Mahela the marvel rewrites the books

Before going to comment on the drawn First Test between Sri Lanka and India in India, I would like to offer big bouquets to Mahela Jayawardena for his stupendous batting feats and Prasanna Jayawardena for partnering him in achieving these records.

In a Test that saw many other records set up, the one that stands out was the 351 run stand for the sixth wicket by the two Jayawardenas, Mahela and Prasanna that erased the record for that wicket set up by the greatest batsman the world will ever see the amazing Sir Donald Bradman and Jack Fingleton.

Bradman and Fingleton spun this record in 1937 against their arch rivals England in putting on 346 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1937. Thus a record that stood for 72 years was broken to pieces. That was great.

The Jayawardenas pocketed this record against a good bowling attack that comprised pacies Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan and spinners Harbhajan Singh off spin and Amrit Misra leg spin.

Select band

Mahela during this big stand joined a select band of cricketers who have scored over nine thousand Test runs. That he missed scoring another 300 was one of those things. Had he reached that he would have been the only Sri Lanka batsman to have scored two three hundreds in Tests.

But for Mahela who gave up the Sri Lankan captaincy prematurely, it was batting to bring Sri Lanka its first Test victory on Indian soil,that has never before being achieved was the end line.

He played his part to perfection along with opener Tillakaratne Dilshan 112 and wicket keeper batsman Prasanna Jayawardena 154 not out to take Sri Lanka to another record score of 760 for 7 declared in reply to India's 426 all out.

Mahela was concentration and temperament personified as his innings began to grow. His timing and superb placements were entertaining to watch. His beautiful driving on the V, the square cuts and the pulls and hooks were all on display and he was an object lesson to youngsters watching. Even the ranks of Tuscany could scarce forbear to cheer.

Mahela's hunger for runs has not diminished. As captain he had an amazing run. He had his fill as captain, did the job to the satisfaction of all concerned and the victories he achieved for the country will speak for itself. He was a no nonsense captain because for him it was the good name of the country and maintaining it was what mattered.

Change of heart

When for no fault of his, he was contemplating chucking the captaincy, how the people who mattered did not see reason and force him to have a change of heart and continue the excellent work he was doing, particularly getting up a team that would win the next World Cup to be played in the sub continent was inexplicable.

But for Jayawardena the game's the thing and now that he is free of the burdens that a captain has to shoulder, he is now free to do what he knows best and that is making an avalanche of runs for himself and the country. He is a pukka fellow.

We who have followed Jayawardena's amazing run since he first proudly sported the Sri Lanka cap wish him more bags full of runs and may he continue to entertain, thrill and be an example to the youngsters watching all over the cricketing world.

From Mahela we move on to Tillakaratne Dilshan and Prasanna Jayawardena. Chasing a big Indian score Dilshan gave his team the ideal platform with Tharanga Paranavitana putting on 74 for the first wicket. Dilshan was always positive, well supported by Paranavitana and never allowed the Indian pacies Sharma and Khan to settle into a length, which opening showed the way for Mahela and Prasanna to capitalize on and send the puffed up Indians on a leather hunt.

Unnecessary time

As for us, why the Lankans had to bat on for a lead of 334 while consuming unnecessary time would always remain a question. A declaration with a lead of 250 giving us that extra time to try and bowl out the Indians would have made sense.

There was no way that we could lose, because the Test was of five days duration and not played over six or seven days and the Indians were not going to make a mad rush to wipe off the deficit and put us in again giving us a target.

By continuing to bat on, it was apparent that the Sri Lankans were not aiming or probing for that elusive victory, but were first concentrating to stave off defeat. To say the least it was poor thinking.

By continuing to bat, we were giving the Indians what they wanted and that was less time to bat in their endeavour to save the game in which they did not stand a chance after that massive Lankan first innings lead. And by also not being able to bowl out the Indians does not speak well of our bowling attack which carried the world's best spinner in Muttiah Muralitharan. Going wicket less in the second innings when he was expected to bowl the Indians out would have been galling to Muralitharan and the team. Putting pressure on the Indian batsmen with attacking fields was sadly lacking.

Wicket a grave yard

But to the credit of the bowlers on both sides it must be said that the wicket was a grave yard. It was certainly not a result oriented wicket. It was wicket meant primarily for the batsmen to revel on and Rahul 'the wall' Dravid, Gabhir, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardena and Prasanna Jayawardena did just that.

In preparing a batting friendly wicket and not as usual a spinners wicket that the Indian curators are famous for, it was apparent that they were having a high regard and respect for our tweakers Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath and putting to second best their spinners Harbhajan Singh Amrit Misra. Sad that Mendis had to be left out.

In the past Indian curators used to revel preparing spin friendly wickets to trounce their opponents. And in those days the Indians had spinners who could work magic on those wickets and lure the opponents to defeat. Names that come to mind are Gupte, Gulam Ahmed, Bishen Singh Bedi, Chandrasekhar, Venkataraghavan, Nadkarni and Prasanna. They were magicians with the ball and had batsmen in a flat spin. Where are those spinners now?

For that champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar, his entry into the third decade of cricket was a memorable one when he scored a patient, but cleverly carved out three figure score of 100 not out.