The batting line-up is rated as the best in the world, totaling close to 40,000 runs. But on a flat track and against a debutant spinner, India collapsed in a heap.
Doubtless, the innings and 239-run defeat will rankle for quite a while.
It is difficult to defend India's abject surrender at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground. Not once, but twice, the famed world-class batsmen fell like nine pins, the second time in just 45 overs.
Atrocious
Some of the shots they played defied all logic. Their disappointing 223 in the first innings was followed by 138 in the second dig, both innings ending on the same day in a matter of hours.
There seemed to be no plan or purpose. And even if there was a plan, the execution was zilch. For a side that has dominated some of the best spinners all over the world, losing 19 of the 20 wickets to the turning ball was unbelievable.
Their approach against Ajantha Mendis was especially shocking. He absolutely mesmerised Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, who fell to his guile in both innings.
Shocker
The look on Dravid's face after being bowled in the first innings may have had an impact on the dressing room. It set the cat among the pigeons.
Mendis may be an unknown commodity, but Tendulkar and Co has played against Muralitharan many times. Their inability to tackle him was strange. On both occasions, the Lankan spin wizard won his personal battle against Tendulkar.
Opener Virender Sehwag got his approach all wrong. He let his first innings dismissal affect him and instead playing his natural game, he was circumspect in the second essay. A defensive Sehwag was a sitting duck for Murali.
Let-down
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik let the team down badly. He floundered both behind and in front of the wicket. He dropped two crucial catches and then played a horrendous, wild shot when the need of the hour was to graft.
Conceding a total of 600 for six wickets says all about the bowling effort. There was not much in the wicket for the pace bowlers, but spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh could have shown their quality.
Both spinners failed to make any sort of impression. Neither they got the breakthroughs nor could they check the flow of runs. Without taking risks, the Sri Lankan batsman scored at a brisk pace. Kumble accepted it was a forgetful match for him and his team.
"We need to work on all three departments of the game and not just one. We dropped a few catches, Mahela (Jayawardene) was dropped and so was (Thilan) Samaraweera." For the second Test at Galle (starting Thursday), Kumble remarked: "We need to look at our strategy in handling Murali and Mendis. We have to be a little more
positive."
SCOREBOARD
Sri Lanka 1st innings (600-6 decl)
India 1st innings (overnight 159-6)
G Gambhir c Samaraweera b Muralitharan 39
V Sehwag c Warnapura b Kulasekara 25
R Dravid b Mendis 14
S Tendulkar b Muralitharan 27
S Ganguly c Kulasekara b Muralitharan 23
VVS Laxman b Mendis 56
D Karthik c and b Muralitharan 9
A Kumble lbw b Mendis 1
H Singh c Warnapura b Muralitharan 9
Z Khan lbw b Mendis 5
I Sharma not out 13
Extras: (Lb2) 2
Total: (all out) 223
Fall of wickets: 1-36 (Sehwag), 2-79 (Gambhir), 3-79 (Dravid), 4-123 (Tendulkar), 5-138 (Ganguly), 6-147 (Karthik), 7-170 (Kumble), 8-181 (Harbhajan), 9-188 (Zaheer), 10-223 (Laxman).
Bowling: Vaas 5-0-23-0, Kulasekara 11-2-42-1, Mendis 27.5-5-72-4, Muralitharan 29-4-84-5.
India 2nd innings
G Gambhir st P Jayawardene b Muralitharan 43
V Sehwag lbw b Muralitharan 13
VVS Laxman lbw b Mendis 21
S Tendulkar c Dilshan b Muralitharan 12
R Dravid c Warnapura b Mendis 10
S Ganguly c Dilshan b Muralitharan 4
D Karthik c M. Jayawardene b Muralitharan 0
A. Kumble b Muralitharan 12
Harbhajan Singh b Mendis 15
Z Khan b Mendis 3
I Sharma not out 5
Total: (all out) 138
Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Sehwag), 2-53 (Laxman), 3-82 (Tendulkar), 4-95 (Gambhir), 5-103 (Ganguly), 6-103 (Dravid), 7-103 (Karthik), 8-120 (Kumble), 9-133 (Zaheer), 10-138 (Harbhajan).
Bowling: Vaas 5-0-27-0, Kulasekara 9-3-25-0, Mendis 18-3-60-4, Muralitharan 13-3-26-6.
Result: Sri Lanka win by an innings and 239 runs
