NAGPUR, India: Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin surpassed Dennis Lillee to become the fastest bowler to capture 300 test wickets when he helped India thrash Sri Lanka by an innings and 239 runs to win the second test in Nagpur on Monday.
Ashwin took 4-63 in Sri Lanka’s second innings after also bagging four wickets in the first innings to take his career tally to exactly 300.
Ashwin reached the 300-wicket milestone in his 54th test appearance, two matches less than the previous record holder, former Australian paceman Lillee.
Ravindra Jadeja (2-28), Umesh Yadav (2-30) and Ishant Sharma (2-43) all captured two wickets each as Sri Lanka collapsed to 166 all out in their second innings just after lunch on the fourth day at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.
Trailing by 405 runs in the first innings, Sri Lanka’s final margin of defeat represented their biggest ever loss in a test match, and equaled India’s biggest ever victory.
After resuming on 21-1, the visitors lost seven wickets in the extended morning session then their last two after the resumption.
The Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal top scored with a defiant 61 — his second half-century of the match — and tailender Suranga Lakmal chipped in with an unbeaten 31 but few others offered any sustained resistance.
Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne added 13 to the overnight total before Karunaratne departed for 18, caught by Murali Vijay at forward short leg off Jadeja.
Thirimanne followed soon after for 23, caught at backward point off Yadav, then Angelo Mathews went for 10, holing out at mid-off off Jadeja as the wickets began to tumble rapidly.
Niroshan Dickwella was caught in the slips off Sharma for four then Dasun Shanka fell to Ashwin for 17.
Ashwin struck twice more after the umpires agreed to extend the session in the possibility of getting a result. He trapped Dilruwan Perera leg before wicket for a golden duck then had Rangana Herath caught at slip without scoring.
Chandimal’s resistance finally gave way after lunch when he fell to Yadav then Ashwin bowled Lahiru Garnaga for a duck to claim his 300th test victim and end the match.
The first test between the teams in Kolkata ended in a draw.
India struggled in the opening test but seized control of the second game after making an imposing total of 610-6 declared, with Virat Kohli (213) scoring his fifth test double hundred and three other batsmen, Vijay (128), Cheteshwar Pujara (143) and Rohit Sharma (102 not out) all scoring hundreds.
Ashwin takes 300th wicket as India thrash Sri Lanka
Ashwin takes 300th wicket as India thrash Sri Lanka
Power battle as Sabalenka clashes with Rybakina for Australian Open title
- Showdown pits two players who are on rampaging form and yet to drop a set in Melbourne in the past fortnight
MELBOURNE: Fire meets fire when hard-hitting Aryna Sabalenka clashes with big-serving Elena Rybakina in the women’s Australian Open final on Saturday.
The showdown pits two players who are on rampaging form and yet to drop a set in Melbourne in the past fortnight.
They know each other very well, having met 14 times previously, and it is a rematch of the 2023 title decider at Rod Laver Arena.
The Belarusian Sabalenka prevailed on that occasion, fighting back from a set down to win her first Grand Slam crown.
The world number one won it again in 2024, but was denied a hat-trick last year when she was stunned in the final by the American Madison Keys.
The meeting with the Kazakh Rybakina will be her fourth Melbourne final in a row, and she is expecting an almighty tussle.
“Her shots are heavy, deep, flat balls. It’s not easy to work with, but we have a great history,” said the 27-year-old, who defeated Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the semifinals.
“She’s an incredible player,” she added of the Moscow-born Rybakina, whose only major title so far is Wimbledon in 2022.
“We had a lot of great battles, a lot of finals we played.
“I’m looking forward to battling this power,” the top seed added with a smile.
Sabalenka goes into the final in scintillating form, having won all of her 11 matches in 2026 without dropping a set.
She lifted the Brisbane title before coming to Melbourne and is also the reigning US Open champion, underlining her prowess on hard courts.
After being well beaten on Thursday, Svitolina said that Sabalenka was “on fire.”
“She feels very comfortable here on these courts,” she added.
“Of course she won here a couple of times, so I think she has this confidence playing here.”
‘Fight till the end’
Sabalenka will be favorite, but recent history actually favors the 26-year-old Rybakina.
While Sabalenka leads their head-to-head record 8-6, Rybakina won the last time they met, in the decider at the WTA Finals in November in Saudi Arabia, in straight sets.
Rybakina is also on a terrific run of form of her own.
She lost in the quarter-finals in Brisbane, but that is her only defeat in 14 matches.
She has been quietly impressive in Melbourne, her victims including world number two Iga Swiatek and world number six Jessica Pegula.
Pegula gave an insight into what it is like facing the Kazakh, who she labelled “cool as a cucumber.”
“She’s always just tough. You know, she’s so chill. She doesn’t really give you anything,” said the American after going down 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) in the semifinals.
“You’re not really sure if she’s upset or if she’s excited or what it is.
“I think in today’s game that goes a long way.”
And then there’s Rybakina’s serve, the biggest in women’s tennis.
She has sent down 41 aces at the tournament, easily more than anyone else in the women’s draw.
Reflecting on their 2023 Australian final, Rybakina said both she and Sabalenka had improved and changed as players since.
But one thing remains the same — their power.
“Since we are both very aggressive players, serve is important,” said Rybakina.
She added: “Hopefully the serve is going to help me on Saturday, but even if it’s not, I’m going to still try to find my way.
“(I will) fight till the end, and hopefully this time it’s going to go my way.”
