it wasn't turning much," Ashwin on how the pacers contributed to the team's cause.

1.) Ravindra Jadeja - the match-winner

Ravindra Jadeja had a record-breaking match

In an earlier interview with ESPNcricinfo, Ravindra Jadeja had said that his dream was to score a century and pick up a five-wicket haul in the same match. He ticked this off with some aplomb.

After a stunning 175* in the first innings, Jadeja came back and got the job done with the ball as well. On a true surface, he found the perfect length and the ball spun too. He was a handful in the first innings and ended up with a five-wicket haul.

He was not done just yet as he picked up four more wickets to round off an excellent Test match, one that will be remembered for a long time.

"I was looking to build partnership with wicket. To be honest I don't know about stats (hundred and ten-for) but I am happy to do well with bat and ball.

When you perform like this, you feel very confident," Jadeja said at the end of the match.

Ravindra Jadeja is awarded the Man of the Match award for his brilliant all-round performance 🙌🇮🇳

📸 BCCI

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