| India batting, 1st innings | |||||
| Batsmen | Dismissal | Runs scored | 4s | 6s | Strike rate |
| S Dhawan | caught Chandimal, bowled Pushpakumara | 119 (123) | 17 | 0 | 96.74 |
| KL Rahul | caught Karunaratne, bowled Pushpakumara | 85 (135) | 8 | 0 | 62.96 |
| C Pujara | caught Mathews, bowled Sandakan | 8 (33) | 0 | 0 | 24.24 |
| V Kohli | caught Karunaratne, bowled Sandakan | 42 (84) | 3 | 0 | 50.00 |
| A Rahane | bowled Pushpakumara | 17 (48) | 1 | 0 | 35.41 |
| R Ashwin | caught Dickwella, bowled Fernando | 31 (75) | 1 | 0 | 41.33 |
| W Saha | caught Perera, bowled Fernando | 16 (43) | 0 | 0 | 37.20 |
| H Pandya | caught Perera, bowled Sandakan | 108 (96) | 8 | 7 | 112.50 |
| K Yadav | caught Dickwella, bowled Sandakan | 26 (73) | 2 | 0 | 35.61 |
| M Shami | caught and bowled Sandakan | 8 (13) | 1 | 0 | 61.53 |
| U Yadav | not out | 3 (14) | 0 | 0 | 21.42 |
| Extras: 24 (2 no-balls, 6 wides, 10 byes and 6 leg byes) | |||||
| India’s total: 487/10 in 122.3 overs, at 3.97 runs per over | |||||
| Fall of wickets: 188/1 (Rahul, 39.3), 219/2 (Dhawan, 47.1), 229/3 (Pujara, 50.1), 264/4 (Rahane, 65.4), 296/5 (Kohli, 78.2), 322/6 (Ashwin, 87.6), 339/7 (Saha, 91.3), 401/8 (Kuldeep, 110.6), 421/9 (Shami, 114.2), and 487/10 (Pandya, 122.3) | |||||
| Sri Lanka bowling, 1st Innings | |||||
| Bowlers | Overs | Maidens | Runs conceded | Wickets taken | Economy rate |
| V Fernando | 26 | 3 | 87 | 2 | 3.34 |
| L Kumara | 23 | 1 | 104 | 0 | 4.52 |
| D Karunaratne | 7 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 4.28 |
| D Perera | 8 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 4.50 |
| L Sandakan | 35.3 | 4 | 132 | 5 | 3.71 |
| M Pushpakumara | 23 | 2 | 82 | 3 | 3.56 |
| Sri Lanka batting, 1st innings | |||||
| Batsmen | Dismissal | Runs scored | 4s | 6s | Strike rate |
| D Karunaratne | caught Saha, bowled Shami | 4 (15) | 0 | 0 | 26.66 |
| U Tharanga | caught Saha, bowled Shami | 5 (5) | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| K Mendis | run out by Ashwin, Kuldeep | 18 (19) | 4 | 0 | 94.73 |
| D Chandimal | caught Rahul, bowled Ashwin | 48 (87) | 6 | 0 | 55.17 |
| A Mathews | leg before wicket Pandya | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| N Dickwella | stumped Saha, bowled Kuldeep | 29 (31) | 4 | 0 | 93.54 |
| D Perera | caught Pandya, bowled Kuldeep | 0 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| M Pushpakumara | bowled Kuldeep | 10 (27) | 2 | 0 | 37.03 |
| L Sandakan | caught Dhawan, bowled Ashwin | 10 (24) | 2 | 0 | 41.66 |
| V Fernando | bowled Kuldeep | 0 (10) | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| L Kumara | not out | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras: 11 (6 wides, 4 byes and 1 leg bye) | |||||
| Sri Lanka’s total: 135/10 in 37.4 overs, at 3.58 runs per over | |||||
| Fall of wickets: 14/1 (Tharanga, 2.3), 23/2 (Karunaratne, 4.3), 38/3 (Mendis, 8.5), 38/4 (Mathews, 9.3), 101/5 (Dickwella, 20.3), 107/6 (Perera, 22.1), 125/7 (Chandimal, 31.3), 125/8 (Pushpakumara, 32.2), 135/9 (Fernando, 36.5), and 135/10 (Sandakan, 37.4) | |||||
| India bowling, 1st Innings | |||||
| Bowlers | Overs | Maidens | Runs conceded | Wickets taken | Economy rate |
| M Shami | 6.5 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 2.48 |
| U Yadav | 3.1 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 7.26 |
| H Pandya | 6 | 1 | 28 | 1 | 4.66 |
| K Yadav | 13 | 2 | 40 | 4 | 3.07 |
| R Ashwin | 8.4 | 2 | 22 | 2 | 2.53 |
| Sri Lanka batting, 2nd innings (following on, trail by 352 runs) | |||||
| Batsmen | Dismissal | Runs scored | 4s | 6s | Strike rate |
| D Karunaratne | caught Rahane, bowled Ashwin | 16 (48) | 3 | 0 | 33.33 |
| U Tharanga | bowled Umesh | 7 (31) | 1 | 0 | 22.58 |
| M Pushpakumara | caught Saha, bowled Shami | 1 (32) | 0 | 0 | 3.12 |
| K Mendis | leg before wicket Shami | 12 (21) | 2 | 0 | 57.14 |
| D Chandimal | caught Pujara, bowled Kuldeep | 36 (89) | 4 | 0 | 40.44 |
| A Mathews | leg before wicket Ashwin | 35 (96) | 2 | 1 | 36.45 |
| N Dickwella | caught Rahane, bowled Umesh | 41 (52) | 5 | 0 | 78.84 |
| D Perera | caught Pandya, bowled Ashwin | 8 (23) | 1 | 0 | 34.78 |
| L Sandakan | caught Saha, bowled Shami | 8 (24) | 2 | 0 | 33.33 |
| V Fernando | not out | 4 (17) | 0 | 0 | 23.52 |
| L Kumara | bowled Ashwin | 10 (15) | 2 | 0 | 66.66 |
| Extras: 3 (1 no-ball and 2 byes) | |||||
| Sri Lanka’s total: 181/10 in 74.3 overs, at 2.42 runs per over | |||||
| Fall of wickets: 15/1 (Tharanga, 10.4), 26/2 (Karunaratne, 15.3), 34/3 (Pushpakumara, 20.2), 39/4 (Mendis, 22.5), 104/5 (Chandimal, 50.3), 118/6 (Mathews, 53.6), 138/7 (Perera, 59.3), 166/8 (Sandakan, 68.3), 168/9 (Dickwella, 69.5), and 181/10 (Kumara, 74.3) | |||||
| India bowling, 2nd Innings | |||||
| Bowlers | Overs | Maidens | Runs conceded | Wickets taken | Economy rate |
| M Shami | 15 | 6 | 32 | 3 | 2.13 |
| R Ashwin | 28.3 | 6 | 68 | 4 | 2.38 |
| U Yadav | 13 | 5 | 21 | 2 | 1.61 |
| K Yadav | 17 | 4 | 56 | 1 | 3.29 |
| H Pandya | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 |
3rd Test Summary
Team India needed only 112.1 overs to take 20 Sri Lankan wickets and win the 3rd Test by an innings and 171 runs. By doing so, they completed their first-ever Test series whitewash in this island. They also completed their eighth consecutive Test series victory, with this ongoing run beginning in Sri Lanka back in 2015.
Sri Lanka had gotten themselves back into the Pallekele Test match by taking six wickets in the post-lunch and post-tea sessions on day one. Then, this inconsequential third Test was in the balance, as India finished the day at 329/6, having been given a 188-run opening stand by Shikhar Dhawan and Lokesh Rahul (85).
The standout aspect of the 3rd Test was Hardik Pandya scoring his maiden Test century (108 off 96 balls; eight fours and seven sixes) and also the third highest tally of runs in an over (26 runs) in Test cricket, off Malinda Pushpakumara. Pandya played a starring role in India adding 158 runs (487/10 in the first innings) for their final four wickets despite losing Wriddhiman Saha quite early in the day and having their tail exposed. That is not to underestimate the value and joy provided by Shikhar Dhawan, who made his sixth Test century (119 off 123 balls, punctuated by 17 fours) in typical fashion and put India in the driver’s seat.
For Sri Lanka, Lakshan Sandakan took a five-fer (5/132) and justified his selection for this Test match, while Pushpakumara and Vishwa Fernando took three and two wickets, respectively.
In response to India’s 487, Sri Lanka scored only 135 in their first innings and were bowled out in just 37.4 overs. Dinesh Chandimal, their captain, top scored with 48. Kuldeep Yadav (4), Ravichandran Ashwin (2) and Mohammed Shami (2), and Pandya (1) ran through the Sri Lankan batting line-up.
With a first-innings lead of a whopping 352 runs, Virat Kohli enforced the follow-on. Sri Lanka’s batting performance didn’t get much better second time around and the Indian bowling attack, with an overwhelming level of ammunition, took just 74.3 overs to bowl out the hosts for 181 and earn themselves an additional two days’ rest.
Pandya was awarded the man-of-the-match for scoring his maiden Test century, while Dhawan won the man-of-the-series award for scoring 358 runs in four innings, including two centuries (190 and 119).