Only Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal – both of whom made centuries in the first innings – were dismissed on the final day, although Dhananjaya did retire hurt on 119 with a sore thigh.  Sri Lanka closed 299-5.

The match had been shaped by India’s big runs in the first innings. Murali Vijay’s 155 was eclipsed by a masterful 243 from Virat Kohli that had an almost inevitable feel to it. When they declared on 536-7 they might have hoped the tourists would collapse as they had done in the second Test in Nagpur.

[breakout type=”related-story” offset=”0″][/breakout]

But captain Chandimal and former captain Mathews combined to great effect to limit the first-innings lead to 163, before Kohli made another fifty as India made 246-5 declared in the third, setting up a notional 410-run chase.

The match was dominated by controversy around Delhi’s pollution issue and speculation about the true impact of the air quality on the players.