India's moment of glory in Kandy
Erapalli Prasanna - 26 August 2001
The second Test match between India and Sri Lanka at the Asgiriya
Stadium in Kandy will be remembered for a long time. India bounced
back to level the series after their dismal loss in the first Test in
Galle. The seven wicket trouncing of a fighting home side was the
fruits of labour for an Indian side that was willing to believe in
itself.
It was heartening to see Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid taking up the
responsibility of seeing India through to a victory. The two senior
most players in this Indian squad played to the best of their ability;
their experience came to good use against a spirited and hardworking
Sri Lankan attack.
I have always enjoyed seeing Ganguly bat. He is a player with enormous
talent. His determination and the never say die attitude was the
crucial factor in India winning the Test match. His deputy Rahul
Dravid came good at the number three position, which he had
relinquished voluntarily to VVS Laxman in the famous Kolkata Test
match against Australia.
I always believed that Dravid is the best batsman at number three for
India. The only problem with him is that he gets bogged down due to
his self-imposed constraint on strokeplay. Ganguly and Dravid deserve
rich tribute for their fantastic effort in Kandy. Before this Test
match one wondered whether Sri Lanka would shrug off their poor run at
the Asgiriya Stadium. Sri Lanka's track record in Kandy is not at all
good and that should have played in their minds too. Another
interesting fact was that whether Ganguly would win the toss and what
would he do then on a grassy track.
Ganguly for once won the toss and elected to have a bowl first. It was
a big gamble to put the opposition to bat first without the services
of Javagal Srinath. The gamble paid off rich dividends too as the
final result would say.
Sanath Jayasuriya had his strategy well worked out, which was to make
sure that Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene would hold fort. The
Sri Lankan skipper wanted his bat to do all the attacking. On a wicket
tailor-made for seam bowlers, Zaheer Khan and Venkatesh Prasad bowled
really well.
Zaheer Khan was the best of the Indian attack and Ganguly deciding to
bowl also had a positive impact. The Indian game plan of bowling on
one side of the wicket worked perfectly. I was a bit surprised not to
see a forward short leg employed; it was a disappointing and defensive
tactic from Ganguly.
Mahela Jayawardene is the best batsman amongst the Sri Lankan ranks.
His technique is compact and his shot selection is precise. Sri Lanka
were not going to be troubled by Harbhajan Singh on a track that did
not help the spinners. Harbhajan Singh's lack of experience on such
tracks clearly showed and he was only used for a few overs by his
skipper.
I watched in utter dismay the events that unfolded on the third day. I
was shocked to see Ganguly not attempting to wind up the Sri Lankan
second innings. The Indian skipper let Muralitharan add so many runs
for the last wicket; Ganguly's tactics defied all common sense and was
irritating at times. Reasons for holding back Harbhajan Singh is a
mystery that the Indian skipper has to answer for.
Muralitharan's first fifty in Test cricket and Ganguly's reluctance to
bowl Harbhajan Singh inducted some life into the Test match, which
otherwise would have been over in India's favour much before. Zaheer
Khan and Venkatesh Prasad did well to have the Sri Lankans on the mat,
but Muralitharan was allowed to have fun in the middle for way too
long. The fast bowlers on both sides made good use of the wicket.
Chaminda Vaas kept the Indian batsmen guessing with his late swing,
while Dilhara Fernando and Ruchira Perera unsettled them with pace. I
admire fast bowlers who have the ability to make use of the old ball
and get the ball to cut off the wicket.
Jayasuriya and Ganguly committed mistakes in this Test match and made
it look interesting. Both the teams would have learned a few lessons
from the Kandy test. It is time for Sri Lankans to take a stock of the
situation; perhaps it was their complacency against a depleted Indian
side, which cost them the match dearly. The final Test match in
Colombo will be an interesting one.
Having said that, all credit should go to Sourav Ganguly and his boys
for winning a Test match abroad and that too under so much pressure.
The Indian batting came good when it mattered most, leaving behind the
disappointments of the past. The upbeat Indian side will have a good
chance of winning the series too, if they can get Atapattu and
Jaywardene early. Spectators are bound to get their money's worth, for
both the teams have everything to play for in Colombo.
© CricInfo
Teams
|
India,
Sri Lanka.
|
Players/Umpires
|
Sourav Ganguly,
Rahul Dravid,
VVS Laxman,
Javagal Srinath,
Sanath Jayasuriya,
Marvan Atapattu,
Zaheer Khan,
Mahela Jayawardene,
Muttiah Muralitharan,
Venkatesh Prasad,
Chaminda Vaas.
|
Tours
|
India in Sri Lanka
|