India captain Virat Kohli completed his 17th Test ton on Saturday and then let his bowlers demolish injury-hit Sri Lanka to claim a 304-run victory inside four days in the first Test. It was India’s biggest winning margin in Sri Lanka and showed just why they are the top-ranked Test side in the world.
Set a daunting 550 to win, Dimuth Karunaratne made 97 for Sri Lanka, but after his departure in the final session, their hopes sank in Galle.
That's it. A comprehensive victory and #TeamIndia take a 1-0 lead in the series #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/gTJKnWneMH
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 29, 2017
India’s huge win was the talk of Twitter, with “Sri Lanka by 304 runs” trending in India. Here’s a look at some of the best reactions across Twitter.
The Indian camp celebrated the massive win
Great Win. 😀 Well played boys @SDhawan25 @cheteshwar1 👌🔝 pic.twitter.com/XrCesYJqnI
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 29, 2017
Good start boys. Well played. Way to go #TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/pt66DkjNHG
— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) July 29, 2017
Congratulations on the 50th test, @ashwinravi99! It's been quite a wonderful journey for you so far. Best wishes ahead. More power to you! pic.twitter.com/WakiJxLLv5
— cheteshwar pujara (@cheteshwar1) July 29, 2017
Great start to the tour boys ✌🏻Way to go #TeamIndia 🙌🏻 #SLvIND @BCCI
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 29, 2017
Ashwin’s 50th Test made special
Memorable test, will cherish it forever. Never thought I would get here. #grateful pic.twitter.com/a0jJZAptpu
— Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) July 29, 2017
I went up a Fort to watch you bowl Congratulations on the 50th Test, Win. @ashwinravi99 pic.twitter.com/0Ny1HC0UVe
— Prithi Ashwin (@prithinarayanan) July 29, 2017
Congratulations poured in
T 2500 - India wins by 304 runs in Test with SriLanka .. WELL DONE TEAM INDIA .. MANY MANY CONGRATULATIONS .. AND MANY MORE TO COME !! pic.twitter.com/J3or6ZCwU9
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 29, 2017
Congrats Team India @BCCI on a great beginning to the test series
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 29, 2017
Well done @SDhawan25 on making the most of the opportunity he got #IndvsSL
Massive win. Sri Lankans battered at Galle. Well played India!
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) July 29, 2017
Walked in as a last-minute replacement and walked out with the Man of The Match trophy. You can understand why Kohli rates Dhawan highly!!!
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) July 29, 2017
The win was even more special because India lost their opening match in Galle two years ago, which was the turning point in Kohli’s captaincy career.
India have erased the ghosts of Galle. And most important, the best players have got runs and wickets. It augurs well for the series
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) July 29, 2017
Since losing to Sri Lanka in the Galle Test match in August 2015... India's record - Played 24, won 18, lost 1, Drawn 5 (Win% 75.00)#SLvInd
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) July 29, 2017