The India Test match winning train is up and running again after Virat Kohli's men completed a comprehensive 304-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle on Saturday.
Beginning a new era after the much talked about appointment of Ravi Shastri as the head coach, the pressure was on the new boss and Virat Kohli to produce a positive result. And they went about doing that with great efficiency.
There was not one moment in this Test match where India did not look in control. From the moment Kohli won the toss, India bossed this Test match in Galle, and that is despite the wicket providing very little assistance for the bowlers.
This wasn't one of those wins where R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ran through the Sri Lankan batsmen on a crumbling surface; this was a proper Test match win picked up through a collective bowling effort, which will please Kohli just that little bit more.
Starting day four with a 498-run lead, Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane added 51 quick runs in the morning as the two batted for half an hour. In the process, Kohli also managed to complete his 17th Test match hundred, with it ending a bit of a slump he had gone through in the longest format of the game.
Once Sri Lanka were set the unachievable target of 550, the only question was if India would be able to bowl the home team out on day four or if Rangana Herath's side would be able to take this match to the final day.
As a couple of partnerships blossomed, it certainly looked like we might have a fifth day to watch out for, with Sri Lanka showing a bit of fight.
Upul Tharanga (10, 10b, 2x4), who played a nice knock in the first innings, fell early to Mohammed Shami, before his wicket was quickly followed by that of Danushka Gunathilaka (2, 8b).
Already two down, with just 29 runs on the board, it seemed like India just might go through this Sri Lankan batting order like a hot knife through butter.
However, Dimuth Karunaratne (97, 208b, 9x4), who seems to enjoy batting in the final innings more than the first, and Kusal Mendis put up some resistance with a 79-run partnership.
It needed a smart review from India to break the partnership as Mendis (36, 71b, 3x4) nicked one off Jadeja, with Angelo Mathews (2, 10b) then gifting his wicket away with a horrible shot.
Another decent partnership followed between Karunaratne (97, 208b, 9x4) and the wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella (67, 94b, 10x4), this time worth 101 runs, but once R Ashwin sent the two set batsmen packing, it was as good as done for Sri Lanka, with two of the players ending up absent hurt as the skipper Herath joined the injury list with a bruised finger.
Sri Lanka have been battered and bruised here by India and they will need to quickly pick themselves up if they are to make a contest of this three-match Test series.
