Sri Lanka go one-up in series with thumping 10-wicket win

This morning, the sturdy ramparts of the Galle Fort were bedecked with red flags in preparation for a radical political rally this evening. However, the organisers of the rally surely picked the wrong day to whip up the local residents into an angry frenzy, for they will be joyfully celebrating an emphatic Test victory.

With the ground bathed in hot sunshine, the result of this match was a foregone conclusion. Sri Lanka duly won by ten wickets after they bowled out India for 180 in their second innings, their lowest ever score against their sub-continental neighbours ­- the second lowest was their 187 in the first innings.

Rahul Dravid and Venkatesh Prasad showed up their partners for their spineless exhibition on Friday evening when they batted studiously for 51 minutes this morning to avoid an innings defeat. Muralitharan, however, finally trapped Prasad lbw to claim his 25th five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

Muralitharan, in fact, had a frustrating morning when numerous leg before shouts were turned down, as the Indian batsmen tucked their bats behind their pads. The Sri Lankans believe that the off spinner is getting a raw deal and Sanath Jayasuriya admitted that Muralitharan was "frustrated." Nevertheless, he finished with eight wickets in the game.

Fittingly, man of the match Sanath Jayasuriya, who had done so much to win the game with a rollicking hundred on the second day, then strode to the crease and finished the match with a trademark slash to the point boundary. Sri Lanka had beaten India for only the second time in their 21-Test history, the last time being way back in 1985 when Duleep Mendis's side won 16 years ago in Colombo to record Sri Lanka's first ever Test victory.

Indian coach John Wright admitted his side had been "outplayed in all departments of the game." He pinpointed Dilhara Fernando's two-wicket burst at the end of the first day as the key moment in the match. "The turning point was the two late wickets on Tuesday evening," he said. "We had started well and I thought that a first innings score of 250 plus might be competitive. In the event it wouldn't have been because we bowled so poorly and kept feeding the best square cutter in the world."

Ganguly looked disconsolate afterwards: "You can't win Test matches if you score 187 in the first innings. We made a good start, but failed to capitalise on it."

He admitted that they needed to think hard as to how best to play Muralitharan: "A lot of the guys are playing Muralitharan for the first time, so it's going to take time. The players that have scored runs off him have been stroke players, so we need to look at that."

India now have four days to prepare for the second Test in Kandy. A proposed rest on the beach has been cancelled and they leave for the hill country on Saturday. Wright said: "There are two more Tests and the players simply have to pick themselves up and play with both pride and commitment."

The Sri Lankans were naturally delighted, but both captain and coach pointed to their recent failures in Kandy where they have squandered opportunities to clinch series wins against both South Africa and England during the past 12 months. Sanath Jayasuriya simply said, "We have to change that sequence."

Sri Lanka coach praised the efforts of his side, but pointed out: "This was only one game. We are still at an infancy stage as far as the reconstruction of the side is concerned. When we are through we will ensure that we can win at home and abroad. It's important that we don't get carried away."

The second Test now starts on Wednesday in Kandy, the antithesis of Galle for Sri Lanka. They have now won four out of the six Tests played in Galle by thumping margins. In Kandy, however, they have lost their last two games. That, at least, should provide India with some hope, even though their performance in Galle doesn't even justify wishful thinking.