Venkatesh Prasad's inclusion for the Sri Lankan tour was widely criticized, for it was believed he was over the hill, and he did not have a great record against Sri Lanka anyway, especially his old nemesis, Sanath Jayasuriya. And, sure enough, he made a poor impression in the first innings of the first Test. There was a transformation in the second Test, especially in the second innings, when he bowled India back into the game, with some incisive bowling, always on target and probing. What a relief!