Lankans go down tamely

If a match cannot be won, then one must fight tooth and nail to save it. This should be the aim of every sportsmen and women in whatever sport. But sadly the cricketers touring India did not seem to have an idea of this and it was a sad sight to see them concede the second Test to India by 188 runs at the Kotala.

When the Indians set the Lankans a massive 436 runs for victory, there was no way that the Lankans would have won the game, unless a cricketing miracle took place. It is said that the days of miracles are still not over.

Had the Lankans set about getting to the target in a planned manner, there could have been the possibility of a cricketing miracle. But what we saw was some spineless batting, other than from skipper Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardena. To save the Test the Lankan batsmen had to concentrate, be patient and ply every ball on its merits and not get a sudden rush of blood to the head and try to hit the cover off the ball.

But when we began our attempt to save the game, we did not seem to do so with any meaning or a plan. Most of the batsmen looked like they were indulging in a one-day game and seemed to bat that way. Now that type of approach was unacceptable. When it comes to this type and kind of level, the approach should have been completely different. The batsmen were all well experienced and they would have been told how to set about their task of saving the game, because the win was not possible.

At one time when the skipper and former vice skipper Atapattu and Jayawardena were at the wicket, there was the possibility that the Lankans could save the game if the other batsmen too took the cue from Atapattu and Jayawardena. But that was not to be. Batsmen who followed did not seem capable to the task and a match that could have been saved, if we batted with purpose was unnecessarily lost.

However one must give full marks to the Indians capably led by Rahul Dravid for putting on the pressure on the Lankans and luring them to their demise. Dravid is proving to be an excellent skipper.

Watching him, it is apparent that he is always thinking of how to get the opponents out. He supports his bowlers with some brilliant field placings and the bowlers in return oblige by bowling to set fields and getting the opponent batsmen out.

It was leg-spinner Anil Kumble who led the destruction of the Lankan batsmen. Kept out of the one-day internationals, which was a well earned rest for this great trier, he came back firing all cylinders for the Test and what a mess he made of the Lankan batsmen.

None of them could read this repertoire of deliveries and it was sad to see the batsmen being completely at sea against him. While Kumble controlled his leg spin and googly beautifully, what was sad to watch was that the batsmen did not seem to be able to read his skidder or the top spinner, which are primarily straight balls, but ones that skids and surrender their wickets.

Kumble who bowled very intelligently and cleverly was well rewarded with a match bag of 10 wickets.

At the time of writing which is the end of the first day of the second Test, one hopes that the Lankans would make every endeavour to chalk up a victory and level the series and come back with their heads held high. Not to do so would be a severe setback for the game conceding that they meekly surrendered the One-Day International series earlier.

Ganguly dropping

Accepted that the Indian selectors thought fit to drop former skipper Savrav Ganguly from the final Test, which probably proves the end of his illustrious and exemplary Test career. But no one would have faulted the selectors and coach Greg Chappell had they allowed him to play in the final Test, so as to allow the Indian supporters to give him a resounding farewell.

They could have made it known before the Second Test that, that game was going to be his swan song.

After all it must not be forgotten that Ganguly had done a lot for the game and the status it enjoys by example. He is their most successful Test captain and he deserved a better ending.

True he would have had his faults. But he nullified all that by playing the game by example and making Indian cricket a force to be reckoned with. He led them to the final of the previous World Cup and it was just one of those things that he could not emulate the feat of the Indians of 1983 when they were led by Kapil Dev and beat the mighty West Indies to carry away the World Cup.

The Australians led by Ricky Ponting proved too tough for him.