India made the most of the toss, a vicious turner in the second innings and Sri Lanka's feeble batting to record their first bilateral one-day series triumph on the island, completing a stunning turnaround from the crushing defeat in the opener in Dambulla. Mahendra Singh Dhoni led from the front with his batting and on-field captaincy but this was a team performance as India recovered from a shaky start to choke Sri Lanka out of the match.
It turned out to be a great toss for Dhoni to win: Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis would have been virtually unplayable if they got to bowl second, and India's strategy of going in with four bowlers would also have been exposed. It didn't initially seem that way as India's top order floundered in the face of some disciplined bowling. There were no yorkers, no bouncers and no slower balls, just old-fashioned line-and-length to slow down the openers - only four boundaries came in the first ten overs. Kohli survived a couple of early chances before he started to grow in confidence.
At the other end, Gambhir was starved of the strike and perished when attempting to up the run-rate. That brought Yuvraj Singh to the crease for a short, troubled and runless stay. Chaminda Vaas became the fourth man to take 400 wickets in ODIs when Yuvraj was too early on an offcutter and edged it to short midwicket. Kohli unleashed some wristy shots to bring up his maiden half-century but soon paid the price for playing away from his body, an inside edge on to his stumps giving Thushara a wicket in his first over.
The score read 81 for 3 before Suresh Raina and Dhoni took charge. Both were decisive with their footwork, regularly charging down the track to negate the spin, or playing right back and reading the spin off the pitch. The running between the wickets was sharp, and with Raina playing some breathtaking lofted drives, the stuttering run-rate got a lift.
They batted sensibly, cutting out the risks, and it wasn't until India were out of trouble that the more chancy strokes - the reverse-sweep and the paddle-sweep - were brought out. While Raina played the big shots, including a massive pull for six over midwicket off Muttiah Muralitharan, Dhoni was content with some quick singles and twos - there were only four boundaries in his 71.
The spin threat was negated and the pair had powered India to a commanding 224 for 3 in the 41st over before Thushara struck. He had Raina holing out to mid-off and dismissed a tiring Dhoni soon after, leaving two new batsmen to deal with the wiles of Murali and Ajantha Mendis. They throttled the runs, which resulted in more wickets falling, and Thilan Thushara, who had never taken more than two wickets in an ODI before, took two in the final over to complete his five-for.
The tricky target didn't seem enough as Sanath Jayasuriya started in a typically murderous mood , using his favourite cut shot to pepper the off-side boundary. As he made merry, his partner Malinda Warnapura toiled at the other end. Warnapura scratched around without scoring before finally being adjudged lbw off Munaf Patel for 0 in the seventh over.
Munaf combined well with the accurate Zaheer Khan, who kept it on a back of a length around off, to stifle the runs and with only 10 runs coming in six overs, Kumar Sangakkara went for his shots. There was a cover drive for four, but his next stroke was an attempted cut, which took the bottom-edge and cannoned into his leg stump.
Jayasuriya then took over. Boundaries started to flow in every over: a bouncer on leg stump was pulled over deep backward square leg for six, and an over-the-bowler's-head drive off Praveen. The fifty came up with a pull over midwicket for four and he repeated the shot two balls later, this time for six. He had made 60 of Sri Lanka's 74 before an outside edge off a sharply turning Harbhajan Singh delivery was superbly held by a diving Raina at slip.
Sri Lanka's hopes, as it has in several matches this series, rested with their captain, Mahela Jayawardene, but he was soon run out attempting a suicidal single. That left them at stuttering at 104 for 4, with all their big-name batsmen dismissed. The pitch had by now deteriorated to the extent that even a part-time spinner like Yuvraj was difficult to negotiate. Thushara followed up his five-wicket haul with a spirited 40 but it was too tall a task for the lower order and they ended up 46 runs short.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
India Wins by 33 Runs — 2nd ODI
For the second game in succession, an inspired opening spell by India's seam attack of Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar brought a powerful batting line-up to its knees. A middle-of-the-road target of 238 was always going to be competitive under lights but a flurry of early wickets before effectively sealed the match before the first Powerplay ended. Both captains arrested top-order slides with fighting half-centuries, but his bowlers made Mahendra Singh Dhoni's effort count in the end.
For Sri Lanka, only Mahela Jayawardene displayed the technique and temperament to craft a lengthy innings and though he had Thilan Thushara for company to give his side a glimmer of hope, their partnership came a little too late. Jayawardene fell six short of a deserved century when a paddle scoop ended his knock and with it, Sri Lanka's last chance of snatching a miracle.
The pre-match talk centered around the better batting conditions at the Premadasa Stadium when compared to the two-paced surface in Dambulla. Though the conditions were a shade easier to bat on in the afternoon, it got considerably challenging under lights as the seamers managed swing and nip off the pitch while the spinners got turn and bounce.
While the swing was hard enough for the batsmen to negotiate under lights, the nagging stump-to-stump line was largely responsible for the spurt of lbw decisions early on. Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Kapugedera and Chamara Silva were all trapped as the trigger-happy umpires wasted no time in pondering over the appeals.
Sanath Jayasuriya whiplashed Praveen for boundaries over his favoured off side region but perished after edging an away swinger off the same bowler. Zaheer relied more on hitting the deck hard and like in Dambulla, squared up Sangakkara with one that nipped back in and struck him high on the pad.
Kapugedera began confidently with a clipped six over square leg off Praveen but paid the price for shuffling too far across his stumps. Silva became the third lbw victim of the evening, this time to Zaheer, trapped in front of middle stump to one that straightened. Tillakaratne Dilshan, tied down by the seamers' nagging accuracy, feathered an edge to Dhoni off Munaf Patel.
All the while, Jayawardene cut a lonely figure. The revival began when Thushara joined him in the middle. Runs were hard to come by initially but Jayawardene was probably mindful of India's weak link - the fifth bowler. With the field spread out and the ball getting softer, Jayawardene placed faith in his partner by rotating the strike.
Yuvraj and Rohit Sharma conceded 46 off nine combined overs as Sri Lanka added 50 runs between overs 37 and 43. Thushara regularly made room to loft the ball over vacant spaces and the anxiety began to tell on the Indian fielders as they dropped catches off Thushara and Jayawardene. Zaheer returned to york Thushara to end the 81-run eighth-wicket stand, and when Munaf sent back Jayawardene, the contest was all but over.
Sri Lanka will no doubt look back at where they let the initiative slip. After reducing India to 97 for 4 at the halfway stage, two fifty partnerships - with Dhoni the central figure in both - resurrected the innings after another jerky start. The significant factor in India's recovery in the middle overs was that the threat of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis was negated fairly comfortably. Though Mendis ended with three wickets, two of those came at the fag end of the innings. Murali, on the other hand, had a forgettable wicketless outing.
Once again, Dhoni walked in to bat with the Indian innings wobbling. Often he has played a lone hand, but this time Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma offered excellent support. Raina needed runs, and with his captain for company, accumulated steadily with the spinners operating from both ends, and never at any stage did the Indians get bogged down. Dhoni was comfortable against Mendis, committing himself forward to smother the spin of the full-length deliveries, but when the length was short, he rocked back and cut and pulled for runs.
Raina, too, was fleet-footed against the spinners, nudging, flicking and driving Muralitharan for singles in his workmanlike knock. Using his feet, he drove the same bowler to the extra-cover boundary before edging towards his sixth ODI fifty, which came off 75 balls. The running between wickets was excellent throughout, but ironically, it was a run-out that ended the 54-run partnership.
Dhoni was fortunate to find an equally able partner in Rohit, who calmly rotated the strike. Short of runs over the last few innings, Rohit grafted initially before taking his chances against the spinners. The partnership came at a quicker rate than the Dhoni-Raina stand, with the pair bringing up their fifty stand in 55 balls. Dhoni brought up his own half-century off 64 balls and celebrated it with successive boundaries off Murali, using his feet well on both occasions. Just when a score in excess of 250 seemed likely, Sri Lanka struck. Rohit fell while attempting a slog off Thushara, after which the wickets continued to fall. Dhoni was dismissed in the 49th over, scooping to cover for a 80-ball 76 and in the end his efforts didn't got to waste.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
England Wins Headinglley ODI
Kevin Pietersen is having quite an impact as England captain. If it wasn't enough winning his first Test and persuading Steve Harmison out of one-day retirement, he then did more than most to help his team take a series lead against South Africa with a 20-run victory at Headingley. He hit an unbeaten 90 off 82 balls, adding 158 in 21 overs with Andrew Flintoff, then claimed two crucial wickets as the visitors threatened to pull away in the run chase.
England's latest attempt to form a winning one-day unit comes with Pietersen's stamp of aggression, hence the trend towards pace bowling and hard-hitting, free-scoring batsmen. For two thirds of their innings, though, little appeared to have changed as just five fours a six came in 34 overs - all from Matt Prior's bat. However, England banked on having a middle-order filled with strikers and in Pietersen and Flintoff, they possess two of the most destructive one-day batsmen around. The pair crunched 94 off the last 10 overs, showing what can be achieved with wickets in hand, as South Africa's bowling became ragged and the fielding was poor.
In contrast to England's sedate approach, South Africa went hard at the start of their chase and put themselves ahead of the rate, reaching 139 for 2 after 25 overs. However, everything changed when Pietersen surprisingly brought himself onto bowl. By the end of the innings he'd doubled his one-day wicket tally after getting AB de Villiers caught at midwicket and benefiting from a swift piece of glovework from Prior to stump Mark Boucher.
It wasn't just with the ball that Pietersen shone during the second innings, his captaincy had a touch of the magic about it, too. In the eighth over, Pietersen turned to Harmison and it took him less than an over to strike when he hit the perfect line to take Smith's outside edge with his fourth delivery. Flintoff wasn't quite the metronome he can be and was picked off by Jacques Kallis, but then Pietersen dipped into his captain's handbook and pulled out another trick.
Holding back the final Powerplay, he brought Samit Patel into the attack with his left-arm spin and it proved a master stroke. Patel's fourth ball was quicker and flatter, beating Gibbs as he lent back to cut. Patel's first ODI wicket was Neil McCallum, against Scotland last week, but with all due respect to the Scots this one will have meant a little more.
However, Kallis and de Villiers moved along comfortably in their third-wicket stand of 49 in 11 overs. Then de Villiers flicked lazily to Ian Bell and, shortly after reaching fifty off 63 balls, Kallis, struggling with a leg problem, was run out by some quick thinking by Bell. Boucher showed in the Test series, at Edgbaston, that he is ideal in a run chase but his opposite number, Prior, was very alert to a raised foot.
JP Duminy had the skill to guide South Africa home, but Harmison came back to find a thin outside and Johan Botha holed out at deep midwicket. The lower order, without the injured Albie Morkel, didn't have the power to keep up and Flintoff just had time to remind everyone that he's meant to be the main allrounder in the team.
England's success showed that there is more than one way to play one-day cricket, especially in their conditions, even though the new-look top three seemed to drift as more than half the innings came and went. Bell, after batting through 19 overs, and Prior after 42 off 52 balls both picked out backward point off Kallis and Owais Shah top-edged to deep square-leg.
Flintoff ignited the innings when he found the boundary in the 35th over, the first man other than Prior to locate the rope, and initially Pietersen was happy to feed him the strike. The change of ball at the 34-over mark helped England, the harder one making it easier to use the pace of South Africa's attack. Flintoff opened his front leg to hit strongly through the off side, and also rifled the ball with the straight power that typifies his batting when he's at his best. He reached fifty off 52 deliveries, his first half-century since the unbeaten 72 he made against New Zealand, at Hobart, in January 2007 and, when he was bowled moving across his stumps to Dale Steyn, his 78 was his highest ODI innings since making 87 against Australia, at Lord's, in 2005.
Pietersen was fortunate to survive an lbw shout off Botha on 18, and was close to being run out on 22 when he dived for the crease, the third umpire ruling the bat had just been grounded before it then bounced up as the stumps were broken. He eventually earned his first boundary off his 52nd delivery, but had a clear mindset on what he wanted to achieve, and then began to invent as he went to a fifty from 55 balls. He timed his charge and took 10 off two balls from Steyn in the 46th over, including the second six of the innings over midwicket.
What Pietersen is quickly realising is that his job now doesn't stop with the bat and his role in the field is just as important. It's a learning experience and he's learning fast. At some point life will get tougher for him, but today wasn't that moment.
England's latest attempt to form a winning one-day unit comes with Pietersen's stamp of aggression, hence the trend towards pace bowling and hard-hitting, free-scoring batsmen. For two thirds of their innings, though, little appeared to have changed as just five fours a six came in 34 overs - all from Matt Prior's bat. However, England banked on having a middle-order filled with strikers and in Pietersen and Flintoff, they possess two of the most destructive one-day batsmen around. The pair crunched 94 off the last 10 overs, showing what can be achieved with wickets in hand, as South Africa's bowling became ragged and the fielding was poor.
In contrast to England's sedate approach, South Africa went hard at the start of their chase and put themselves ahead of the rate, reaching 139 for 2 after 25 overs. However, everything changed when Pietersen surprisingly brought himself onto bowl. By the end of the innings he'd doubled his one-day wicket tally after getting AB de Villiers caught at midwicket and benefiting from a swift piece of glovework from Prior to stump Mark Boucher.
It wasn't just with the ball that Pietersen shone during the second innings, his captaincy had a touch of the magic about it, too. In the eighth over, Pietersen turned to Harmison and it took him less than an over to strike when he hit the perfect line to take Smith's outside edge with his fourth delivery. Flintoff wasn't quite the metronome he can be and was picked off by Jacques Kallis, but then Pietersen dipped into his captain's handbook and pulled out another trick.
Holding back the final Powerplay, he brought Samit Patel into the attack with his left-arm spin and it proved a master stroke. Patel's fourth ball was quicker and flatter, beating Gibbs as he lent back to cut. Patel's first ODI wicket was Neil McCallum, against Scotland last week, but with all due respect to the Scots this one will have meant a little more.
However, Kallis and de Villiers moved along comfortably in their third-wicket stand of 49 in 11 overs. Then de Villiers flicked lazily to Ian Bell and, shortly after reaching fifty off 63 balls, Kallis, struggling with a leg problem, was run out by some quick thinking by Bell. Boucher showed in the Test series, at Edgbaston, that he is ideal in a run chase but his opposite number, Prior, was very alert to a raised foot.
JP Duminy had the skill to guide South Africa home, but Harmison came back to find a thin outside and Johan Botha holed out at deep midwicket. The lower order, without the injured Albie Morkel, didn't have the power to keep up and Flintoff just had time to remind everyone that he's meant to be the main allrounder in the team.
England's success showed that there is more than one way to play one-day cricket, especially in their conditions, even though the new-look top three seemed to drift as more than half the innings came and went. Bell, after batting through 19 overs, and Prior after 42 off 52 balls both picked out backward point off Kallis and Owais Shah top-edged to deep square-leg.
Flintoff ignited the innings when he found the boundary in the 35th over, the first man other than Prior to locate the rope, and initially Pietersen was happy to feed him the strike. The change of ball at the 34-over mark helped England, the harder one making it easier to use the pace of South Africa's attack. Flintoff opened his front leg to hit strongly through the off side, and also rifled the ball with the straight power that typifies his batting when he's at his best. He reached fifty off 52 deliveries, his first half-century since the unbeaten 72 he made against New Zealand, at Hobart, in January 2007 and, when he was bowled moving across his stumps to Dale Steyn, his 78 was his highest ODI innings since making 87 against Australia, at Lord's, in 2005.
Pietersen was fortunate to survive an lbw shout off Botha on 18, and was close to being run out on 22 when he dived for the crease, the third umpire ruling the bat had just been grounded before it then bounced up as the stumps were broken. He eventually earned his first boundary off his 52nd delivery, but had a clear mindset on what he wanted to achieve, and then began to invent as he went to a fifty from 55 balls. He timed his charge and took 10 off two balls from Steyn in the 46th over, including the second six of the innings over midwicket.
What Pietersen is quickly realising is that his job now doesn't stop with the bat and his role in the field is just as important. It's a learning experience and he's learning fast. At some point life will get tougher for him, but today wasn't that moment.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
India Level the ODI Series 1-1
India fought back to level the series 1-1 with a three-wicket win but the victory was far from convincing as they made heavy weather of a modest target of 143. Zaheer Khan's dramatic opening spell, which sent Sri Lanka's top order reeling, was the highlight of the day as India restricted Sri Lanka to a score four less than what India made on Monday.
The contrast, however, was the manner in which victory was achieved. While Sri Lanka coasted home in the first ODI, India lost early wickets, grafted, lost few more, recovered, and later limped to the target. Mahendra Singh Dhoni kept a cool head and debutant S Badrinath showed maturity in supporting his captain when he came in with 68 needed.
India's batting in the first match forced a change of strategy, but the paucity of specialist openers and the fact that India were playing four medium-pacers forced Dhoni to "bowl out of compulsion" despite a pitch that appeared good for batting by his assessment. His decision in the end proved a masterstroke.
Zaheer's deliveries moved, sliced the batsmen in half, made run-scoring an arduous task and India's body language perked up with each wicket, reflecting their hunger to turn the tables after an embarrassing drubbing.
In his first over, Zaheer produced an inswinger to Kumar Sangakkara which clipped the top of off stump after the batsman played around the line of the ball. Mahela Jayawardene and Chamara Kapugedera both fell to edges behind the wicket off deliveries that landed on off stump and seamed away. Praveen proved a good foil for Zaheer maintaining pressure with the new ball, moving it in the air and cramping Sanath Jayasuriya. He dismissed Chamara Silva off a leading edge, before Zaheer sent back Jayasuriya lbw with a delivery that cut into the left-hander. The decision was shrouded in doubt as it appeared as if he was struck high on the pads.
Tillakaratne Dilshan joined Jayasuriya with the score on 11 for 4 but looked scratchy early on, failing to make contact with his pulls. His frustration showed as he swished the air with his bat. He eventually connected against a short ball from Irfan Pathan but was caught by Badrinath who ran in from deep midwicket and dived forward to take a low catch, leaving Sri Lanka in an even bigger mess at 44 for 6.
An unlikely revival came courtesy the pair of Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara. Once the ball had gotten softer, run-scoring became easier. Thushara was the more adventurous of the pair, freeing his arms when offered width and brought up the fifty stand with a slash down to third man off Harbhajan Singh.
Just when it looked like India were letting them off the hook, Praveen returned for a new spell and broke the 74-run stand. Thushara tried to heave him across the line but didn't get the elevation to clear Kohli at deep midwicket and three balls later, Kulasekara chipped the same bowler to Badrinath at midwicket. Harbhajan mopped up the tail to with 11 overs to spare, giving India the ideal opportunity to stay alive in the series.
India were left to bat out a nervous five overs before lunch but the experimental opening pair of Pathan and Virat Kohli - India's 12th combination since January 2007 - failed to click. Sangakkara snaffled a sharp catch to his left to dismiss Pathan off Kulasekara and Raina followed soon after, trapped lbw to the same bowler.
Kohli was solid in defence and safely negotiated the several bouncers dished out to him, before fetching boundaries through the off side off Kulasekara. Yuvraj Singh found his groove with crisply-driven fours off Thushara, but not surprisingly, continued to be a sitting duck against Mendis, falling prey to the carrom ball. Kohli took his chances against Mendis, heaving him over midwicket but eventually fell to Thushara, punching one straight to short extra cover. Rohit Sharma was sent packing two balls later and Sri Lanka were back in the match.
It was an opportunity for Badrinath to impress after being on the fringes of national selection for a while and he didn't disappoint, negating the spinners by coming forward and smothering the turn while rotating the strike. The singles and twos never dried up - Dhoni in fact started scoring at over a run-a-ball - as India steadily edged ahead. Muralitharan bowled round the wicket, but the pair used their wrists well to work the ball in the vacant areas on the leg side.
India suffered a late hiccup with eight needed as Dhoni played all over a full delivery from Dilhara Fernando, before Mendis returned for one final scalp. Though India registered a comeback win, it did nothing to allay the blaring frailties in the batting line-up devoid of senior players.
The contrast, however, was the manner in which victory was achieved. While Sri Lanka coasted home in the first ODI, India lost early wickets, grafted, lost few more, recovered, and later limped to the target. Mahendra Singh Dhoni kept a cool head and debutant S Badrinath showed maturity in supporting his captain when he came in with 68 needed.
India's batting in the first match forced a change of strategy, but the paucity of specialist openers and the fact that India were playing four medium-pacers forced Dhoni to "bowl out of compulsion" despite a pitch that appeared good for batting by his assessment. His decision in the end proved a masterstroke.
Zaheer's deliveries moved, sliced the batsmen in half, made run-scoring an arduous task and India's body language perked up with each wicket, reflecting their hunger to turn the tables after an embarrassing drubbing.
In his first over, Zaheer produced an inswinger to Kumar Sangakkara which clipped the top of off stump after the batsman played around the line of the ball. Mahela Jayawardene and Chamara Kapugedera both fell to edges behind the wicket off deliveries that landed on off stump and seamed away. Praveen proved a good foil for Zaheer maintaining pressure with the new ball, moving it in the air and cramping Sanath Jayasuriya. He dismissed Chamara Silva off a leading edge, before Zaheer sent back Jayasuriya lbw with a delivery that cut into the left-hander. The decision was shrouded in doubt as it appeared as if he was struck high on the pads.
Tillakaratne Dilshan joined Jayasuriya with the score on 11 for 4 but looked scratchy early on, failing to make contact with his pulls. His frustration showed as he swished the air with his bat. He eventually connected against a short ball from Irfan Pathan but was caught by Badrinath who ran in from deep midwicket and dived forward to take a low catch, leaving Sri Lanka in an even bigger mess at 44 for 6.
An unlikely revival came courtesy the pair of Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara. Once the ball had gotten softer, run-scoring became easier. Thushara was the more adventurous of the pair, freeing his arms when offered width and brought up the fifty stand with a slash down to third man off Harbhajan Singh.
Just when it looked like India were letting them off the hook, Praveen returned for a new spell and broke the 74-run stand. Thushara tried to heave him across the line but didn't get the elevation to clear Kohli at deep midwicket and three balls later, Kulasekara chipped the same bowler to Badrinath at midwicket. Harbhajan mopped up the tail to with 11 overs to spare, giving India the ideal opportunity to stay alive in the series.
India were left to bat out a nervous five overs before lunch but the experimental opening pair of Pathan and Virat Kohli - India's 12th combination since January 2007 - failed to click. Sangakkara snaffled a sharp catch to his left to dismiss Pathan off Kulasekara and Raina followed soon after, trapped lbw to the same bowler.
Kohli was solid in defence and safely negotiated the several bouncers dished out to him, before fetching boundaries through the off side off Kulasekara. Yuvraj Singh found his groove with crisply-driven fours off Thushara, but not surprisingly, continued to be a sitting duck against Mendis, falling prey to the carrom ball. Kohli took his chances against Mendis, heaving him over midwicket but eventually fell to Thushara, punching one straight to short extra cover. Rohit Sharma was sent packing two balls later and Sri Lanka were back in the match.
It was an opportunity for Badrinath to impress after being on the fringes of national selection for a while and he didn't disappoint, negating the spinners by coming forward and smothering the turn while rotating the strike. The singles and twos never dried up - Dhoni in fact started scoring at over a run-a-ball - as India steadily edged ahead. Muralitharan bowled round the wicket, but the pair used their wrists well to work the ball in the vacant areas on the leg side.
India suffered a late hiccup with eight needed as Dhoni played all over a full delivery from Dilhara Fernando, before Mendis returned for one final scalp. Though India registered a comeback win, it did nothing to allay the blaring frailties in the batting line-up devoid of senior players.
Monday, August 18, 2008
India Loses 1st ODI
The actors were different from the Test series but the script remained the same. India were injected with fresh blood but couldn't escape the slow poison of M&M. Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekara did the initial work before Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan blew away the rest to bowl out India for 146. Without having to contend with the pressure of a high asking rate, a serene Mahela Jayawardene weathered the minor hiccup of the loss of the openers and steered his side home in the company of Chamara Kapugedera.
You couldn't escape the sense of deja-vu. Having lost the toss, Jayawardene delayed the introduction of the spinners till the 20th over, but when Mendis finally appeared, it was evident his spell over the batsmen remained unbroken.
India's plight was best exemplified by the dismissal of Yuvraj Singh. He had struggled against the seamers, surviving a dropped chance at five against Kulasekara, before Mendis swallowed him in a spectacular first over. It was quite a sight. The first ball hastened past a mystified Yuvraj, the second-ball skidder fetched a plausible appeal for lbw, and the third saw a desperate counterattack clear the field and the boundary. The fourth was the carrom ball; thinking it would spin away, Yuvraj pushed his bat well outside the line but the ball straightened to sound the death knell.
And Mendis dealt the killer blow almost immediately when he drew Mahendra Singh Dhoni into edging his legbreak to slip. The tailenders resisted briefly but India folded up for a measly score. It was the culmination of the good start provided by the seamers. Aided by the seam movement on a two-paced track - grassy areas punctuated by patches of dry areas - both new-ball bowlers kept it simple: Vaas interspersed his angling full-length deliveries with ones that straightened while Kulasekara troubled the batsmen with his incutters to the right-hand batsmen.
Vaas, overshadowed by Mendis and Murali during the Test series, reminded India just why he is the highest wicket-taker in India-Sri Lanka ODI encounters by breaching the defences of the in-form Gautam Gambhir with the second ball of the match. Kumar Sangakkara stood up to the stumps right away to prevent Gambhir's usual walk down the track and Gambhir drove completely outside the line.
One by one, they stumbled. Suresh Raina never looked in, constantly flirting outside off, eventually succumbing to his urge to drive on the up. The debutant Virat Kohli, replacing Virender Sehwag who'd twisted his ankle in practice, was no better. He was unsure of whether to go forward or back during his stay and was caught dead in front by an incutter from Kulasekara.
Kulasekara should have got the next man, Yuvraj but Jayawardene fluffed a regulation chance at second slip. Yuvraj's start was typical: the bat was tentatively pushed away from the body a few times before he broke free with a well-timed clip through the on side. Emboldened, he went for the on-the-up flash and the resultant edge should have terminated his stay. After that, though he never looked completely at ease, he started to play close to the body. That was until Mendis arrived.
Rohit started cautiously, opening the bat face to pinch singles, before he suddenly, and against the run of play, walked down the wicket and swung a short-of-a-length delivery from Vaas over deep midwicket in the 16th over. However, immediately after Mendis sent Yuvraj packing, Rohit steered a delivery slanted across him straight to the solitary wide slip and India continued to free fall.
Sri Lanka, too, wobbled initially in the run chase against some disciplined bowling from Munaf Patel - who prised out the openers - and Zaheer Khan. On a day when the Indian batsmen were shamed, their bowlers provided brief moments of consolation. After six overs of stalemate, Sanath Jayasuriya lost his patience. He skipped down the track but skied the lofted carve to mid-on. Sangakkara, too, fell to the urge to dominate, getting a leading edge from an attempted whip across the line.
However, Jayawardene took charge, looking good from the go. He creamed the seamers through the covers, a gorgeous on-the-up off drive off Munaf in the 17th over being the highlight. Dhoni introduced spin in the 23rd over but even he would have known that neither Harbhajan Singh nor Pragyan Ojha could have produced any miracles. The target was simply not enough on this track.
Munaf was the best Indian bowler on the view. He repeatedly whipped the ball down from a loose-limbed action and got the ball to either cut back in or shape away from the off stump. He might have even bowled the best ball of the day by a medium-pacer when he got one to seam away late past Jayawardene's bat but, as in the Tests, the Indian batsmen hardly gave the bowlers any cover to fire. The Sri Lankan summer of mystery continues to taunt and tease the Indians.
You couldn't escape the sense of deja-vu. Having lost the toss, Jayawardene delayed the introduction of the spinners till the 20th over, but when Mendis finally appeared, it was evident his spell over the batsmen remained unbroken.
India's plight was best exemplified by the dismissal of Yuvraj Singh. He had struggled against the seamers, surviving a dropped chance at five against Kulasekara, before Mendis swallowed him in a spectacular first over. It was quite a sight. The first ball hastened past a mystified Yuvraj, the second-ball skidder fetched a plausible appeal for lbw, and the third saw a desperate counterattack clear the field and the boundary. The fourth was the carrom ball; thinking it would spin away, Yuvraj pushed his bat well outside the line but the ball straightened to sound the death knell.
And Mendis dealt the killer blow almost immediately when he drew Mahendra Singh Dhoni into edging his legbreak to slip. The tailenders resisted briefly but India folded up for a measly score. It was the culmination of the good start provided by the seamers. Aided by the seam movement on a two-paced track - grassy areas punctuated by patches of dry areas - both new-ball bowlers kept it simple: Vaas interspersed his angling full-length deliveries with ones that straightened while Kulasekara troubled the batsmen with his incutters to the right-hand batsmen.
Vaas, overshadowed by Mendis and Murali during the Test series, reminded India just why he is the highest wicket-taker in India-Sri Lanka ODI encounters by breaching the defences of the in-form Gautam Gambhir with the second ball of the match. Kumar Sangakkara stood up to the stumps right away to prevent Gambhir's usual walk down the track and Gambhir drove completely outside the line.
One by one, they stumbled. Suresh Raina never looked in, constantly flirting outside off, eventually succumbing to his urge to drive on the up. The debutant Virat Kohli, replacing Virender Sehwag who'd twisted his ankle in practice, was no better. He was unsure of whether to go forward or back during his stay and was caught dead in front by an incutter from Kulasekara.
Kulasekara should have got the next man, Yuvraj but Jayawardene fluffed a regulation chance at second slip. Yuvraj's start was typical: the bat was tentatively pushed away from the body a few times before he broke free with a well-timed clip through the on side. Emboldened, he went for the on-the-up flash and the resultant edge should have terminated his stay. After that, though he never looked completely at ease, he started to play close to the body. That was until Mendis arrived.
Rohit started cautiously, opening the bat face to pinch singles, before he suddenly, and against the run of play, walked down the wicket and swung a short-of-a-length delivery from Vaas over deep midwicket in the 16th over. However, immediately after Mendis sent Yuvraj packing, Rohit steered a delivery slanted across him straight to the solitary wide slip and India continued to free fall.
Sri Lanka, too, wobbled initially in the run chase against some disciplined bowling from Munaf Patel - who prised out the openers - and Zaheer Khan. On a day when the Indian batsmen were shamed, their bowlers provided brief moments of consolation. After six overs of stalemate, Sanath Jayasuriya lost his patience. He skipped down the track but skied the lofted carve to mid-on. Sangakkara, too, fell to the urge to dominate, getting a leading edge from an attempted whip across the line.
However, Jayawardene took charge, looking good from the go. He creamed the seamers through the covers, a gorgeous on-the-up off drive off Munaf in the 17th over being the highlight. Dhoni introduced spin in the 23rd over but even he would have known that neither Harbhajan Singh nor Pragyan Ojha could have produced any miracles. The target was simply not enough on this track.
Munaf was the best Indian bowler on the view. He repeatedly whipped the ball down from a loose-limbed action and got the ball to either cut back in or shape away from the off stump. He might have even bowled the best ball of the day by a medium-pacer when he got one to seam away late past Jayawardene's bat but, as in the Tests, the Indian batsmen hardly gave the bowlers any cover to fire. The Sri Lankan summer of mystery continues to taunt and tease the Indians.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
India win Versus Sri Lankan XI
Powered by Yuvraj Singh's brutal century, the Indians cruised to a pre-ODI series 92-run win against a Sri Lankan XI at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo. Yuvraj hit 13 sixes in a 121-ball 172, taking the Indians to 342 for 5, and in reply the opposition - comprising ten internationals - produced a sloppy chase, managing 250 in their 50 overs. It was a good way for the Indians to celebrate the 61st anniversary of their country's independence.
The last time Yuvraj had scored a hundred in a limited-overs game had been on October 5 2007, against Australia. He dismissed that drought, albeit against a weaker attack, with a two-paced innings that lifted the Indians to a massive total. Yuvraj came in at No. 4 in the 13th over and struggled initially, often going hard at the ball, which resulted in mistimed drives and dragged cuts. An otherwise erratic Dilhara Fernando - his no-ball problem continued and he bowled too short - beat Yuvraj repeatedly off the upright seam, forcing him to hold back on his expansive strokeplay for a while.
But with Suresh Raina in good nick, the singles came easily. Raina broke free from a tense start by backing away and slamming Fernando over cover for four. He also had his share of mistimed shots, but came back well to blast a big six over midwicket off Jehan Mubarak. Like Gautam Gambhir, he too fell while trying an aggressive shot too many, giving Malinga Bandara his first wicket.
In the mean time, Yuvraj had settled in. Crucially, he was confident against spin - he hit Malinda Warnapura for a six in his solitary over - and his flicks across the line were all power and precision. He stood tall to punch the shorter deliveries through the in-field and his bent-knee while driving down the ground was pleasing.
Yuvraj blasted sixes off the first two balls of Thilan Thushara's comeback over, the 36th, moving past fifty with the first. A whip over mid-on followed, and Yuvraj then trained his ire towards Bandara, striking his fourth six. His century came off 95 balls, after which he decided to have some fun. In 16 balls, he raced past 150, pasting Mubarak for three more sixes and a four in his final over and hitting his ninth and tenth sixes, both effortless swings over long-on, off a beleaguered Chanaka Welegedara.
Yuvraj's final six was the pick of the lot, a stunning shot over long-off which nearly took out the press cordon. His 13 sixes were the second-most for a 50-overs innings in this decade, after Namibia's Gary Snyman, who hit 17 during his 196 against UAE last November.
Yuvraj's partners went unnoticed during his blitz, but they played their part in India putting up a mammoth total. Rohit Sharma scored a 42-ball 24 in an 85-run fourth-wicket stand, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni's contribution to a 99-run stand, which came in just 6.4 overs, was a mere 16.
In reply, Upul Tharanga gave his team as robust a start as the Indians had got. He threw the bat at anything marginally over-pitched and wide, tucking into some indifferent new-ball bowling from Munaf Patel and RP Singh. While the two bowlers produced three good lbw shouts in consecutive overs they also gave too much width; Tharanga cashed in with an upper cut over third man and into the ivy-covered scorecard.
But the aggression was short-lived. Through a mixture of edges, top-edges and poor footwork it all started to go downhill. Mahela Udawatte had a fortuitous top-edge over point, followed it up with a perfectly-placed cut for four, only to then spoon a catch to mid-off. Warnapura fell to a very good catch from Gambhir at first slip, taken diving to his left. In the next over, after going past an electrifying half-century, Tharanga tried to pull RP but top-edged to the wicketkeeper, leaving the required rate at just under eight. In fewer than five overs the Sri Lankan XI had combusted.
Harbhajan Singh's introduction tightened the Indians' grip. His accurate offspin, backed by balanced and energetic field placing, kept runs at a minimum. A trigger-happy Chamara Kapugedera tried to sweep him out of the park but found deep midwicket instead. With the asking rate burgeoning to nearly ten an over, the sprightly Chamara Silva cut and swept Pragyan Ojha's left-arm spin for boundaries. After 32 overs the Sri Lankan XI needed 191, and Ojha came back well to force a faint nick from Silva to Dhoni for 38. Mubarak remained in the hunt for a place in the national team with 60 from 74 balls but when he departed the side needed 118 from 15 balls, and the result was never in doubt.
India and Sri Lanka meet in Dambulla for the first ODI on August 18.
The last time Yuvraj had scored a hundred in a limited-overs game had been on October 5 2007, against Australia. He dismissed that drought, albeit against a weaker attack, with a two-paced innings that lifted the Indians to a massive total. Yuvraj came in at No. 4 in the 13th over and struggled initially, often going hard at the ball, which resulted in mistimed drives and dragged cuts. An otherwise erratic Dilhara Fernando - his no-ball problem continued and he bowled too short - beat Yuvraj repeatedly off the upright seam, forcing him to hold back on his expansive strokeplay for a while.
But with Suresh Raina in good nick, the singles came easily. Raina broke free from a tense start by backing away and slamming Fernando over cover for four. He also had his share of mistimed shots, but came back well to blast a big six over midwicket off Jehan Mubarak. Like Gautam Gambhir, he too fell while trying an aggressive shot too many, giving Malinga Bandara his first wicket.
In the mean time, Yuvraj had settled in. Crucially, he was confident against spin - he hit Malinda Warnapura for a six in his solitary over - and his flicks across the line were all power and precision. He stood tall to punch the shorter deliveries through the in-field and his bent-knee while driving down the ground was pleasing.
Yuvraj blasted sixes off the first two balls of Thilan Thushara's comeback over, the 36th, moving past fifty with the first. A whip over mid-on followed, and Yuvraj then trained his ire towards Bandara, striking his fourth six. His century came off 95 balls, after which he decided to have some fun. In 16 balls, he raced past 150, pasting Mubarak for three more sixes and a four in his final over and hitting his ninth and tenth sixes, both effortless swings over long-on, off a beleaguered Chanaka Welegedara.
Yuvraj's final six was the pick of the lot, a stunning shot over long-off which nearly took out the press cordon. His 13 sixes were the second-most for a 50-overs innings in this decade, after Namibia's Gary Snyman, who hit 17 during his 196 against UAE last November.
Yuvraj's partners went unnoticed during his blitz, but they played their part in India putting up a mammoth total. Rohit Sharma scored a 42-ball 24 in an 85-run fourth-wicket stand, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni's contribution to a 99-run stand, which came in just 6.4 overs, was a mere 16.
In reply, Upul Tharanga gave his team as robust a start as the Indians had got. He threw the bat at anything marginally over-pitched and wide, tucking into some indifferent new-ball bowling from Munaf Patel and RP Singh. While the two bowlers produced three good lbw shouts in consecutive overs they also gave too much width; Tharanga cashed in with an upper cut over third man and into the ivy-covered scorecard.
But the aggression was short-lived. Through a mixture of edges, top-edges and poor footwork it all started to go downhill. Mahela Udawatte had a fortuitous top-edge over point, followed it up with a perfectly-placed cut for four, only to then spoon a catch to mid-off. Warnapura fell to a very good catch from Gambhir at first slip, taken diving to his left. In the next over, after going past an electrifying half-century, Tharanga tried to pull RP but top-edged to the wicketkeeper, leaving the required rate at just under eight. In fewer than five overs the Sri Lankan XI had combusted.
Harbhajan Singh's introduction tightened the Indians' grip. His accurate offspin, backed by balanced and energetic field placing, kept runs at a minimum. A trigger-happy Chamara Kapugedera tried to sweep him out of the park but found deep midwicket instead. With the asking rate burgeoning to nearly ten an over, the sprightly Chamara Silva cut and swept Pragyan Ojha's left-arm spin for boundaries. After 32 overs the Sri Lankan XI needed 191, and Ojha came back well to force a faint nick from Silva to Dhoni for 38. Mubarak remained in the hunt for a place in the national team with 60 from 74 balls but when he departed the side needed 118 from 15 balls, and the result was never in doubt.
India and Sri Lanka meet in Dambulla for the first ODI on August 18.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Fab Four Performance in Decline
Is this the end of the old order? The defeat in Sri Lanka has put a question mark over the future of the Fabulous Four that has ruled Indian cricket for over a decade. Barring a couple of gritty efforts from Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, which did not prove enough in the end, there was nothing much to be impressed about. The question that is being asked now is, would the new boys have done worse?
"This series has proved that some of them are actually in the twilight of their Test careers as well...It's probably time for them to do some serious soul searching," former India captain K Srikkanth told the TOI on Tuesday.
Not just the players themselves, probably the selectors too will take a closer look at the performances. But then, there are a couple of important One-day tournaments before the next Test series against Australia. Even Lalchand Rajput, who was the coach of the youthful Indian team that won the T20 World Cup last year, feels that with the Tests against Australia looming, it would be unwise to drop the seniors at one go.
"Getting a whole new bunch before a Test series against Australia can have disastrous consequences. Instead of dropping all four straightaway, the selectors should slowly phase some of them out," Rajput said. He feels it is important for players like Rohit Sharma and S Badrinath to play alongside these seniors for some time in Test cricket, so that they mature well before taking over the mantle.
Former India opener WV Raman, too, echoed Rajput, but he doesn't want the public to over-react to one defeat. "The same players were winning you Test matches even against South Africa a few months back...We should still be patient before taking a final call on the careers of such great players," Raman reasoned.
But all three agreed that in the middle of all this gloom regarding the future of Fab Four, the one positive that has emerged from this series is the batting of Virender Sehwag. "He has always been a matchwinner for India...The most pleasing aspect in this series was the way he was ready to take responsibility," Srikkanth said.
He feels Sehwag has never been given the respect that he deserves, but "from now on, his head won't always be on the chopping blocks". Rajput, though, doesn't intend to put too much pressure on Sehwag by asking him to play Tendulkar's role.
"Don't expect him to be the fulcrum of the Indian batting...Sehwag plays the best when you don't ask too much from him and let him be himself," Rajput said.
"This series has proved that some of them are actually in the twilight of their Test careers as well...It's probably time for them to do some serious soul searching," former India captain K Srikkanth told the TOI on Tuesday.
Not just the players themselves, probably the selectors too will take a closer look at the performances. But then, there are a couple of important One-day tournaments before the next Test series against Australia. Even Lalchand Rajput, who was the coach of the youthful Indian team that won the T20 World Cup last year, feels that with the Tests against Australia looming, it would be unwise to drop the seniors at one go.
"Getting a whole new bunch before a Test series against Australia can have disastrous consequences. Instead of dropping all four straightaway, the selectors should slowly phase some of them out," Rajput said. He feels it is important for players like Rohit Sharma and S Badrinath to play alongside these seniors for some time in Test cricket, so that they mature well before taking over the mantle.
Former India opener WV Raman, too, echoed Rajput, but he doesn't want the public to over-react to one defeat. "The same players were winning you Test matches even against South Africa a few months back...We should still be patient before taking a final call on the careers of such great players," Raman reasoned.
But all three agreed that in the middle of all this gloom regarding the future of Fab Four, the one positive that has emerged from this series is the batting of Virender Sehwag. "He has always been a matchwinner for India...The most pleasing aspect in this series was the way he was ready to take responsibility," Srikkanth said.
He feels Sehwag has never been given the respect that he deserves, but "from now on, his head won't always be on the chopping blocks". Rajput, though, doesn't intend to put too much pressure on Sehwag by asking him to play Tendulkar's role.
"Don't expect him to be the fulcrum of the Indian batting...Sehwag plays the best when you don't ask too much from him and let him be himself," Rajput said.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Comprehensive Series Win for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka made their way to a comprehensive series win, their first over India since 2001. On what turned out to be the final day of the series, Sri Lanka did not attack overtly, and kept their composure at crucial junctures - when Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman had a long partnership, and also when India struck with two early wickets after Sri Lanka came out in pursuit of 122.
A bowler short, a batsman limping, the No. 11 in no shape to bat, and only 14 runs ahead with half the team gone, India started the day as no-hopers, but they managed to give Sri Lanka a few nervous moments. Dravid and Laxman - who was nursing an ankle injury - provided resistance for about 90 minutes. Harbhajan Singh played a cameo to take the lead beyond 100, and then took a wicket in his first over.
Sri Lanka seemed in no hurry. They waited patiently, bowled in the right areas, and got the last five Indian wickets without much damage. It was Ajantha Mendis who broke the resistance, dismissing Dravid half an hour before lunch. And when Harbhajan, who hit five boundaries in his 26, looked to take India towards a sizeable lead, Chaminda Vaas, that epitome of discipline, struck in the first over he bowled after his three with the first new ball.
When India struck early, reducing them to 22 for 2, Sri Lanka didn't look to hit out, and waited instead for Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan to tire. Harbhajan, who opened the bowling in Ishant Sharma's absence, bowled Michael Vandort with an arm-ball; and Zaheer got Kumar Sangakkara soon after on the check-drive. Malinda Warnapura and Mahela Jayawardene weathered the storm, survived lbw shouts, and were content to add only 23 in 10.3 overs before tea.
The two went on to frustrate the Indian bowlers after tea, too. They never looked harried, kept rotating the strike, and by the time the Indians had frustrated themselves into exhausting their reviews, started to have some fun with sweeps - both orthodox and reverse. Soon the only point of interest was whether Jayawardene would get to a half-century as Warnapura had done earlier. Jayawardene was 46 and Sri Lanka three short of the win when he square-cut Sourav Ganguly for a four to end the match.
That India had a semblance of a chance when they began bowling was thanks to the partnership between Laxman and Dravid. Coming out of their bad patches, they took the first steps towards what briefly seemed to be an incredible comeback, before they were stopped. Nonetheless it was the best partnership between two of the Fab Four in this series. The two looked comfortable reading the spinners, nudging and flicking for singles at ease, and rotating the strike, capitalising on the fields set. Laxman, who had Gautam Gambhir running for him, was visibly in pain, limping away to square leg when he got singles.
Dravid and Laxman lasted as long as they did thanks in no small measure to Sri Lanka's strategy: for much of the time, they didn't employ conspicuously attacking fields, and gave away singles for free as they tried to prevent boundaries. As a result, despite the time consumed, India's lead never reached threatening proportions.
The day started with Dravid closing in on his first half-century of the series, which he brought up with a punched boundary off Mendis. He then settled down again, looking determined as he played the most confident innings by an Indian middle-order batsman in the series. Laxman at the other end received plenty of favours from Sri Lanka. When he was on 35, he edged Muttiah Muralitharan, but there was no slip. The field at that time had no slip and no silly point, and had a short mid-on, a short midwicket, a short square leg, and a backward square leg. In Murali's next over, Laxman was dropped by Thilan Samaraweera at short mid-on. After he got to his second half-century of the series, he was dropped by Malinda Warnapura at forward short leg.
In between those drops and missed chances, he hit Dammika Prasad for two delightful boundaries, but those were about the only quick runs India got from Sri Lanka, who stuck to their plan of not letting India run away with the game, testing their patience and resolve, knowing the wicket-taking delivery would come.
Come it did, courtesy Mendis, who, bowling from round the stumps, drew Dravid forward and got the ball to move enough to take the edge. Then Murali, who had started from over the stumps, came back round, and got Kumble lbw with an accurate offbreak. Mendis ended with 26 wickets, the best for a debutant in a three-match series, and Murali with 21.
Sri Lanka have now won 13 of their last 16 series at home, and have not lost to India at home since 1993. The way Mendis and Murali bowled through the series bodes well for the continuation of Sri Lanka's near-invincibility at home. It could signal the beginning of the end for the most feared middle order in world cricket.
A bowler short, a batsman limping, the No. 11 in no shape to bat, and only 14 runs ahead with half the team gone, India started the day as no-hopers, but they managed to give Sri Lanka a few nervous moments. Dravid and Laxman - who was nursing an ankle injury - provided resistance for about 90 minutes. Harbhajan Singh played a cameo to take the lead beyond 100, and then took a wicket in his first over.
Sri Lanka seemed in no hurry. They waited patiently, bowled in the right areas, and got the last five Indian wickets without much damage. It was Ajantha Mendis who broke the resistance, dismissing Dravid half an hour before lunch. And when Harbhajan, who hit five boundaries in his 26, looked to take India towards a sizeable lead, Chaminda Vaas, that epitome of discipline, struck in the first over he bowled after his three with the first new ball.
When India struck early, reducing them to 22 for 2, Sri Lanka didn't look to hit out, and waited instead for Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan to tire. Harbhajan, who opened the bowling in Ishant Sharma's absence, bowled Michael Vandort with an arm-ball; and Zaheer got Kumar Sangakkara soon after on the check-drive. Malinda Warnapura and Mahela Jayawardene weathered the storm, survived lbw shouts, and were content to add only 23 in 10.3 overs before tea.
The two went on to frustrate the Indian bowlers after tea, too. They never looked harried, kept rotating the strike, and by the time the Indians had frustrated themselves into exhausting their reviews, started to have some fun with sweeps - both orthodox and reverse. Soon the only point of interest was whether Jayawardene would get to a half-century as Warnapura had done earlier. Jayawardene was 46 and Sri Lanka three short of the win when he square-cut Sourav Ganguly for a four to end the match.
That India had a semblance of a chance when they began bowling was thanks to the partnership between Laxman and Dravid. Coming out of their bad patches, they took the first steps towards what briefly seemed to be an incredible comeback, before they were stopped. Nonetheless it was the best partnership between two of the Fab Four in this series. The two looked comfortable reading the spinners, nudging and flicking for singles at ease, and rotating the strike, capitalising on the fields set. Laxman, who had Gautam Gambhir running for him, was visibly in pain, limping away to square leg when he got singles.
Dravid and Laxman lasted as long as they did thanks in no small measure to Sri Lanka's strategy: for much of the time, they didn't employ conspicuously attacking fields, and gave away singles for free as they tried to prevent boundaries. As a result, despite the time consumed, India's lead never reached threatening proportions.
The day started with Dravid closing in on his first half-century of the series, which he brought up with a punched boundary off Mendis. He then settled down again, looking determined as he played the most confident innings by an Indian middle-order batsman in the series. Laxman at the other end received plenty of favours from Sri Lanka. When he was on 35, he edged Muttiah Muralitharan, but there was no slip. The field at that time had no slip and no silly point, and had a short mid-on, a short midwicket, a short square leg, and a backward square leg. In Murali's next over, Laxman was dropped by Thilan Samaraweera at short mid-on. After he got to his second half-century of the series, he was dropped by Malinda Warnapura at forward short leg.
In between those drops and missed chances, he hit Dammika Prasad for two delightful boundaries, but those were about the only quick runs India got from Sri Lanka, who stuck to their plan of not letting India run away with the game, testing their patience and resolve, knowing the wicket-taking delivery would come.
Come it did, courtesy Mendis, who, bowling from round the stumps, drew Dravid forward and got the ball to move enough to take the edge. Then Murali, who had started from over the stumps, came back round, and got Kumble lbw with an accurate offbreak. Mendis ended with 26 wickets, the best for a debutant in a three-match series, and Murali with 21.
Sri Lanka have now won 13 of their last 16 series at home, and have not lost to India at home since 1993. The way Mendis and Murali bowled through the series bodes well for the continuation of Sri Lanka's near-invincibility at home. It could signal the beginning of the end for the most feared middle order in world cricket.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Sri Lanka in Control — 3rd Test
For 40 minutes before tea India sparkled, but Sri Lanka hit back hard, kept gnawing away, and by stumps had closed in on maintaining their unbeaten home Test series record against India since 1993.
Kumar Sangakkara and the Sri Lankan lower order frustrated India and made them look a sorry bunch for the best part of two sessions, and Dammika Prasad again provided the crucial breakthroughs before the spinners took charge. Ajantha Mendis dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for the first time - his 25th wicket in Tests, making his the best debut in a three-match series.
The two spells of Sri Lankan dominance sandwiched a brisk start by Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, but the Indian openers played two shots too many. The Fab Four, two of them walking wounded, couldn't come up with resistance enough, bar Rahul Dravid, who struggled and fought his way to his highest score of the series, 46.
After India had fallen behind by 147, Sehwag and Gambhir reacted to the situation the only way they knew, by attacking. There were boundaries in each of the nine overs before tea. Prasad was hit for a first-ball four, as he had been in the first innings. Before many noticed, Sehwag and Gambhir had brought up their fourth half-century partnership in a row. When Gambhir cut Muttiah Muralitharan for a single in the last over before tea, he reached 1000 Test runs.
Like he had in the first innings, Prasad struck, dismissing the two in successive overs. The wickets were more fortuitous this time: Sehwag cut straight to gully, and Gambhir played a pull shot on. Enter Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, looking determined to play the day out, giving Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, who were both injured, some time to recover.
Dravid and Ganguly managed to put on the longest partnership by any two members of India's big four in the series, but they never got Mendis and Murali out of their faces. It sometimes seemed the two were just delaying the inevitable. Dravid looked more comfortable than he had in the series till then, but he was almost bowled twice, by classical offbreaks from the two spinners - both times he was saved by an inside edge. Ganguly narrowly escaped a stumping, and finally fell while sweeping a Murali doosra.
In came Parthiv Patel, and three balls later, out he went, forcing the injured Tendulkar out into the middle. Tendulkar, his left elbow bandaged, seemed to have made his mind up to not play at most deliveries. Murali thrice came close to getting him lbw, but it was Mendis who finally got him, with a googly Tendulkar did not pick. Not only did an injured Tendulkar never really look comfortable, for the first time in the series, he looked helpless.
It was an interesting comparison: did India look more abject in the final session or the first two, when they were run ragged by Kumar Sangakkara's rediscovered appetite for big runs, and lower-order partnerships? Early in the day they were short on manpower (Ishant Sharma didn't take the field today), and exhausted by the effort of keeping the game in the balance yesterday. Sri Lanka's batsmen made sure they capitalised, and even after Sangakkara was dismissed shortly before lunch, Prasanna Jayawardene and Prasad frustrated the tired Indians. The last three took the lead from 75 to 147.
The spinners persisted in letting Sangakkara take easy singles, but India were slow, both mentally and physically, as they also repeatedly allowed Sangakkara to retain the strike by either not bringing the field up at the end of overs or simply by misfielding.
Sangakkara enjoys it when he has a team down: 11 of his 17 centuries have been scores of more than 150; the lowest he has been dismissed for after having made a century is 128. Today he continued in much the same vein as he had played yesterday, but as if he had started a new innings. The expansive strokeplay was not on offer, as the fields were deep and the bowling defensive. But he didn't miss a single opportunity to convert half-runs.
As the lead passed 50, Sangakkara started to take a few more liberties with the bowling, manufacturing a shot or two. But after seven hours and seven minutes of exceptional batting in the heat of Colombo, he misread the spin on an Anil Kumble delivery, got a thin edge, and walked off. He fell short of what would have been a 12th 150, but his disappointment suggested he had been eyeing a seventh double.
The Sri Lankan tail had some fun after that. The first ball Prasad faced in Test cricket, he sent to the third-man boundary - revenge, perhaps, for being hit for four by Gambhir off the first ball he bowled. The next ball, the first of a Zaheer Khan over, was pulled away through square leg for four by Prasanna, who also came up with an exquisite cover-drive in the same over. Their partnership finally ended at 43, as Prasanna fell one short of a half-century, but that didn't spell relief for India. Mendis and Prasad stuck around for eight overs, surviving bouncers, looking ungainly, and yet managing outrageous boundaries. Mendis was the last man out, but not before he had taken his career runs to within four of his wickets tally.
That wickets tally swelled in the final session by two, and in a testing ten-over spell before stumps it seemed he would take more. But Laxman, nursing an injured left ankle, and Dravid, fighting to keep his reputation intact, saw India through to stumps.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Good Start by England Bowlers
Steve Harmison and James Anderson inspired England with five wickets between them, as South Africa were dismissed for a disappointing 194 on the opening day at The Oval. With the series already tied up, there was a concern South Africa's focus might have swayed for this, the final Test, and so it appeared. But for a bold 39 from AB de Villiers, and 46 from an exhausted Graeme Smith, South Africa were a team hungover from their Edgbaston glory against a revitalised England under new leadership.
After rattling through South Africa, all Kevin Pietersen needed to cap an impressive first day's captaincy was a solid performance by his openers. He nearly got it, but for the loss of Andrew Strauss. During his comeback against New Zealand earlier in the year, he was patience personified. But South Africa have persisted on and around his off stump and repeatedly had him fishing meekly and edging into the slips. It happened again today as Makhaya Ntini angled one across him, leaving Alastair Cook and Ian Bell — promoted to No. 3 for the immediate future — to steady England.
Whether inspired by South Africa's complacency, or energised by the new Pietersen-led regime, England's bowlers were aggressive and menacing for the most part. Yet, in the morning session, they were left frustrated by a stodgy Smith and their own poor fielding. Indeed Smith should have been held off Harmison to the very first ball of the match, but it flew through Alastair Cook's hands at gully. Admittedly, he was a little close, but it was the first of three misses from Cook during a disappointing first session by England.
All changed after lunch. Hashim Amla took full toll of Stuart Broad's continued waywardness. Three fours were crashed through the covers, off front and back foot, as Broad's loopy half-volleys offered little threat whatsoever. Smith's career average briefly crept over 50 during his innings, but so too did Broad's with the ball. At 103 for 1 South Africa were in control — until, that is, Harmison returned.
Smith survived a close shout for lbw against him but he couldn't resist hooking a well-directed bouncer straight to Anderson at fine-leg. It was the breakthrough England desperately needed and, the very next ball, Harmison cleaned up Amla with a 93mph yorker to rip out his middle stump. Harmison rarely dipped below 87mph throughout the day, and his line was immaculate to both left and right-hander. Jacques Kallis' miserable tour continued, beaten twice by two booming Anderson outswingers before the bowler foxed him with one that went the other way to bring up his 100th Test wicket. South Africa had lost 3 for 2 in eight deliveries and England were suddenly in control.
Flintoff struggled with his left boot — specifically, his big toenail — but this never prevented him bowling a consistent, deadly line and beating the bat time and again. Intriguingly, he became Pietersen's right-hand-man, too, the pair repeatedly discussing fielding positions while Flintoff appeared to be the bowlers' advisor in chief. Pietersen needs to form his own trusted council, and it remains to be seen which of the younger contingent — the likes of Bell and Cook — will be drafted into what Nasser Hussain once labelled the "management team". Pietersen's touchy-feely leadership style was also on rampant display, patting everyone on the back at every opportunity. His tenure will be judged on the success he brings the team — but it will not be dull viewing.
One of Flintoff's underlings, Anderson, continued to bend the ball at pace, and the pressurised position South Africa found themselves in told for Ashwell Prince who slapped him straight to Bell at point. An outswinger did for Mark Boucher as South Africa slipped to 132 for 6 and England had taken 5 for 29 in 10.3 exhilarating overs.
Broad's woes continued as de Villiers pummelled him for two creamy cover-driven fours; smacking him off the back foot before launching a four over the bowler's head. It was a blistering, counter-attacking innings against a young bowler whose confidence had utterly deserted him. Surprisingly, it was to Broad that Pietersen turned straight after tea, and the gamble — it can be called nothing less — paid off when Morne Morkel fended a lifter to Bell at short-leg. He was rewarded for his persistence with a second when Andre Nel edged him behind, but there is a great deal of work to be done to turn him into a world-class allrounder.
After Strauss's predictable demise, Cook and Bell put on 42 for the third wicket and never offered a chance. Bell looked in particularly elegant touch, and he will be only too aware of the need for a ton at his new No.3 position.
After rattling through South Africa, all Kevin Pietersen needed to cap an impressive first day's captaincy was a solid performance by his openers. He nearly got it, but for the loss of Andrew Strauss. During his comeback against New Zealand earlier in the year, he was patience personified. But South Africa have persisted on and around his off stump and repeatedly had him fishing meekly and edging into the slips. It happened again today as Makhaya Ntini angled one across him, leaving Alastair Cook and Ian Bell — promoted to No. 3 for the immediate future — to steady England.
Whether inspired by South Africa's complacency, or energised by the new Pietersen-led regime, England's bowlers were aggressive and menacing for the most part. Yet, in the morning session, they were left frustrated by a stodgy Smith and their own poor fielding. Indeed Smith should have been held off Harmison to the very first ball of the match, but it flew through Alastair Cook's hands at gully. Admittedly, he was a little close, but it was the first of three misses from Cook during a disappointing first session by England.
All changed after lunch. Hashim Amla took full toll of Stuart Broad's continued waywardness. Three fours were crashed through the covers, off front and back foot, as Broad's loopy half-volleys offered little threat whatsoever. Smith's career average briefly crept over 50 during his innings, but so too did Broad's with the ball. At 103 for 1 South Africa were in control — until, that is, Harmison returned.
Smith survived a close shout for lbw against him but he couldn't resist hooking a well-directed bouncer straight to Anderson at fine-leg. It was the breakthrough England desperately needed and, the very next ball, Harmison cleaned up Amla with a 93mph yorker to rip out his middle stump. Harmison rarely dipped below 87mph throughout the day, and his line was immaculate to both left and right-hander. Jacques Kallis' miserable tour continued, beaten twice by two booming Anderson outswingers before the bowler foxed him with one that went the other way to bring up his 100th Test wicket. South Africa had lost 3 for 2 in eight deliveries and England were suddenly in control.
Flintoff struggled with his left boot — specifically, his big toenail — but this never prevented him bowling a consistent, deadly line and beating the bat time and again. Intriguingly, he became Pietersen's right-hand-man, too, the pair repeatedly discussing fielding positions while Flintoff appeared to be the bowlers' advisor in chief. Pietersen needs to form his own trusted council, and it remains to be seen which of the younger contingent — the likes of Bell and Cook — will be drafted into what Nasser Hussain once labelled the "management team". Pietersen's touchy-feely leadership style was also on rampant display, patting everyone on the back at every opportunity. His tenure will be judged on the success he brings the team — but it will not be dull viewing.
One of Flintoff's underlings, Anderson, continued to bend the ball at pace, and the pressurised position South Africa found themselves in told for Ashwell Prince who slapped him straight to Bell at point. An outswinger did for Mark Boucher as South Africa slipped to 132 for 6 and England had taken 5 for 29 in 10.3 exhilarating overs.
Broad's woes continued as de Villiers pummelled him for two creamy cover-driven fours; smacking him off the back foot before launching a four over the bowler's head. It was a blistering, counter-attacking innings against a young bowler whose confidence had utterly deserted him. Surprisingly, it was to Broad that Pietersen turned straight after tea, and the gamble — it can be called nothing less — paid off when Morne Morkel fended a lifter to Bell at short-leg. He was rewarded for his persistence with a second when Andre Nel edged him behind, but there is a great deal of work to be done to turn him into a world-class allrounder.
After Strauss's predictable demise, Cook and Bell put on 42 for the third wicket and never offered a chance. Bell looked in particularly elegant touch, and he will be only too aware of the need for a ton at his new No.3 position.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Indian Team Selection on Thursday for ODI
Current form and fitness will be the key criteria for India's selectors when they meet in Mumbai on Thursday to pick the squads for the one-day series against Sri Lanka, which begins later this month, and September's Champions Trophy. The meeting will also discuss the return of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the one-day captain who pulled out of the Sri Lanka Test series, and Yuvraj Singh, who was left out.
Cricinfo learnt that the players under scrutiny include Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa. It's understood that indifferent form is the main reason why it could be touch-and-go for Irfan, who had also nursed an injury during the Asia Cup last month, and Uthappa, who has been a key figure in Dhoni's gameplan.
The selectors feel that Pathan's problem is his ineffective bowling on flat subcontinent pitches. He took only four wickets in three matches during the Kitply Cup in Bangladesh and, despite not being completely fit, played the Asia Cup in Pakistan where his three wickets cost 71 apiece. Pathan was subsequently omitted from the squad for the Sri Lanka Test series.
"Irfan is not being so influential and, in addition to his loss of pace, he is not even able to cut the ball and bowl well at death", one member of the selection panel said. It's a view which is shared by the other selectors too. If Irfan has any support it might come from Dhoni who has strong belief in the allrounder.
It's likely that Irfan will be competing against his brother Yusuf for a place in the squad. Yusuf made his ODI debut during the Kitply Cup and has played seven matches without a spectacular performance. His ability to score quickly and part-time offspin make him a direct competitor of Irfan.
Uthappa's case is equally weak, considering he's scored only one half-century in his last 20 innings. His loss is likely to work in favour of Suresh Raina, who was among the highest run-scorers in the Asia Cup. Raina made his comeback to the one-day squad for the CB Series in Australia but didn't play a game. He failed to make a significant score in the Kitply Cup but Dhoni's confidence in Raina paid off and he played a crucial part in India making the Asia Cup final.
The selectors are unlikely to make any drastic changes to the existing ODI squad unless forced to by injuries to players. It has also been learnt that Sreesanth's fitness report is not convincing and he continue his rehabilitation for a side strain.
Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan will also return to the squad. Tendulkar last ODI appearance was the CB Series final in Australia after which he played for the Mumbai Indians during the IPL before opting out of the Kitply and Asia Cups in order to recover from a groin injury. Zaheer, whose tour of Australia was cut short by a heel injury, has successfully recovered and is currently playing the Test series in Sri Lanka.
Considering the spinner-friendly pitches in Sri Lanka, the selectors are likely to consider Piyush Chawla as the third spinner in the squad in addition to Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha. However, Chawla is likely to miss out on Champions Trophy selection the squad will have only 14 members and Ojha's left-arm spin offers variety. The pace-attack will comprise Zaheer, Ishant Sharma, RP Singh and Praveen Kumar and the rest of the 15 will be made up by seven specialist batsmen.
Cricinfo learnt that the players under scrutiny include Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa. It's understood that indifferent form is the main reason why it could be touch-and-go for Irfan, who had also nursed an injury during the Asia Cup last month, and Uthappa, who has been a key figure in Dhoni's gameplan.
The selectors feel that Pathan's problem is his ineffective bowling on flat subcontinent pitches. He took only four wickets in three matches during the Kitply Cup in Bangladesh and, despite not being completely fit, played the Asia Cup in Pakistan where his three wickets cost 71 apiece. Pathan was subsequently omitted from the squad for the Sri Lanka Test series.
"Irfan is not being so influential and, in addition to his loss of pace, he is not even able to cut the ball and bowl well at death", one member of the selection panel said. It's a view which is shared by the other selectors too. If Irfan has any support it might come from Dhoni who has strong belief in the allrounder.
It's likely that Irfan will be competing against his brother Yusuf for a place in the squad. Yusuf made his ODI debut during the Kitply Cup and has played seven matches without a spectacular performance. His ability to score quickly and part-time offspin make him a direct competitor of Irfan.
Uthappa's case is equally weak, considering he's scored only one half-century in his last 20 innings. His loss is likely to work in favour of Suresh Raina, who was among the highest run-scorers in the Asia Cup. Raina made his comeback to the one-day squad for the CB Series in Australia but didn't play a game. He failed to make a significant score in the Kitply Cup but Dhoni's confidence in Raina paid off and he played a crucial part in India making the Asia Cup final.
The selectors are unlikely to make any drastic changes to the existing ODI squad unless forced to by injuries to players. It has also been learnt that Sreesanth's fitness report is not convincing and he continue his rehabilitation for a side strain.
Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan will also return to the squad. Tendulkar last ODI appearance was the CB Series final in Australia after which he played for the Mumbai Indians during the IPL before opting out of the Kitply and Asia Cups in order to recover from a groin injury. Zaheer, whose tour of Australia was cut short by a heel injury, has successfully recovered and is currently playing the Test series in Sri Lanka.
Considering the spinner-friendly pitches in Sri Lanka, the selectors are likely to consider Piyush Chawla as the third spinner in the squad in addition to Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha. However, Chawla is likely to miss out on Champions Trophy selection the squad will have only 14 members and Ojha's left-arm spin offers variety. The pace-attack will comprise Zaheer, Ishant Sharma, RP Singh and Praveen Kumar and the rest of the 15 will be made up by seven specialist batsmen.
Great Fightback — KIrsten
India bounced back from an innings defeat at the SSC in Colombo to level the series by beating Sri Lanka by 170 runs in Galle and Gary Kirsten, the India coach, has said that the process of fighting back "started with Anil Kumble, and filtered down to the rest".
"He [Kumble] is a fantastic leader and fighter," Kirsten said. "He has a tremendous work ethic and takes Test cricket very seriously. To motivate the team to improve their performance wasn't really difficult. The great thing about his team is they do hurt a lot when they lose. That's when one knows these guys take great pride in playing for India."
Kirsten said the big challenge for India would be to keep the momentum going for the deciding Test which begins at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo on August 8. "I can sense the team is ready to make history. If every member can perform at a reasonably good level, we would have done enough," he said.
Virender Sehwag was instrumental in India's win, scoring 201 not out and 50, and he approach oozed aggression. "Every player plays differently," Kirsten said. "The success of any Test side is how each batsman sticks to his own skill and works on one or two things that he can improve. We certainly don't say Sehwag plays like this, so the rest of the batsmen need to play like this. He plays like that since he has the skill and ability to play like that."
Kirsten also praised Ishant Sharma, who bowled at pace and extracted sharp bounce on a fourth-day pitch. Ishant dismissed Malinda Warnapura, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan and ended with 3 for 20 in 15 overs . "He is probably our best seamer," Kirsten said. "I'm very impressed by what he has to offer. He is a young bowler learning how to go about Test cricket. When he is bowling his natural length, he is as good as anyone in the world."
Kirsten said he always believed the team would bounce back after the SSC loss. "They have a proven history of that. We have always believed that when this team is firing on all cylinders, it can match best in the world." He said his long-term goal was to ensure that India was the best in the world by April 2009.
Kirsten, however, will not be available for the third Test after he was granted leave by the BCCI to travel to South Africa to be with his mother, who is critically ill. A press release issued by the board said an interim replacement has not been sought.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
England's New Captain — Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen's deck-clearing appointment as England's new captain, across all forms of the game, is a bold and welcome statement of intent from an England selection panel that, only two matches ago, stood accused of gross prevarication. Doubts are sure to remain about the wisdom of appointing a man whose first and only experience of leadership came in the final ODI against New Zealand in June, and who - when it suits the public imagination - is all too easily cast as an interloper. But make no mistake, Pietersen the best candidate for the job, and in fact the only one.
Like a city whizkid or a great captain of industry, Pietersen is ambitious for ambition's sake, which does not sit easily with those who misconstrue his motives. Englishmen in particular, with their ingrained love of the underdog, find it hard to accept those who aren't content merely to bumble along in life and settle for second-best. And yet, the basic premise of sport is the quest to be the best, a challenge that Pietersen has embraced as if he were Roger Federer or Tiger Woods. He has no interest in being anything less than the greatest player who has ever lived, but unlike so many wannabes who mouth off and then vanish, he has consistently shown the talent, chutzpah and audacity to back up his promises with deeds.
Of course, none of that automatically marks him out as captaincy material, for there is a selfishness that comes with the pursuit of excellence, which is a criticism that has been levelled at Pietersen ever since he turned his back on South Africa as a teenager and made the great trek north to Nottinghamshire where he began his assault on the England team. His days at Trent Bridge ended in acrimony in 2005, when his bags were flung out of the dressing-room window by his irate captain, Jason Gallian, and the nickname of "Ego", with which the South Africans have taunted him throughout this series, is clearly not a misplaced sobriquet.
And yet, despite the naked ambition, Pietersen has a self-awareness and diplomacy that only become apparent when you observe him at close quarters. The England captaincy is not something for which he has actively canvassed - in fact, this time last year he pulled himself out of the race for the one-day leadership, correctly ascertaining that he was not ready for such a role. Recognition has made him a more patient person, and a more likeable man too. The acclaim that greeted his century against South Africa at Lord's in last month's first Test was a heartfelt endorsement from a public that took its time to be convinced, but is now ready to embrace him as one of their own.
"I ummed and ah-ed last year, when I was asked whether I wanted the one-day captaincy," said Pietersen, "but my gut instinct wasn't right. Now I'm more of a rounded figure as a player, and I've got a lot more support from the lads. That's one of the most exciting things, all the text messages and phone calls from senior players in the squad who basically said: 'We're right behind you, we support you. Give it your best shot.' Once you've got the support of the lads around you, there's nothing more you can ask for."
Pietersen's brand of diplomacy, as with his cricket, extends beyond words and into deeds. Contrary to all the expectations when he arrived in the England side, with a badger-streak through his hair and bling dripping off every limb, he is the model professional. Nobody trains harder in the side, nor thinks more deeply about their game, and although it is easy to be sniffy about the pop-star wife and the appearances in Hello! magazine, when has Pietersen ever erred from the straight and narrow in his off-the-field life? His marriage seems as solid as can exist in celebrity circles - in fact, he said his wife, Jessica, was the first person he consulted when offered the captaincy - and he hasn't been seen the worse for wear in public since the Ashes party in 2005, when sobriety would have been a crime against team-bonding. He was certainly nowhere near the Fredalo scandal that scuttled England's World Cup campaign last year.
In some circles, such standoffishness would undermine his credentials, but the England captain cannot afford to be too wrapped up in the dynamics of the dressing room. "We really want to like him," was how one senior player described the team's relationship with Pietersen last year, a comment that suggested admiration if not an outright acceptance. But chumminess with his charges ultimately caused Michael Vaughan's downfall, after his misplaced comments about team unity in the Headingley Test, while Vaughan himself dismissed Andrew Flintoff's leadership credentials way back in 2005, correctly ascertaining that his matey nature would prevent him from laying down the law when it mattered. All the best leaders need a hint of the bastard about them. Vaughan had it, Nasser Hussain had it. Pietersen, one suspects, will produce
it in spades when required.
Talking of Vaughan, Pietersen's appointment is a fitting tribute to England's outgoing captain, whose influence on the squad over the past five years was so great, only the biggest boots in the team would be sufficient to justify the sacrifice he has made. When Vaughan left the field during the Edgbaston Test, it was Andrew Strauss who was left calling the shots, and no doubt he would have made an adequate replacement. But that would have been no more than a continuation of the stop-gap culture that has beset English cricket since Vaughan first succumbed to the knee injury that wrecked the continuity of his Ashes team.
Flintoff was a no-go, none of the other viable candidates - Strauss, Paul Collingwood and Alastair Cook - could guarantee their places in all forms of the game, and as Geoff Miller reiterated today, one of his primary aims upon accepting the role of national selector at the start of the year was to find a captain to draw all three facets of English cricket together. "We're looking for a fresh approach," said Miller, "and I'm sure he will take us forward in an exciting manner."
There's little doubt about that - although perhaps the biggest concern that surrounds Pietersen's appointment is the effect it could have on his own expansive game. The criticism that came his way after he holed out to mid-on for 94 at Edgbaston would have increased ten-fold had he already been captain, and yet, to drive Pietersen into his shell and deny him the right to play on instinct would be to halve the effect of his performances.
"I hope it won't restrict the way I play, and I think it would be silly to start thinking that it will," he said. "I play the way that I play, and it's a way I've been successful so far in my career. It is exactly the way you need to play against South Africa, and exactly the way you need to play against Australia. You've got to be positive and aggressive, so hopefully it won't affect my batting."
The main point about Pietersen's aggression, however, is the intelligence with which he backs it up. So the shot that got him out at Edgbaston was an error, but what preceded it was breathless, brilliant, and meticulously planned. As Mike Atherton wrote in the Times last week, the justification that Pietersen gave for his audacious reverse-swept six off Muttiah Muralitharan on the same ground two summers ago was almost as impressive as the planning and execution that went into the stroke.
Pietersen may be a rookie leader, but he's been well schooled under Vaughan at Test level, and Shane Warne at Hampshire. If he puts that same inventiveness into his field placings and bowling changes, England will be impressively served in the coming years.
There will be those who doubt the wisdom of handing the captaincy to the best player in the side, and it's true that both Flintoff and Ian Botham were overwhelmed by the responsibility. But such an approach has rarely let the Australians down, and let's not forget that the last man to be appointed as England's full-time captain was none other than Vaughan, who was the No. 1-rated batsman in the world when he succeeded Nasser Hussain in 2003. Admittedly Vaughan's personal returns took a dip with the responsibility, but the handsome pay-off was six series wins in a row. At their current low ebb, England would gladly settle for a trade-off of that magnitude.
For all the positive signs, Pietersen's appointment will still be viewed in some quarters as a gamble. His media savvy and marketability are a boon for the English game, but those who look for historical parallels will doubtless fear that he is about to do what another South African-born captain, Tony Greig, did to the game in 1977. It is widely known how actively Pietersen has agitated for an IPL-shaped window to be created in England's schedule, and it was also noticeable how quickly he ducked the issue today.
And yet, the circumstances are somewhat different these days. Greig threw in his lot with World Series Cricket because the pay for international cricketers in his day was desultory. Pietersen, on the other hand, will not be wanting for remuneration in his new role. In this challenging era of attractions outside the Test arena, the ECB are expedient to indulge KP's ego, and give him the biggest job which he can ever attain. If he's half the man he's led us to believe he is, he is sure to rise to the honour with pride. His quest for greatness demands it.
Like a city whizkid or a great captain of industry, Pietersen is ambitious for ambition's sake, which does not sit easily with those who misconstrue his motives. Englishmen in particular, with their ingrained love of the underdog, find it hard to accept those who aren't content merely to bumble along in life and settle for second-best. And yet, the basic premise of sport is the quest to be the best, a challenge that Pietersen has embraced as if he were Roger Federer or Tiger Woods. He has no interest in being anything less than the greatest player who has ever lived, but unlike so many wannabes who mouth off and then vanish, he has consistently shown the talent, chutzpah and audacity to back up his promises with deeds.
Of course, none of that automatically marks him out as captaincy material, for there is a selfishness that comes with the pursuit of excellence, which is a criticism that has been levelled at Pietersen ever since he turned his back on South Africa as a teenager and made the great trek north to Nottinghamshire where he began his assault on the England team. His days at Trent Bridge ended in acrimony in 2005, when his bags were flung out of the dressing-room window by his irate captain, Jason Gallian, and the nickname of "Ego", with which the South Africans have taunted him throughout this series, is clearly not a misplaced sobriquet.
And yet, despite the naked ambition, Pietersen has a self-awareness and diplomacy that only become apparent when you observe him at close quarters. The England captaincy is not something for which he has actively canvassed - in fact, this time last year he pulled himself out of the race for the one-day leadership, correctly ascertaining that he was not ready for such a role. Recognition has made him a more patient person, and a more likeable man too. The acclaim that greeted his century against South Africa at Lord's in last month's first Test was a heartfelt endorsement from a public that took its time to be convinced, but is now ready to embrace him as one of their own.
"I ummed and ah-ed last year, when I was asked whether I wanted the one-day captaincy," said Pietersen, "but my gut instinct wasn't right. Now I'm more of a rounded figure as a player, and I've got a lot more support from the lads. That's one of the most exciting things, all the text messages and phone calls from senior players in the squad who basically said: 'We're right behind you, we support you. Give it your best shot.' Once you've got the support of the lads around you, there's nothing more you can ask for."
Pietersen's brand of diplomacy, as with his cricket, extends beyond words and into deeds. Contrary to all the expectations when he arrived in the England side, with a badger-streak through his hair and bling dripping off every limb, he is the model professional. Nobody trains harder in the side, nor thinks more deeply about their game, and although it is easy to be sniffy about the pop-star wife and the appearances in Hello! magazine, when has Pietersen ever erred from the straight and narrow in his off-the-field life? His marriage seems as solid as can exist in celebrity circles - in fact, he said his wife, Jessica, was the first person he consulted when offered the captaincy - and he hasn't been seen the worse for wear in public since the Ashes party in 2005, when sobriety would have been a crime against team-bonding. He was certainly nowhere near the Fredalo scandal that scuttled England's World Cup campaign last year.
In some circles, such standoffishness would undermine his credentials, but the England captain cannot afford to be too wrapped up in the dynamics of the dressing room. "We really want to like him," was how one senior player described the team's relationship with Pietersen last year, a comment that suggested admiration if not an outright acceptance. But chumminess with his charges ultimately caused Michael Vaughan's downfall, after his misplaced comments about team unity in the Headingley Test, while Vaughan himself dismissed Andrew Flintoff's leadership credentials way back in 2005, correctly ascertaining that his matey nature would prevent him from laying down the law when it mattered. All the best leaders need a hint of the bastard about them. Vaughan had it, Nasser Hussain had it. Pietersen, one suspects, will produce
it in spades when required.
Talking of Vaughan, Pietersen's appointment is a fitting tribute to England's outgoing captain, whose influence on the squad over the past five years was so great, only the biggest boots in the team would be sufficient to justify the sacrifice he has made. When Vaughan left the field during the Edgbaston Test, it was Andrew Strauss who was left calling the shots, and no doubt he would have made an adequate replacement. But that would have been no more than a continuation of the stop-gap culture that has beset English cricket since Vaughan first succumbed to the knee injury that wrecked the continuity of his Ashes team.
Flintoff was a no-go, none of the other viable candidates - Strauss, Paul Collingwood and Alastair Cook - could guarantee their places in all forms of the game, and as Geoff Miller reiterated today, one of his primary aims upon accepting the role of national selector at the start of the year was to find a captain to draw all three facets of English cricket together. "We're looking for a fresh approach," said Miller, "and I'm sure he will take us forward in an exciting manner."
There's little doubt about that - although perhaps the biggest concern that surrounds Pietersen's appointment is the effect it could have on his own expansive game. The criticism that came his way after he holed out to mid-on for 94 at Edgbaston would have increased ten-fold had he already been captain, and yet, to drive Pietersen into his shell and deny him the right to play on instinct would be to halve the effect of his performances.
"I hope it won't restrict the way I play, and I think it would be silly to start thinking that it will," he said. "I play the way that I play, and it's a way I've been successful so far in my career. It is exactly the way you need to play against South Africa, and exactly the way you need to play against Australia. You've got to be positive and aggressive, so hopefully it won't affect my batting."
The main point about Pietersen's aggression, however, is the intelligence with which he backs it up. So the shot that got him out at Edgbaston was an error, but what preceded it was breathless, brilliant, and meticulously planned. As Mike Atherton wrote in the Times last week, the justification that Pietersen gave for his audacious reverse-swept six off Muttiah Muralitharan on the same ground two summers ago was almost as impressive as the planning and execution that went into the stroke.
Pietersen may be a rookie leader, but he's been well schooled under Vaughan at Test level, and Shane Warne at Hampshire. If he puts that same inventiveness into his field placings and bowling changes, England will be impressively served in the coming years.
There will be those who doubt the wisdom of handing the captaincy to the best player in the side, and it's true that both Flintoff and Ian Botham were overwhelmed by the responsibility. But such an approach has rarely let the Australians down, and let's not forget that the last man to be appointed as England's full-time captain was none other than Vaughan, who was the No. 1-rated batsman in the world when he succeeded Nasser Hussain in 2003. Admittedly Vaughan's personal returns took a dip with the responsibility, but the handsome pay-off was six series wins in a row. At their current low ebb, England would gladly settle for a trade-off of that magnitude.
For all the positive signs, Pietersen's appointment will still be viewed in some quarters as a gamble. His media savvy and marketability are a boon for the English game, but those who look for historical parallels will doubtless fear that he is about to do what another South African-born captain, Tony Greig, did to the game in 1977. It is widely known how actively Pietersen has agitated for an IPL-shaped window to be created in England's schedule, and it was also noticeable how quickly he ducked the issue today.
And yet, the circumstances are somewhat different these days. Greig threw in his lot with World Series Cricket because the pay for international cricketers in his day was desultory. Pietersen, on the other hand, will not be wanting for remuneration in his new role. In this challenging era of attractions outside the Test arena, the ECB are expedient to indulge KP's ego, and give him the biggest job which he can ever attain. If he's half the man he's led us to believe he is, he is sure to rise to the honour with pride. His quest for greatness demands it.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Ishant and Harbhajan Star in India's Win
On a pitch and in a series where the fast bowlers have only been making up the numbers, a hostile and quick Ishant Sharma helped India seal an incredible comeback after they had slumped to their third-worst defeat ever in the first Test.
In the first session of the day, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis had made sure India didn't take their lead into the realms of the impregnable, but with Ishant bowling the way he did, the target of 307 stayed secure. Ishant got good support from Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh; the latter finished with his fifth ten-wicket haul.
Sri Lanka were attacked from a quarter they would have least expected hostilities from, and after having done well playing catch-up throughout the match, they finally fell short. The match was much closer than the 170-run margin indicated.
Ishant was accurate, he hit the bat hard, gave Dinesh Karthik some more difficulties behind the wicket, and most importantly, kept producing his special delivery repeatedly: the one that holds its line after having pitched on a length.
Ishant began with a wicket with the third ball he bowled, sending down a perfect right-armer's ball to a left-hander, pitching it around leg and moving it away, making Malinda Warnapura play and edge. Zaheer, in the next over, produced a legcutter for Sangakkara similar to the one he did in the first Test, with similar results. And in his next over, Ishant got the biggest wicket of them all for India - Mahela Jayawardene, who looked to counterattack and cut straight to gully, where Rahul Dravid held on to a sharp chance. Dravid was exuberant at having taken the catch - he
had dropped Michael Vandort in the first over, and had also been pushed out of the cordon.
Ishant and Zaheer then tightened the screws. Ishant, in particular, seemed to be bowling on a different pitch from the one that had been on display on the four previous days. At one point, the preceding 12.3 overs had cost India 11 runs and featured two huge lbw shouts, one catch off a no-ball, and most importantly, robust fast bowling. Harbhajan took advantage of that period, and trapped Vandort with an arm-ball in his first over.
But there was one final twist left in the match, and Ishant it was who pulled India out of a threatening situation. Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan had put together a swift 76-run stand, pulling Sri Lanka out of the shell they had played themselves into. Dilshan, in particular, hustled the bowling, briefly changing the texture of the game.
Ishant came up with a special over after tea, bowling at high pace, extracting extra bounce, and getting the ball to hold its line. After having beaten Dilshan twice, he finally got him to edge one, and it was all downhill for Sri Lanka after that.
Harbhajan took control of the situation then; both lower orders have, on this pitch, been hard pressed against quality spin bowling. Samaraweera, who scored a resolute half-century, could not do much about what happened at the other end. The last five wickets fell for 23 runs, Harbhajan taking three of them. When he got Mendis, he completed his ten-for, and a successful redemption after his recent misadventures.
Mendis, incidentally, had finished his first ten-wicket haul by taking Harbhajan's wicket earlier in the day. That was the end of a collapse in which India lost their last five for 17 runs. India had started the day tentatively, but the overnight batsmen - VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly - kept the runs coming. They hadn't yet played themselves in when Mendis nailed Laxman with another one of his special carrom balls - pitching within the stumps, breaking rapidly, and heading for off stump. Laxman's pad intervened, but the umpire had no hesitation in sending him on his way.
Karthik came out aggressive, stepping out and hitting both Mendis and Murali for sixes, and also pulling out a reverse-sweep. He might even have had a hand in suggesting to Ganguly that he ask for a review when Ganguly was given lbw to one that seemed to be missing off stump. But just when it looked like the two might get too many, too fast, Murali pulled them back. Karthik, going for a third six, was beaten in the flight and caught in the deep. Ganguly was suckered out of the crease by a flighted, fiercely dipping delivery, and Prasanna Jayawardene's quickness with the stumping made the dismissal look more even more comprehensive.
The rest contributed enough only for the so-called psychological advantage: when Karthik got out, India's lead was 292; they finished on 306. Ishant, though, rendered the tussle in the first session superfluous.
That India came into the fourth day still alive had all to do with a near-solo effort by Virender Sehwag, who reached his fifth double-century in the first innings, and for the first time in his career scored a fifty in a match in which he had also scored a century. India, out of habit perhaps, managed to waste a fiery start from Sehwag, but he had done enough, as was proved when India went on to win only the third Test in which he had scored a century.
In the first session of the day, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis had made sure India didn't take their lead into the realms of the impregnable, but with Ishant bowling the way he did, the target of 307 stayed secure. Ishant got good support from Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh; the latter finished with his fifth ten-wicket haul.
Sri Lanka were attacked from a quarter they would have least expected hostilities from, and after having done well playing catch-up throughout the match, they finally fell short. The match was much closer than the 170-run margin indicated.
Ishant was accurate, he hit the bat hard, gave Dinesh Karthik some more difficulties behind the wicket, and most importantly, kept producing his special delivery repeatedly: the one that holds its line after having pitched on a length.
Ishant began with a wicket with the third ball he bowled, sending down a perfect right-armer's ball to a left-hander, pitching it around leg and moving it away, making Malinda Warnapura play and edge. Zaheer, in the next over, produced a legcutter for Sangakkara similar to the one he did in the first Test, with similar results. And in his next over, Ishant got the biggest wicket of them all for India - Mahela Jayawardene, who looked to counterattack and cut straight to gully, where Rahul Dravid held on to a sharp chance. Dravid was exuberant at having taken the catch - he
had dropped Michael Vandort in the first over, and had also been pushed out of the cordon.
Ishant and Zaheer then tightened the screws. Ishant, in particular, seemed to be bowling on a different pitch from the one that had been on display on the four previous days. At one point, the preceding 12.3 overs had cost India 11 runs and featured two huge lbw shouts, one catch off a no-ball, and most importantly, robust fast bowling. Harbhajan took advantage of that period, and trapped Vandort with an arm-ball in his first over.
But there was one final twist left in the match, and Ishant it was who pulled India out of a threatening situation. Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan had put together a swift 76-run stand, pulling Sri Lanka out of the shell they had played themselves into. Dilshan, in particular, hustled the bowling, briefly changing the texture of the game.
Ishant came up with a special over after tea, bowling at high pace, extracting extra bounce, and getting the ball to hold its line. After having beaten Dilshan twice, he finally got him to edge one, and it was all downhill for Sri Lanka after that.
Harbhajan took control of the situation then; both lower orders have, on this pitch, been hard pressed against quality spin bowling. Samaraweera, who scored a resolute half-century, could not do much about what happened at the other end. The last five wickets fell for 23 runs, Harbhajan taking three of them. When he got Mendis, he completed his ten-for, and a successful redemption after his recent misadventures.
Mendis, incidentally, had finished his first ten-wicket haul by taking Harbhajan's wicket earlier in the day. That was the end of a collapse in which India lost their last five for 17 runs. India had started the day tentatively, but the overnight batsmen - VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly - kept the runs coming. They hadn't yet played themselves in when Mendis nailed Laxman with another one of his special carrom balls - pitching within the stumps, breaking rapidly, and heading for off stump. Laxman's pad intervened, but the umpire had no hesitation in sending him on his way.
Karthik came out aggressive, stepping out and hitting both Mendis and Murali for sixes, and also pulling out a reverse-sweep. He might even have had a hand in suggesting to Ganguly that he ask for a review when Ganguly was given lbw to one that seemed to be missing off stump. But just when it looked like the two might get too many, too fast, Murali pulled them back. Karthik, going for a third six, was beaten in the flight and caught in the deep. Ganguly was suckered out of the crease by a flighted, fiercely dipping delivery, and Prasanna Jayawardene's quickness with the stumping made the dismissal look more even more comprehensive.
The rest contributed enough only for the so-called psychological advantage: when Karthik got out, India's lead was 292; they finished on 306. Ishant, though, rendered the tussle in the first session superfluous.
That India came into the fourth day still alive had all to do with a near-solo effort by Virender Sehwag, who reached his fifth double-century in the first innings, and for the first time in his career scored a fifty in a match in which he had also scored a century. India, out of habit perhaps, managed to waste a fiery start from Sehwag, but he had done enough, as was proved when India went on to win only the third Test in which he had scored a century.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Harbhajan takes Four — Match evenly Poised
Sri Lanka couldn't get Virender Sehwag out, but Ajantha Mendis found a way around him, dismissing most of the others cheaply, before Harbhajan Singh enacted a similar turnaround to restore the balance at the end of day two in Galle.
It was an eventful three sessions: Sehwag was imperious as he scored his fifth double-century even as he lost partners at the other end; Malinda Warnapura and Kumar Sangakkara threatened to run away with the match, but Harbhajan pulled Sri Lanka back with a four-wicket burst in the final session.
Sri Lanka dismissed the last six Indian batsmen for 51 runs; India replied by taking four of their batsmen for 55. When Sangakkara and Warnapura were going hell for leather, it seemed they would take Sri Lanka's second innings out of the equation, but then Harbhajan came up with one of his best spells in recent times.
Warnapura, especially, showed he had learned a lesson or two from Sehwag. He saw his opening partner, Michael Vandort, get out in the first over, and then played at and missed a few times against Zaheer. But all along he kept punishing even the smallest errors of length. Zaheer's fourth over was the most expensive of the series: Warnapura took four successive boundaries to reach 24 off 18 balls.
The Indian bowlers looked helpless in the face of Sangakkara's determination to set right a minor dip in his form. Sri Lanka raced to 50 in 8.5 overs, and by the time spin was introduced Sri Lanka had scored 60 for 1 in 11 overs. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan brought in some control, but their fortunes were not changing just as yet: just before tea, Dinesh Karthik made a mess of a regulation stumping chance off Harbhajan when he couldn't even collect the ball with Sangakkara way down the wicket.
When India came back from tea, they continued with the pressure tactics, and Warnapura yielded, giving Gautam Gambhir a difficult low catch at short cover. The ten overs preceding that dismissal had yielded 15 runs. Harbhajan took heart from that wicket and got a leading edge from Sangakkara, which he caught himself, just in case. Two new batsmen were in, and Kumble and Harbhajan were finally being treated with the sort of respect they have been used to.
Harbhajan went round the stumps and trapped Thilan Samaraweera with a slider. In the same over, he got Tillakaratne Dilshan with one that bounced and turned in sharply.
The collapse that Sri Lanka faced paled in comparison with the two India had endured. India went from 167 for 0 to 178 for 4, and then from 278 for 5 to 327 all out, and both collapses were triggered by Mendis, who was facing the first big test of his short career. Sehwag read him and went after him, taking 70 runs off the 77 deliveries he faced from him. But that failed to intimidate Mendis, who stayed accurate, made the batsmen play almost every ball, and earned his first five-for in Tests.
After the wicket of VVS Laxman, who took his overnight stand of 36 with Sehwag to 100 before hitting a long hop from Mendis straight to midwicket, Mendis began to toy with the tail. Karthik seemed in no mental shape to play high-quality spin bowling; his lack of confidence showed when he didn't ask for the review after he was eventually given out: replays indicated the topspinner from Mendis would just have brushed off stump.
Mendis then repeated the now-famous carrom ball that got Rahul Dravid in the first Test to Harbhajan Singh: it broke away at a rapid pace and took the top of off.
The story of the day, though, remained Sehwag, who scored 61.09% of India's runs. This was the 11th consecutive hundred he had converted into a 150-plus score. He also became the second Indian to carry his bat through, and passed 5000 Test runs.
It is a shame that some of Sehwag's best innings have come when his team-mates have been struggling for form. Only two of his 15 centuries - all scored at a maddening pace - have resulted in victories for India. After many a quick Sehwag hundred, the other batsmen have either folded or slowed the pace down so much as to deprive the bowlers of sufficient time in which to force a result. Something similar seemed on the cards here, but the difference this time was that Sehwag was around for the duration to make amends for the collapses.
Muttiah Muralitharan, surprisingly ineffective in the innings, began bowling with an in-and-out field. Sehwag smartly resorted to opening the face of his bat and finding twos. Mendis, back for a new spell, was welcomed with a six; the off stump at the non-striker's end prevented another certain boundary in the same over.
As the wickets fell, Murali at the other end started to rip his doosras, ending Anil Kumble's resolute innings, and Zaheer Khan's brief one. When Zaheer, the No. 10, launched into an irresponsible sweep off Murali, Sehwag was on 195. At 199, with just two overs to lunch, Sehwag refused the single twice, preferring to shield Ishant Sharma rather than get to the mark. Off the last ball of the over, he then nonchalantly flicked to deep square leg for a single.
The rest of his team owed him an apology for the lack of support - 307 of their 326 runs were scored by three batsmen - and Harbhajan went some way towards doing so. Whether it was enough remained to be seen.
In the final overs Harbhajan twice came close to getting his fifth: first he beat Mahela Jayawardene with a sharp offbreak from round the stumps; the field umpire thought it would have gone down the leg side, and the review said no different. Prasanna Jayawardene offered Gambhir a sharp chance at forward short leg, but Gambhir couldn't cap the good day he had had in the field with another catch.
It was an eventful three sessions: Sehwag was imperious as he scored his fifth double-century even as he lost partners at the other end; Malinda Warnapura and Kumar Sangakkara threatened to run away with the match, but Harbhajan pulled Sri Lanka back with a four-wicket burst in the final session.
Sri Lanka dismissed the last six Indian batsmen for 51 runs; India replied by taking four of their batsmen for 55. When Sangakkara and Warnapura were going hell for leather, it seemed they would take Sri Lanka's second innings out of the equation, but then Harbhajan came up with one of his best spells in recent times.
Warnapura, especially, showed he had learned a lesson or two from Sehwag. He saw his opening partner, Michael Vandort, get out in the first over, and then played at and missed a few times against Zaheer. But all along he kept punishing even the smallest errors of length. Zaheer's fourth over was the most expensive of the series: Warnapura took four successive boundaries to reach 24 off 18 balls.
The Indian bowlers looked helpless in the face of Sangakkara's determination to set right a minor dip in his form. Sri Lanka raced to 50 in 8.5 overs, and by the time spin was introduced Sri Lanka had scored 60 for 1 in 11 overs. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan brought in some control, but their fortunes were not changing just as yet: just before tea, Dinesh Karthik made a mess of a regulation stumping chance off Harbhajan when he couldn't even collect the ball with Sangakkara way down the wicket.
When India came back from tea, they continued with the pressure tactics, and Warnapura yielded, giving Gautam Gambhir a difficult low catch at short cover. The ten overs preceding that dismissal had yielded 15 runs. Harbhajan took heart from that wicket and got a leading edge from Sangakkara, which he caught himself, just in case. Two new batsmen were in, and Kumble and Harbhajan were finally being treated with the sort of respect they have been used to.
Harbhajan went round the stumps and trapped Thilan Samaraweera with a slider. In the same over, he got Tillakaratne Dilshan with one that bounced and turned in sharply.
The collapse that Sri Lanka faced paled in comparison with the two India had endured. India went from 167 for 0 to 178 for 4, and then from 278 for 5 to 327 all out, and both collapses were triggered by Mendis, who was facing the first big test of his short career. Sehwag read him and went after him, taking 70 runs off the 77 deliveries he faced from him. But that failed to intimidate Mendis, who stayed accurate, made the batsmen play almost every ball, and earned his first five-for in Tests.
After the wicket of VVS Laxman, who took his overnight stand of 36 with Sehwag to 100 before hitting a long hop from Mendis straight to midwicket, Mendis began to toy with the tail. Karthik seemed in no mental shape to play high-quality spin bowling; his lack of confidence showed when he didn't ask for the review after he was eventually given out: replays indicated the topspinner from Mendis would just have brushed off stump.
Mendis then repeated the now-famous carrom ball that got Rahul Dravid in the first Test to Harbhajan Singh: it broke away at a rapid pace and took the top of off.
The story of the day, though, remained Sehwag, who scored 61.09% of India's runs. This was the 11th consecutive hundred he had converted into a 150-plus score. He also became the second Indian to carry his bat through, and passed 5000 Test runs.
It is a shame that some of Sehwag's best innings have come when his team-mates have been struggling for form. Only two of his 15 centuries - all scored at a maddening pace - have resulted in victories for India. After many a quick Sehwag hundred, the other batsmen have either folded or slowed the pace down so much as to deprive the bowlers of sufficient time in which to force a result. Something similar seemed on the cards here, but the difference this time was that Sehwag was around for the duration to make amends for the collapses.
Muttiah Muralitharan, surprisingly ineffective in the innings, began bowling with an in-and-out field. Sehwag smartly resorted to opening the face of his bat and finding twos. Mendis, back for a new spell, was welcomed with a six; the off stump at the non-striker's end prevented another certain boundary in the same over.
As the wickets fell, Murali at the other end started to rip his doosras, ending Anil Kumble's resolute innings, and Zaheer Khan's brief one. When Zaheer, the No. 10, launched into an irresponsible sweep off Murali, Sehwag was on 195. At 199, with just two overs to lunch, Sehwag refused the single twice, preferring to shield Ishant Sharma rather than get to the mark. Off the last ball of the over, he then nonchalantly flicked to deep square leg for a single.
The rest of his team owed him an apology for the lack of support - 307 of their 326 runs were scored by three batsmen - and Harbhajan went some way towards doing so. Whether it was enough remained to be seen.
In the final overs Harbhajan twice came close to getting his fifth: first he beat Mahela Jayawardene with a sharp offbreak from round the stumps; the field umpire thought it would have gone down the leg side, and the review said no different. Prasanna Jayawardene offered Gambhir a sharp chance at forward short leg, but Gambhir couldn't cap the good day he had had in the field with another catch.
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