Hosts take little over one session to bundle clueless visitors out for 166 and complete their joint highest victory by an innings
India took Sri Lanka's remaining nine wickets on the fourth day of the second Test sooner than they would have anticipated to inflict the heaviest defeat ever on the visiting side.
The hosts' bowlers, led by off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's 4/63, helped India bowl out Sri Lanka for a paltry 166 to win by an innings and 239 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series with one to go at captain Virat Kohli's home ground, Ferozeshah Kotla in New Delhi from December 2.
When Ashwin nailed Sri Lanka No. 11 Lahiru Gamage – it required a television replay to confirm that the bail had been dislodged legally – the 31-year-old Tamil Nadu spinner became the fastest to reach 300 Test wickets, taking two matches less than the Australian legendary paceman Dennis Lillee.
The Indians themselves did not expect Sri Lanka to surrender so meekly. They expected a bit of a fight in at least stretching the game till late on Day 4, if not take it to the final day on Tuesday.
But when it ended half-an-hour post lunch on Monday, India registered their joint highest victory by an innings. This also enhanced Kohli's reputation as a successful captain, leading India to victory for the 20th time in just 31 matches at the helm.
The Indian bowlers built pressure, initially through paceman Ishant Sharma from one end and the spinners, Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin, from the other.
Sri Lanka's intent to survive and save the Test was there, but the execution of plans was missing. The visitors have addressed this issue time and again, yet their batsmen capitulated to the Indian bowling attack once again.
The Lankan batsmen seemed to be in a hurry to close the Test than delay the inevitable. Experienced overnight batsmen Dimuth Karunaratne – who could not live up to his reputation as a better second innings batsman – and Lahiru Thirimanne, as well as former captain Angelo Mathews played like they didn't belong at this level.
The Lankan batsmen did not learn from the way India built their innings to score in excess of 600 in the first innings. Nor did they pick up on the familiarity of the Indian bowling, having played in five Tests over the last four months.
While Karunaratne may have been done in by luck when an intended flick off Jadeja saw the ball lodge into Murali Vijay hands at short leg, Thirimanne and Mathews were guilty of atrocious shot selections.
The former chased a wide delivery from Umesh Yadav and gave backward point a simnple catch, while the latter drove on the up to give mid-off a simple chance upon resumption after drinks break.
Amid the mindless shots, captain Dinesh Chandimal played his heart out. What he lacked was any support at the other side, barring No. 10 Suranga Lakmal.
Wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella was done in by a sharp rising delivery from Ishant that took the edge en route to Kohli at second slip for yet another failure.
Dasun Shanaka thought attack was the best form of defence and slammed Ashwin for two sixes and a four in an over. However, Shanaka's joy was short lived when in repeating the act, he found KL Rahul at long-on to present him an easy catch.
Dilruwan Perera became Ashwin's 500th international victim when he was trapped leg before wicket, remaining clueless against the Indian spinner.
With Sri Lanka eight down – they lost seven wickets in the space of less than an hour-and-a-half on the day – lunch was delayed by 15 minutes. The ninth-wicket pair of Chandimal, who reached his second fifty of the Test, and Lakmal used the long handle to good effect to share 58 before Ashwin had a hand in the last two dismissals.
Ashwin caught Chandimal's flick off Yadav at long-leg and later bowled Gamage.
While the off-spinner reached his personal landmark, Yadav was stranded at 99 Test wickets. For the team, though, it was a complete performance.
ROHIT FEELS LUCKY TO BE BACK
Nagpur: “There will always be regrets in life but I am glad that I am back on my feet playing cricket again,” Rohit Sharma said when asked if 22 Test matches in an international career spanning 10 years does justice to the talent that he possesses. Playing his first Test in more than a year after recovering from a career-threatening injury, Rohit said. “There will always be regrets in your life. Even if you score 10,000 runs, you will feel, ‘oh, I should have scored 15,000 runs’ or people will tell you, ‘you should have scored 15,000 runs, man!,” he said.
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 "India captain Virat Kohli (C) jokes with Ishant Sharma (L)")
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The Lankan batsmen seemed to be in a hurry to close the Test than delay the inevitable. Experienced overnight batsmen Dimuth Karunaratne – who could not live up to his reputation as a better second innings batsman – and Lahiru Thirimanne, as well as former captain Angelo Mathews played like they didn't belong at this level.
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