Gautam Gambhir believes it will take a considerable while for Sri Lanka to bridge the enormous gap between them and Team India in Test cricket.

The Indian team thrashed the visiting Lankan side by an innings and 222 runs in the first Test in Mohali. The win also helped Rohit Sharma get off to the best possible start to his tenure as Team India’s Test skipper.

Gautam Gambhir: It Will Take A Long Time For Sri Lanka To Bridge The Gap

During a discussion on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir was asked about Rohit Sharma registering an emphatic win in his first Test as skipper.

He responded: “There is so much difference between India and Sri Lanka. If you talk about Test cricket, there was a time when India and Sri Lanka used to play in the subcontinent, there was not much difference. But if you see today, India has dominated. It will take a long time for Sri Lanka to bridge this gap.”

The former India cricketer pointed out that the one-sided victory was the best thing Rohit Sharma could have expected as a first-time skipper.

Gautam Gambhir observed: “When you captain your country for the first time in this format, you want to start with a win and there cannot be a more convincing win than this. You won the toss, did all things correctly.”

Gautam Gambhir added that it was a complete team performance from the Indian side.

He said: “You scored runs, your lower-middle order scored runs and after that your spinners and your fast bowlers – so somewhere or the other a proper team performance.”

All the Indian batters got off to starts in the first Test against Sri Lanka, although only all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (175*) and keeper Rishabh Pant (96) could make it big. It was an all-round effort by the Indian bowlers as well, with only Jayant Yadav failing to pick up a wicket.

Gautam Gambhir : It Could Have Been Better If Ravindra Jadeja Took 10 Wickets Along With Soring 175 Runs

While observing that the Test match belonged to Ravindra Jadeja, Gautam Gambhir added that it could have been even better had he taken another wicket.

He elaborated: “Ravindra Jadeja, no doubt – there couldn’t have been a better Test match than this. It would have been the icing on the cake if he had taken 10 wickets along with the 175 runs. I don’t remember when someone would have done it last time – scoring more than 150 runs and taking 10 wickets.”

Ravindra Jadeja would have become the first-ever player to score more than 150 runs and take 10 wickets in a Test match. Unfortunately, the last two wickets of the Sri Lankan second innings were taken by Mohammed Shami and Ravichandran Ashwin, and he was left stranded on a nine-wicket match haul.

Ravindra Jadeja became only the sixth man to score 150 or more and take a five-for in the same Test. Ravichandran Ashwin went past Kapil Dev as the second-highest wicket-taker for India.

In the process, Sri Lanka collapsed under the weight of a relentless India attack and lost by an innings and 222 runs inside three days. Ravindra Jadeja, who ended one wicket short of becoming the first man to score 150 or more in a Test innings and take 10 wickets in the same match, ended his third straight Mohali Test as the Player of the Match.

India 574 for 8 dec. (Jadeja 175*, Pant 96, Ashwin 61, Vihari 58) beat Sri Lanka 174 (Nissanka 61*, Jadeja 5-41) and 178 (Dickwella 51*, Jadeja 4-46, Ashwin 4-47) by an innings and 222 runs

All-rounder Axar Patel has returned to India’s squad for the second and final test against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru after recovering from an injury and COVID-19. The match in Bengaluru will be a Day/Night Test. Kuldeep Yadav was released from the squad.