Sports

A test match better forgotten

The series opener at Ahmedabad will never be remembered for the classic cricket. It was not a game where test cricket was at its best. Instead history will record it as a game where a mountain of runs was scored! Hardly the purist’s delight! A good test match is obviously a game that would see all four innings completed or at least the game being extended to the fourth innings! Marvan Atapattu the former skipper was a firm believer in that theory of four innings in a test match which he termed as the ideal game.

But at Ahmedabad it was a completely different ball game. Almost one thousand five hundred plus runs for the loss of just 21 wickets is a huge ask from any bowling side in the world and both India and Sri Lanka combined and with the worlds greatest bowler in it, the bowlers were up against batting!
On the subject of batting what fantastic innings were witnessed?


This game was made for Prasanna
Jayawardena

There were as much as seven hundreds scored and all of them of equal value, merit and quality! One couldn’t possibly rank it from 1 to 7 as the most important or the best knock as they were all scored at different times in the game. For starters Dravid got the ball rolling with his back to the wall start when the underrated Welagedera who should be more of a regular in the Sri Lanka line up, sliced through the top part of the Indian batting. The counter attacking century of Dhoni when things had settled down for India was equally good and rewarding.

But then what about Dilshan? It appears that everything he touches is turning to gold! Nothing seems to go wrong with him. His batting which looked high class now seem to suggest that Sri Lanka has found a permanent replacement for Jayasuriya at least in the test arena at the top of the order. Add to that his all round contribution was so well emphasized when held on to a brilliant one handed catch off a Mishra stroke at a short backward square leg off the face of the bat!

When Dilshan finished it was Mahela! What a performer he has been for Sri Lanka? Despite all the criticism leveled at him Jayawardane has taken it in his stride and has just let the bat do the talking. 9000 plus runs and a hand in 3 world record stands is not special but phenomenal! It is a relief that Jayawardane hasn’t lost his appetite for runs and cricket as when he retired prematurely one really thought it would be the end. But he continues now as the elder statesmen in the side to pile on the runs and serve the country. But to many he still should have been the captain as he had so many years of good cricket to offer and his cool and calm approach is something that has been lacking in the recent past.

On the topic of runs, though the selectors who usually are never right, were spot on with the selection of Prasanna Jayawardane. I also feel that they were equally right when they took young Kaushal Silva as the deputy on tour giving Prasanna a clear signal that he has to lift his game. Whilst there was no issue with Prasanna’s keeping the question mark was on his batting as the modern day selectors tend to lean towards batsmen keepers than the other way around. One wonders what the scenario would have been had the Knott’s, The Taylors, The Marshes and the Baris were still around? Back to Prasanna, I thought he was efficient and polished both in front and behind the stumps and would have surely cemented his place in the side at least for the series.

His batting bordered on maturity without doubt and there was class written on it too. It would have been easy for him to watch Mahela Jayawardane accumulate the runs from the other end, but the fact that he himself got 154 not out was the evidence of what he can do. And for young Kaushal it will be a waiting game as he is one player who should be able to fit in purely on the quality of his batting. After being a permanent feature in the A side with solid performances behind him, one shouldn’t permit young Kaushal to wither away as he has a lot to offer to Sri Lanka Cricket and being just 23 he definitely has time on his side.

As for the rest of the test match after the mountain compiled by Sri Lanka, the only interest was how India would progress to save the match and two more contrasting hundreds from Gambhir and Tendulkar just sealed the issue.

But the biggest puzzle to many is what is India’s strategy for the series? Are they playing safe with flat pitches? If so are they worried about the Lankan line up that they may not want to prepare tracks for spinners for obvious reasons as Murali, Mendis and Herath are a street ahead of the Indian counterparts. The only area they may feel slightly stronger is in the pace bowling department and in the event green tracks are prepared then the toss will be vital.

It’s clear that India after their loss to Australia at home are under pressure to maintain their status and will do everything not to loose. But on the other hand the Lankans seem to enjoy the happenings as Kumara Sangakkara said “ the pressure is on India to perform” It appears right as far as the first game was, but only time will tell how India really handles it in the rest of the series!

Roshan Abeysinghe is a leading cricket promoter and an international cricket commentator

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