Virat Kohli kick-started his first full reign as Indian cricket team captain on a rousing note, marshalling his troops to a historic 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club here on Tuesday.
Made to earn it the hard way on a sweltering day following a brilliant century from the hosts’ skipper Angelo Mathews and a belligerent half-century from debutante Kushal Perera, the young Indian side eventually showed their hunger and desire to etch their names in history by scoring a 117-run win.
The series win is a special achievement in many ways. Not only did they become just the second Indian side to defeat Sri Lanka in their own den after Mohd Azharuddin’s side in 1993, but Kohli’s men also became the first team from the country to win a Test series abroad after trailing 0-1.
Only two times earlier have Indians come back from 0-1 down to win a Test series, with both victories coming at home.
The win is also a culmination of their determination after receiving some flak for losing the opening Test match at Galle. Having dominated that Test for the most part, they suffered a stunning batting collapse on the fourth day to end up on the losing side.
They, however, bounced back in stunning fashion in the second Test before weathering out another gem of a knock from Mathews to score a rare series win that even some of their illustrious predecessors couldn’t emulate despite coming close.
The only sour taste from the sweet victory was the one-match suspension handed out to Ishant Sharma for giving a vociferous send-off to Upul Tharanga on Monday.
