India vs Sri Lanka: Virat Kohli and Co buried ghosts of Galle two thousand fifteen with imperious victory
India vs Sri Lanka: Virat Kohli and Co buried ghosts of Galle two thousand fifteen with imperious victory
India approached the Galle Test with trepidation. The last time they had been here, in two thousand fifteen under skipper Virat Kohli, they had suffered a abasing defeat after being bowled out for a mere one hundred twelve runs in the 2nd essay.
Galle was an acknowledged Sri Lankan bastion. Rangana Herath and other spinners had spun the team to many a victory here. The Lankans took pride in stating that they knew how to cup and bat on this surface and hence they held the upper-hand.
But Kohli upset all their plans by winning the throw and opting to bat very first. That was the key as it meant Sri Lanka, rather than India, would bat last on the fourth and fifth days.
India’s Virat Kohli, right, and Ravindra Jadeja set the field during the very first Test. AP
Additionally, Shikhar Dhawan, making a comeback, batted brilliantly and took the fight to the home team bowlers. His outstanding strokeplay knocked the wind out of the Lankan sails. He took a liking to the spinners even as he carved up the pacemen. The one hundred ninety he cracked in double-quick time, along with Cheteshwar Pujara’s big one hundred fifty three set the tempo for the rest of the match.
Sri Lanka can trace their woes to the efforts of pacemen Nuwan Pradeep and Lahiru Kumara, who sprayed the fresh ball around. Kumara, in particular, looked awful while bowling to left-handers. He bowled so broad of the off-stump that Dhawan and Abhinav Mukund were hardly troubled. His deliveries were far more suitable to test right-hand batsmen, especially as they jagged into them. Herath wisely determined not to open the bowling with him in the 2nd essay and instead opted for the off-spin of Kushal Perera.
Had the Lankan fresh ball bowlers been spot on in the opening overs of the Test, India might have been challenged. That was not to be. Mukund, who kept poking at broad deliveries, ultimately snicked one to the ’keeper. But Dhawan and Pujara made merry on a good track and against ineffective bowling. Pradeep, in fact, was the more productive of the bowlers. The others were far too ordinary to test this Indian line-up on Galle’s very first day pitch. An opening day score of three hundred ninety nine for three tells its own tale.
Even the usually parsimonious Herath was clobbered at will. He and the other spinners had to come on to cup far too early on a pitch that was a batsman’s ally. Lankan fielding too looked shoddy under pressure.
India batted on with the intention of shutting out Lanka. Debutant Hardik Pandya made his mark with a quickfire fifty in a gargantuan total of 600.
India’s opening bowlers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav struck telling blows as the hosts, in their reply, lost three top batsmen within fifteen overs. It was pleasing to see Shami getting into his groove. His time at the batting crease, during his knock of 30, had heated him up pretty well. He struck rhythm almost instantly while bowling and got the ball to dart off the seam.
Umesh too sent down his outswingers at a upbeat tempo. His rhythm and improved consistency with the ball now put him a notch higher than Ishant Sharma, who was stood down for this Test. Umesh did not disappoint.
The spinners, albeit they were among the wickets, need to work out their bowling strategy on Lankan pitches. Wickets are not necessarily consumed in slips, gully and short-leg areas. On Sri Lanka’s slow turners, unlike the perverse turners available back home in India, it would be more prudent to attempt and snare the batsmen on uppish drives.
Ashwin and Jadeja, so used to bowling on Indian turners, must adapt to local conditions. The manner in which Ashwin got Dimuth Karunaratne (97) bowled while attempting to slog sweep indicated that he had got a drape of bowling slower and at the ideal length.
India did not enforce follow-on, preferring not to cup the pacers and spinners to the ground so early in the series. It proved to be a wise stir.
It enabled Mukund to get some invaluable runs in the 2nd essay. Importantly, skipper and master batsman Kohli rediscovered his mojo with an excellent unbeaten century.
India thus got everything they came for: Dhawan, Pujara, Kohli, Mukund, Ajinkya Rahane and debutant Pandya got amongst the runs; Shami worked up some good tempo and rhythm while Jadeja (six wickets) and Ashwin (four wickets) found success. To boot, the team buried the ghosts of Galle and Herath with an outstanding 304-run win.
Howzzat for starters!
Published Date: Jul 30, two thousand seventeen 01:23 pm | Updated Date: Jul 30, two thousand seventeen 01:23 pm
