3rd Test: India beat Sri Lanka; clinch series 3-0

India claimed their first ever 3-0 series win overseas, beating Sri Lanka in the third and the final Test at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele on Monday by an innings and 171 runs.

Indian bowlers did not take much time to wrap up Sri Lanka’s second innings on day three and if it was not for skipper Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews dogged resistance in the first session, India would have had the win much earlier.

Starting the day at 19 for 1, Sri Lanka lost three wickets by the time they could add 15 more runs and the writing seemed to be on the wall, until Chandimal and former skipper Mathews put on 65 runs for the fifth wicket, to allow the team to go in to lunch at 82 for 4, still trailing India’s first innings score of 487 by 270 runs.

Brief Scores : Sri Lanka 181 (Chandimal 36; Ashwin 4/68) & 135 (Chandimal 48; Kuldeep 4/40) trail India 487 (Dhawan 119, Pandya 108; Sandakan 5/132) by an innings and 171 runs