India vs Sri Lanka in 2022

Twenty20 internationals (3): India 3, Sri Lanka 0 Test matches (2): India 2 (24pts), Sri Lanka 0 (0pts)

In 20 attempts, stretching back to a one-off match in September 1982, Sri Lanka had never won a Test in India. Given they have won around the world, including a series in South Africa - something India have not managed - this was surprising. After all, conditions at home across the Palk Strait are not terribly dissimilar.

There was little expectation that history would be made when the Sri Lankans arrived early in 2022. India had become an imposing unit, with all bases covered and strength in depth. By contrast, their opponents were one of the most nondescript teams ever to visit. There was no freakish spinner, no genius batter who could change a game in a session, no fast bowler to push the Indians on to the back foot. It panned out predictably: India were almost unchallenged in all five internationals, with three Twenty20 games preceding the Tests.

The only positives for Sri Lanka came from Pathum Nissanka in the T20s, and Dimuth Karunaratne in the Tests. There was a nice moment when Suranga Lakmal was dismissed for the final time: Jasprit Bumrah muted his celebration and ran across to congratulate him on a career that had brought 171 wickets in 70 Tests, plus 117 in 97 white-ball games. Lakmal had announced this tour would be his last, after signing a two-year deal with Derbyshire. "I've played for 13 years, and now I'm 35," he said. "Rather than sticking around for a couple more years, I thought I'd give my place to someone younger. This is the best time to take my leave of Sri Lanka cricket."

The Test series was the first for Rohit Sharma as full-time captain. It did not feature Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane or Ishant Sharma, all left out by the selectors, to bring younger players into the mix. One of the replacements stood out: 27-year-old Shreyas Iyer caned 204 runs from just 117 balls in the T20s without being dismissed, and continued that form into the Tests, winning the match award for scores of 92 and 67 in the Second.

A lot of the build-up focused on Virat Kohli. Indian fans hoped that giving up the Test captaincy would allow him to rediscover his dominance, and end a run of more than two years without an international century. It did not happen: after missing the white-ball games, he got starts in his three Test innings, but could not convert any into a fifty.

In the end, India were more than happy with the World Test Championship points - though the players knew they had given an inexperienced team a hiding. For Sri Lanka, and their incoming coach Chris Silverwood, recently sacked by England, the series was a warning. They had invested time in some of their younger players but, unless this soon led to greater consistency, they were likely to be allocated no more than the two Tests they got here.