Things for which the first Ind vs SL Test will be rememberedΒ Β
India continued their dominance with the red-ball at home after earning a victory by an innings and 222 runs in the first Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka. The Rohit Sharma-led unit wrapped up the game during the third session on Day 3.
After electing to bat first at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali, the hosts posted a huge total of 574 runs in the first innings. Ravindra Jadeja, with his historic 175* off 228 balls, led his side against the Lankan bowlers and took command of the encounter.
He, along with Ravichandran Ashwin, spun a web around the visiting batters and bundled them out for 174 and 178, respectively. India thus took an easy 1-0 lead in the series, with the final Test being beginning in Bengaluru on March 12.
En route to India's exceptional performance, a number of Indian players reached new milestones.
Let's take a look at some of the major highlights and key records for which the first Test between India and Sri Lanka will be remembered:
#1. Ravindra Jadeja - the one man army
India's ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja stole the show with his all-round heroics, taking the game away from the Lankan side.
Before amassing a career-best 175*, Jadeja took his tenth fifer in Sri Lanka's first innings, before continuing his exceptional form by picking up four scalps in the second.
With his mammoth first innings score of 175* off 228, he earned a place in the record books by becoming the highest run-scorer in Tests while batting at No. 7 or below, going past Kapil Devβs 163, also against Sri Lanka at Kanpur in 1986.
He also became the second Indian cricketer after Kapil Dev to score 5,000 runs and take 400 wickets in international cricket. He is now also the first player to bat at No. 7 or below to be involved in three partnerships of more than 100 runs.
#2. kohli" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Virat Kohli's 100th Test and 8,000 runs
On Friday, former India captain Virat Kohli became only the 12th Indian to play 100 Test matches. While he wasn't able to grace the match with a much-anticipated hundred, he scored 45, which included five boundaries, during his 76-ball stay.
Enroute to that score, Kohli became the sixth Indian batter after Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and sehwag" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Virender Sehwag to accumulate 8,000 runs in Test cricket.
The current world No.7 Test batter now has 8,007 runs at an amazing average of 50.36, scoring 28 fifties and 27 tons.
#3. Ravichandran Ashwin becoming India's second-most successful Test bowler
Ravichandran Ashwin also played a pivotal role in India's dominant win at Mohali. The off-spinner brought up his 12th Test 50, scoring 61 off 82, then picked up two wickets in 20 overs in Sri Lanka's first innings before scalping four in 21 overs in the second.
Upon taking his third wicket - of Charith Asalanka - in the second innings, he added another milestone to his resume as he went past Kapil Dev to become the second highest wicket-taker for his country in Test match cricket. Ashwin took 85 Test appearances to achieve the feat, while Kapil Dev did it in 131 games.
The Chennai all-rounder holds the record for being the joint-fastest and second-fastest to 350 and 400 wickets, respectively. Moreover, Ashwin, during the Test, also went past Richard Hadlee, Rangana Herath and Kapil to become 9th highest wicket-taker in Tests.
#4. India ushering a new era under Rohit Sharma
Appointed to the position last month, Rohit Sharma became India's 35th red-ball skipper, leading his side to an astounding victory in his first assignment.
The win made him the second Indian captain to win his first Test as skipper by a margin of an innings. Polly Umrigar was the first skipper to do so (vs New Zealand by an innings and 27 runs, 1955-56).
After his Test captaincy debut, Rohit became the fifth Indian to captain the team in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Virender Sehwag are the other four on the elite list.