KANPUR, India (AP) — India clinched its biggest test victory against Sri Lanka when it bowled the tourists out for 269 in the second innings Friday to win by an innings and 144 runs.
India's previous best performance against Sri Lanka was a victory by an innings and 119 runs in Lucknow in 1994.
This was India's 100th victory in 432 tests and the sixth under captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has not lost any of his nine tests as skipper. India leads the series 1-0 going into the third and final test in Mumbai next week.
"It was important for us to win this test and gain momentum," said Dhoni.
Dhoni said the inclusion of paceman Shantakumaran Sreesanth made a big difference to India's attack. Sreesanth's five-wicket burst in Sri Lanka's first innings fetched him the man of the match award.
Sri Lanka, forced to follow-on when it was bowled out for 229 in the first innings in response to India's score of 642, lost some early wickets Friday after resuming at the overnight score of 57-4.
A defiant ninth-wicket partnership of 73 between top-scorer Thilan Samaraweera (78 not out) and Ajantha Mandis (27) helped Sri Lanka avoid becoming the victim of India's biggest ever test win. That record remains an innings and 239-run thrashing of Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2007.
Offspinner Harbhajan Singh was the best of the bowlers with 3-98, bowling Prasanna Jayawardene on 29 and trapping Rangana Herath lbw for 13.
Debutant left-arm spinner Pragyan Ohja returned figures of 2-36 by bowling Muttiah Muralitharan (29) and snapping up a return catch from Chanaka Welegedara (4) to end the match.
Paceman Zaheer Khan had overnight batsman Angelo Mathews (15) caught by Rahul Dravid and part-time spin bowler Yuvraj Singh dismissed Mendis to break his stand with Samaraweera.
Samaraweera waged a lone hand, hitting 11 boundaries off 123 deliveries.
Samaraweera's knock seemed to endorse the view of skipper Kumar Sangakkara, who said the track was "a good one to bat on if batsmen applied themselves."
"We needed some big partnerships, but some loose shots here and there cost us dear," said Sangakkara. "Now we'll have to produce a strong show to bounce back in the Mumbai test."
"We need to create early chances and take them."
