Ishant Sharma gets the ball to bounce even on dead pitches and he will be India's main bowler for the final Test on a pitch that offers more bounce and carry © AFP

Medini Mangala: Hello and welcome to Cricinfo Talk. As always I have with me Sanjay Manjrekar to look back on the final day of today's game.

Sanjay, on a pitch where the spinners were expected to do all the damage, Ishant Sharma picked up three crucial wickets and provided the initial breakthrough for India. What did you make of his bowling?

Sanjay Manjrekar: Well I think he is an exciting prospect. All of us know of Ishant's potential in the way he bowls, and the attitude that he shows when he bowls. A bowler who is 6'5" and gets the ball to bounce on dead pitches is a very exciting player for Indian fans. With this performance he has shown that he is very special because on this pitch nobody gave medium-pacers any chance at all, especially in the second innings. But then Ishant came in, bowled a great line and also, in some ways, led an Indian fightback. I think the Indians were a little hurt by the way the review system has gone for them. Ishant actually embodied all that in this performance with the way he was running in and then the aggression in his follow-through after he finished bowling. It was almost as if India wanted to prove a point and Ishant was leading that point of view with the new ball. He showed great attitude, he bowled a great line and length and with this performance he has shown that he cannot be taken for granted on any surface.

MM: The Sri Lankans were bundled out for 136. Do you think their batsmen played too many shots earlier on and then panicked towards the end?

SM: I am a little surprised they didn't show more fight in the second innings. But I got the feeling that once they gave India that lead of 37 runs in the first innings, their confidence had started to die a little. They did come back at certain stages in the Indian second innings but India finishing up with over 300 would also have demoralised them slightly.

The final nail in the coffin though was when they lost those three wickets of the in-form Malinda Warnapura, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. The three of them got only six runs in total and I think that dented their confidence. After that they were almost seeing their fate.

It was a weak performance and they felt the pressure of batting second this time. They started losing it when they were unable to take a big lead after India just managed 329 in the first innings.

MM: Even though India won this match quite convincingly, the middle order still looks a little shaky.

SM: Yes it is a worrying area. For any team, after a win there are certain areas that they would like to focus on and work on. For the middle order, more than anything it is a matter of confidence and I think Rahul Dravid will have gained a little confidence after his 44 in the second innings. India's win allows people like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and to an extent VVS Laxman, to relax a little bit and let their true ability come forward. I won't be surprised if you see better form from these people in the final Test. That is what a win does: the team's confidence rubs off on to you and you will perhaps see a better performance from the middle order.

I think the bigger concern for India at the moment is the wicketkeeper though. Even towards the end of the match in the final innings, there was nothing to suggest that Dinesh Karthik had grown in confidence as a keeper. He was still making some mistakes. That is an area they would want to correct. I won't be surprised if there is a change there and the Indian management goes in for Parthiv Patel as a replacement for Karthik.

MM: Going into the final Test, do you think the momentum has shifted slightly in India's favour and what will be the positives India can take away from this game?

SM: The momentum could be in India's favour but it is just about one session going in either team's way in the final Test. Yes, the momentum is slightly with India but again we have to respect Sri Lanka as the home team who has an excellent record playing at home. They didn't play well in the second Test, while India was brilliant coming from a big loss in the first Test.

The biggest positive for India is that their opening combination of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir is looking good. With today's performance Ishant will make his presence felt at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo where he will get more bounce with a consistent carry. India's confidence is high and that is where they have gained after this victory. Harbhajan Singh's ten wickets will allow him to perform that much better. He played the first Test after a fair gap, so he is also back on track. But don't discount Sri Lanka: they are very good at home.

It is just a matter of how the third Test pans out. The first day is going to be crucial and we have seen how the toss has been so vital. So again, winning the toss will be an important factor.

MM: Thank you so much for your views Sanjay. We'll hear from you during the third Test. Goodbye.