Why the series win over Sri Lanka is very special for Team India
India has won a Test series overseas finally. A long wait of 22 years for a series victory in Sri Lanka has also ended. Virat Kohli led the side wonderfully well as India outplayed Sri Lanka in all the departments to clinch the series 2-1. It was a special triumph in more ways than one.
India last won a Test match 13 months ago against England at Lord’s, since when they have played 9 Test matches to taste victory. Their last series win came against West Indies in November 2013 while the last overseas series win also came against West Indies in July 2011.
India also won two consecutive Test matches overseas for the first time in more than five years having beaten Bangladesh twice in January 2010.
All these defaming streaks have been broken.
A team effort
The most heartening part of this win is that all the departments have contributed. The team was not dependent on any one individual to shine and take the game away from the opposition. It was a combined effort from all of them which was missing in the team from a long time.
The batsmen played well and the bowlers also chipped in with wickets at the right time. As many as 5 batsmen scored hundreds, bowlers took 20 wickets in every match and fielders grabbed most of the opportunities, including Rahane’s world record for the most number of catches in a match (8).
In the batting department, an Indian batsman scored a ton in four of the six innings while the lower order has also contributed. The selectors now face a welcome headache of selecting the openers. Shikhar, Rahul, Vijay and Pujara all played well at the opening slot. Now it will be interesting to watch how they are accommodated in the same team.
The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra bagged a total of 36 wickets with the former claiming the Player of the Series award. The fast bowlers played their part beautifully in the pace friendly conditions at the SSC. Ishant Sharma was outstanding with his bowling as well as his aggression and Umesh Yadav too chipped in with some useful returns.
Delivering the knock-out punch
In the past 2-3 years, India has been guilty of letting the matches slip from a winning position. This is exactly what happened in the first Test as well and it seemed that the vows had not left them here as well. But then took place the dramatic turnaround in the second Test in which India dominated completely.
In the third Test, there came a time where it looked like India were going to grab defeat from the jaws of victory but the lower order, who put their hands up and scored the useful runs which gave India a sizeable lead and the bowlers were able to clinch victory despite Sri Lanka’s fightback.
Kohli’s first Test series win as skipper
Lastly, it was important for Kohli as a captain to clinch a series win because India is to host the mighty South Africans next month. It is the start of his stint as a Test captain at home and being winless in the first 4 matches certainly did not help his confidence.
But the way he led the side is pretty commendable. He is not afraid to make bold decisions and is ready to experiment, something he must have learned from the captain cool MS Dhoni. Kohli, being an aggressive individual, it is important for him now as a captain that he shows the aggression in his game rather than his actions on the field as he has certainly done in this series.
This win will bring back the lost confidence of the fans in the team as well. All and all, the team played superb cricket. The score line could have been 3-0 if only India had stopped Dinesh Chandimal in the first Test. Nevertheless, this team deserves a lot of appreciation. We hope that India continues this form in the future as well.