Will the Indians overcome the ‘M-factor’?

Sri Lanka held team will march into the second Test against India with their heads high. Having thrashed India by an innings and 239 runs in the first Test at the SSC grounds last week, Mahela Jayawardene and his lads have come down to Galle brimming with confidence.

It was India’s third biggest defeat in the history of Test cricket as Muttiah Muralitharan and debutant Ajantha Mendis shared 19 of the 20 Indian wickets between them. It was a ruthless massacre by the two Lankan spinners who had the Indian batsmen all at sea.

Evergreen Muralitharan had a match bag of 11 wickets for 110 while Mendis’ match haul of 8 for 132 accounted for the best ever performance by a Lankan bowler on Test debut.

Four more scalps

Playing in his 122nd Test today, Muralitharan needs only four more scalps to become the first man in the world to capture 750 Test wickets. But he was humble in victory giving full credit to his new spin partner Mendis.

Muralitharan was quoted as saying that Mendis bowled better than him. Was it the biggest inspiration for the young soldier who has just started creating a name in international cricket after his miraculous match-winning spell in the recent Asia Cup final?

Many thought the Carrom ball spinner sprang a surprise and that he could not be lucky all the time. Even when the 23-year-old product from Moratuwa was included in the Lankan squad for the first Test, critics expressed doubts as to how he could fit into the established game in such a hurry. Many of them were of the view that it was too early for Mendis to make his Test debut.

But Mendis proved the critics wrong with a sensational debut spell. The Indian batsmen could not read his variation as the wickets started tumbling with Muralitharan adding pressure from the other end. Will this ‘M Factor’ of Muralitharan and Mendis damage the powerful Indian batting line up once more?

Home advantage

According to the reports reaching from the Southern capital, the wicket for the Second Test, which begins at Galle International Stadium today, could well take spin early. With the home advantage, high morale and two champion slow bowlers on a spinners’ paradise, Sri Lanka could well start on a high note even before they toss.

But they should not take things for granted. The Lankans should not be overconfident and expect a victory without much sweat. The home team must never underestimate their opponents, who have all the ingredients to make a sensational comeback at any point of the three-Test series.

Indian captain Anil Kumble has already indicated that they would come to the second Test with a different strategy. They may well elect to bat first if they win the toss under bright conditions. Batting in the fourth innings against the ‘M factor’ could be suicidal. Kumble and his men would not like to suffer that mental agony of the SSC once more.

Hence, they could well prefer to take first lease of the wicket to avoid facing Muralitharan and Mendis in the fourth innings of the Test. But that alone could not take the Indians to safety.

A new approach with a determined effort could help the unpredictable Indians to begin from zero. The Indians are born fighters and could well explode at any moment. Hence, the Lankans can not afford to take things for granted.

All what happened at the SSC is now history. Sri Lanka too should begin the second Test with a new approach, without being overconfident. Keeping their morale high after the first Test is definitely an advantage but the hosts should take every ball seriously and apply pressure from the first over.

No excuse

The Indians have faced Muralitharan over the past several years and going down without a contest against the spin wizard is no excuse for champion batsmen of the calibre of Sachin Tendulkar, Verendra Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir.

But the Indians’ biggest problem still remains unsolved. How could they read the deliveries of mystery spinner Mendis? The Indians claim that their batsmen have picked four deliveries of Mendis - the off-spin, leg-spin, googly and flipper. But to which extent they have done this is yet to be seen.

Mendis is a phenomenal bowler. The soldier is simply unstoppable when he mixes his deliveries well. Hence, the best way for the Indians to tackle Mendis factor is only by watching the rotation of the ball. Hence, it is important to watch his deliveries till the end and read it well before playing a shot.

However, Mendis too cannot live for too long with his mysterious balls.

Soon his opponent batsmen could study him closely. Once that is done, Mendis cannot survive in the long run unless he comes out with a new ploy. Muralitharan has done this exceptionally well to go a long journey in the international arena. Likewise, Mendis too should gear up for the future.

Innings defeat

The Lankan batting clicked well in the only innings they played and mustered 600 for 5 to inflict a massive innings defeat. Though the hosts lost the first wicket with just seven runs on the board after electing to bat first - that of Michael Vandort for three, they went on for a mammoth total with the help of four centuries - Malinda Warnapura (115), skipper Jayawardene (116), Tilan Samaraweera (127) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (125 n.o).

It would be interesting to see what the two teams have to offer as Test cricket returns to the picturesque Galle International Stadium which is under the care of former Sri Lanka Test spinner Jayananda Warnaweera, who has put in so much effort to maintain Test cricket’s most historic venue.