We let ourselves down, says coach Moody

NEW DELHI, Wednesday, Sri Lanka's Australian coach Tom Moody said that his team let themselves down in two small periods of the game to lose the second Test against India by 188 runs at the Ferozshah Kotla grounds here today.

"On the second day we lost numerous wickets when we were in a commanding position. It was about 45 minutes of madness really," said Moody. "In our second innings last evening we lost again quick wickets which cost us going into the fifth day with more wickets in hand we would have confidently seen out the day if not chased after the total." Moody said the first hurdle the team tripped was in not capitalizing in the first innings.

"We had a terrific start and we should have had comfortably a 100-plus lead going into the second innings. That wasn't to be," said Moody. "I think the wicket we played on was a good cricket wicket.

But for a new batsman coming into the crease it took a bit of time to adjust. That was probably the downfall certainly in our case and probably in the Indian's case where they collapsed from a commanding position in their first innings," he said.

Moody said that the Indian batsmen played Muttiah Muralitharan well in the second innings to concede only a solitary wicket to him after he had run through their batting in the first innings taking seven for 100.

"Murali is a wonderful bowler. You can't rely on him taking wickets every single innings. He bowled well. He tried everything he possibly could but the Indians played him well. We had to persevere and it wasn't to be for Murali in the second innings. It's not to say that he didn't give 150 percent," said Moody.

We lost the grip on day two - Atapattu

Marvan Atapattu, the Sri Lankan captain said losing the grip in the final session of the second day led to his team's downfall and admitted that his dismissals in both innings towards the end of the day's play were crucial factors for his team's loss.

"In the first innings, I wouldn't have played that particularly delivery any differently if I had to play it again. It was just that the ball popped up a bit more than the previous ones," said Atapattu.

"Yesterday I kept on going with my innings. My idea was to rotate the strike and I didn't want to face one single bowler for more than a couple of balls."

The Sri Lanka captain was caught off bat-pad in the first innings for 88 and hit back a return catch in the second after he had made 67. "When you really look at the two sessions where we lost wickets, it was near to close of play and probably we had not concentrated that much harder," said Atapattu.

"I wouldn't be too critical of my batsmen about the shot selection, but concentration lapses were more than anything to do with shot selection. We must make sure it won't happen again."

Atapattu said the pitch was not unplayable but stroke making on it wasn't that easy. "One had to get used to the pitch and that is why we saw better batting in the second innings from both sides than in the first." He said that Muralitharan who came to bat with a runner in the second innings had a slight thigh strain, but it was nothing serious.