India 312 (Pujara 145*, Mishra 59, Prasad 4-100) and 274 (Ashwin 58, Rohit 50, Pradeep 4-62, Prasad 4-69) beat Sri Lanka 201 (Perera 55, Herath 49, Ishant 5-54) and 268 (Mathews 110, Perera 70, Ashwin 4-69, Ishant 3-32) by 117 runs
.. and then a Test turns on a reverse-sweep. Coming together at five down with 78 overs to survive, captain Angelo Mathews and debutant Kusal Perera kept India at bay for 38.1 overs and 135 runs, giving them an outside chance at an improbable win ..
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With a history of inclement weather and poor light in the final session, this was getting too close for comfort for India. They were left needing something similarly extraordinary towards the end of the second session, and found it through the Perera reverse-sweep. The jury will forever remain out on that shot.
.. It was not all umpiring decisions that denied India the clean sweep. Dinesh Chandimal's counterattack in Galle played a big part in that grand comeback. One of the features of that comeback, which put India off their plans, was the reverse-sweep, a shot that Perera - who followed in Chandimal's footsteps to become only the second wicketkeeper to debut with twin fifties - played and will have people crucifying him for it. Perception of risk, though, has changed in modern cricket.
Angelo Mathews is now the first Sri Lanka captain in almost two decades who does not have a consistent match-winner in his team. He can count himself unlucky. Most other exceptional Sri Lanka batsmen had a partner in crime. There are no clear takers yet.
In the past, Mathews has led doomed chases against South Africa and Pakistan in Galle, and against New Zealand in Wellington. Each time the target has been daunting.
Mathews had gradually built up his own legend. Fifty-two Tests in, the medals on his breast are many. As captain he avereges 68.80 - third after his Holiness Donald Bradman and statistical first-apostle, Saint Sangakkara. In the fourth innings, Mathews' 75.71 is third again, this time one place ahead of the Don. On a trying pitch, in the back end of the SSC match, Mathews was the best batsman. With 339 runs at 56.50, he has been the pick of the series.
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His is an easy plight to sympathise with. Constantly abandoned by young middle-order batsmen, consistently beating out top-order fires, Mathews is the crisis manager who is never not in crisis ..
