When Sri Lanka registered their maiden success in Tests
Partab Ramchand - 12 July 2001
Though India and Sri Lanka played their first Test match only in 1982,
cricket relations between the two nations stretch back to fifty years
before that. That was when Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was known then)
visited India to play two unofficial Tests in Lahore and New Delhi.
In succeeding years, the ties were maintained with frequent visits by
both countries. The teams also met in the 1979 World Cup where Sri
Lanka scored a notable upset victory over India in the group match. In
more ways than one then, India had reason to back Sri Lanka for full
Test status, which the island nation achieved in 1981, playing her
first Test against England at Colombo the following year.
Sri Lanka acquitted itself creditably in their drawn first Test
against India at Chepauk in 1982-83. Over the next three years,
however while Australia and New Zealand followed England to play Test
matches in Sri Lanka, India did not. It was felt then that India
should make a trip to the island nation to encourage the game there
and so a visit was hastily put together to be made in August -
September 1985.
Indeed, for some time even after there had been talk of the tour
taking place, it was not clear whether the Indians would make the
trip. The unsettled situation in Sri Lanka made many believe that the
tour would be cancelled. Finally the visitors landed in Colombo on the
eve of their opening first class game.
All this was clearly a mistake from India's viewpoint. A tour so early
in the season meant that the Indians could not prepare themselves
adequately. Many in the team had not played for months and there
wasn't even a camp ahead of the tour for the squad since everything
was arranged in a bit of a hurry. And then of course there was a
feeling of complacency amongst the visitors who reckoned that Sri
Lanka, still without a Test victory after 12 matches, would be a cake
walk. Another factor against India was Sunil Gavaskar's decision to
bat lower down in the order. This naturally upset the balance of the
batting for the new opening pair of K Srikkanth and Lalchand Rajput
were far from successful.
The net result of all this uncertainty and lack of planning was that
India, against all expectations, went down to a shock defeat. They
lost the second Test of the three Test series and that was enough for
Sri Lanka to wrap up the series as well. No praise can be too high for
the Lankans who had trained assiduously for months and were fiercely
determined to register their maiden triumph in Test cricket. This
motivation was as much a factor in the Sri Lankans' victory as the
complacency displayed by the Indians.
The Indians came to Sri Lanka riding a wave. They had notched up two
notable one-day triumphs in Australia and Sharjah earlier in the year.
In the Test arena, they did not have an enviable record since 1982 but
then over the same period, novices Sri Lanka too had lost eight of the
12 Tests it had played.
Two three day games and a one day international was hardly the kind of
preparation to find form before the three Tests which were played on
the trot. Indeed, the Indians came close to losing the first Test at
the SSC in Colombo. The visitors were all out for 218 to which Sri
Lanka replied with 347. It took a gallant unbeaten 98 in six and three
quarter hours by Dilip Vengsarkar to stretch the Indian second innings
score to 251. Besides Vengsarkar's efforts, rain which cut short a
session's play on the final day also saw Sri Lankan victory hopes
being dented. Ultimately, the home team were set to get 123 runs in
eleven overs. Changing their batting order, Sri Lanka showed a
willingness to chase the difficult target but were 61 for four after
eight overs when bad light brought about an early finish.
The warning signals had by now been posted loud and clear. But the
Indians did not heed them and some more loose batting and bowling saw
Sri Lanka register their historic triumph at the Saravanamuthu stadium
in Colombo a week later. Wicketkeeper Amal Silva, with a stroke filled
111, gave the necessary impetus at the top of the order and stylist
Roy Dias followed with 95. A Sri Lankan total of 385 was always going
to test the Indians, who under pressure were all out for 244. Even
this represented a recovery for they lost their first three batsmen
with just three runs on the board. Sri Lanka could now call the shots
and, declaring their second innings at 206 for three, set India a
victory target of 348 in 333 minutes and 20 mandatory overs. At 98 for
seven, the Indians were hurtling towards a big defeat before a gallant
78 by the captain Kapil Dev took the final total to 198, reducing the
victory margin to 149 runs. Silva followed his century with nine
victims - an unprecedented feat for a wicketkeeper in a Test match
while Rumesh Ratnayake had a match haul of nine wickets. Scenes of
jubilation followed culminating in nationwide celebrations and a
public holiday the following day.
The Indians could at best hope to salvage some pride by winning the
final Test at Kandy and squaring the series. They did have an
excellent chance but squandered it. After scoring 249, enough for them
to take a first innings lead of 51, the visitors, aided by an unbeaten
116 by Mohinder Amarnath - the only hundred for the Indians as
compared to five for the Sri Lankans - declared their second innings
at 325 for five. A victory target of 377 in 420 minutes and 20
mandatory overs was never really on and indeed the Sri Lankans faced
defeat when they lost three wickets for 34 on the fourth evening.
However a 216-run partnership in 285 minutes between Sri Lanka's two
most accomplished batsmen, captain Duleep Mendis and his deputy Roy
Dias steered the home team to safety. Both got hundreds and Sri
Lanka's closing score of 307 for seven was enough to ensure a series
triumph.
As if this was not enough, India's image as world champions in one day
cricket was dented with the three match series ending one all. India
won the first, lost the second and the third ended in no result. On
the whole, it was a traumatic trip, marred also by unconvincing
umpiring, about which the Indians stated their misgivings in
unambiguous terms.
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