Sri Lanka vs India 2017: Five things India did right to smash Sri Lanka in third Test

#1 Hardik Pandya’s blitzkrieg

Pandya scored a magnificent century to guide India to 487

Following the dismissal of both openers, India stood at 219/2. However, the middle-order batsmen were unable to stay at the crease for long with only skipper Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin contributing with scores of 42 and 31. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Wriddhiman Saha who performed brilliantly with the bat in the second Test, were dismissed for just 8, 17, and 16 respectively.

From 188/0 at one time, India lost their next five wickets for just 120 runs with Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav then arriving at the crease. The 23-year-old Pandya began toying with the Lankan bowlers and reached his second Test fifty. He batted aggressively and in the 116th over smashed Malinda Pushpakumara for 26 runs in an over, thus breaking the record for the most number of runs scored by an Indian in an over in Tests, bettering Sandeep Patil’s 24 runs against Bob Willis at Old Trafford in 1982.

Pandya eventually reached his maiden century in international cricket, thus becoming the fifth Indian player to score his maiden first-class century in a Test match. Pandya eventually departed for 108 from 96 deliveries, 107 of which came in the first session of Day 2, bettering Virender Sehwag’s 99 for the most number of runs by an Indian batsman in a single session of a Test.

Pandya’s innings helped India reach 487 and he also took a wicket in the match, dismissing Angelo Mathews for a duck in the first innings. Pandya was eventually adjudged the Man of the Match for his brisk innings.