India won by an innings and 144 runs

India produced a command show to win the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka by an innings and 144 runs - their 3rd largest margin of victory ever. It was India's 100th Test match win. It was fitting that the final moment belonged to India's newest participant into the Test arena - Pragyan Ojha.

India pretty much leaded throughout the test. India won the toss and batting first, India's top three scored big hundreds as India posted a very big 642. S. Sreesanth was the wrecker-in-chief yesterday, getting 5 wickets to give India a massive lead. Following-on, Sri Lanka started dreadfully losing their first four batsmen in one session. Samaraweera and Mendis delayed the predictable with a 73-run dogged stand for the ninth wicket. As far as Sri Lanka are concerned, their 1st win on Indian soil still remains exclusive and they want to pull up their socks before the final test.

Margin of Victory	Opposition	Venue	Date
inns & 239 runs	v Bangladesh	Dhaka	25 May 2007
inns & 219 runs	v Australia	Kolkata	18 Mar 1998
inns & 144 runs	v Sri Lanka	Kanpur	24 Nov 2009
inns & 140 runs	v Bangladesh	Dhaka	10 Dec 2004
inns & 131 runs	v Pakistan	Rawalpindi	13 Apr 2004
inns & 119 runs	v Sri Lanka	Lucknow	18 Jan 1994
inns & 112 runs	v West Indies	Mumbai	09 Oct 2002
inns & 109 runs	v New Zealand	Chennai	06 Jan 1956
inns & 106 runs	v Sri Lanka	Nagpur	27 Dec 1986
inns & 101 runs	v Zimbabwe	Nagpur	21 Feb 2002

The win here ensured that India couldn't lose the Test series, with only one Test left and left the team with many positives. The big one was the return of S. Sreesanth, giving India a strong new ball pair once again. Sreesanth's good show should also inspire Ishant Sharma to find again his form, rhythm and pace, and give India a very good seam attack. Pragyan Ojha also had a good debut, and exhibited wonderful control. He had the cushion of a vast total to bowl to, and there will be more challenging situations in the future, but the starting signs were tremendously encouraging. The batting has been in good hands for a while now, and when the team has wanted it, one or more batsmen have put their hands up and performed. Last, but not least, it was cheering to see Rahul Dravid back to his free-flowing best. He looked to have find again his touch in New Zealand, but now he was back to his best self, converting starts to massive scores and looking steady at the crease.

Man of the Match : Sreesanth