We played a good Test match: Mahela

India’s swift collapse left even Mahela Jayawardene a little surprised. India’s loss by an innings and 239 runs, their third heaviest of all time, was also Sri Lanka’s biggest win at home. “The first Test in a three-match series is an important one, and our main focus was on winning,” said Jayawardene. “The way they collapsed surprised me because when you see that batting line-up, you think these guys have a lot of experience and they will give you a fight. The way we managed to bowl them out in two sessions, it is surprising but credit should go to Murali and Ajantha.”

Looking back on what was a fantastic day, Jayawardene said, “It was important that we take those four wickets (in the Indian first innings) early. We didn’t want it to drag too long. Laxman batted well in the morning and we had to be patient. Once we forced the follow-on, we knew we had to be patient again because the wicket wasn’t doing much. We were a bit lucky with a couple of early wickets and after that, Murali bowled brilliantly and Ajantha kept up the pressure and picked up a few more wickets at the end. Overall, it was a brilliant effort. We played a really good Test match.”