Lankans were like lambs to the slaughter

If you can’t win, then you must try your best not to lose. That is the axiom that is hammered into every sportsman or woman when he or she takes to sport. But apparently this axiom has not been taught to our cricketers or they are feigning ignorance.

When the Indian cricketers ran up a huge 642, batting first in the Second Test at Kanpur, and gave the Lankans over three days to sink or swim, there was no way that the Lankans could have forced a win.

All they had to do was put there heads down, every batsman making it his business top stay put at the wicket and frustrating the Indian bowlers and firstly saving the ignominy of a follow on and if that was not possible playing for a draw when asked to follow on.

But the much hyped Lankans did not seem to have the ability to do just that and in making only 229 and 269 gifted the Test to Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Indians by an innings and 144 runs.

Disgraceful defeat

In this disgraceful defeat by innings, what was most disgusting was the needless run out of Sri Lanka’s batting marvel Mahela Jayawardena in the second innings when the Lankans were gasping to save the game.

There was no run and there was no need for a run what with Sri Lanka fighting to save the game. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara played a ball to India’s best fielder Youvraj Singh on the leg side and darted for a single, as if on that single rested a Sri Lanka victory and sacrificed Jayawardena.

Jayawardena responded to this irresponsible call from his captain, failed to make his crease and was run out much to the delight of the Indians who knew this was a big, big wicket because Jayawardena was their tormentor in the First Test with a superbly chiseled out 275.

The TV commentators could not understand this mad scramble for a run that was not there and was not needed which saw to the run out Jayawardena and expressed their displeasure.It is time that the Sri Lankan batsmen run between the wickets with more intelligence and responsibility next time round.

Drawing boards

With this defeat what now remains in the Third and Final Test is for the Lankans to get back to the drawing boards, analyze where they went wrong, put their heads together and come out with a strategy that could give them that elusive victory in India.

By signing, sealing and delivering the Second Test to India by an innings and 144 runs, the Lankans thus blew their longing of securing a series win in India, which has been eluding them since the two countries began wielding the willow.

In the First in Ahmedabad, the wicket provided was a belter and both teams revelled on it scoring over 1500 runs and playing out a tame draw with the Lankans not having the bowling fire power to force a victory.

Came the Second Test and the wicket prepared seemed a result oriented one, because the wicket began to crumble as the game progressed which made batting a bit difficult but certainly not unplayable.

Lacked technique

The Lankan batsmen sadly lacked the technique, the temperament and the staying power and with these shortcomings being exposed there was no way that the Test could be saved and the Lankans had to finally concede victory to the better side by innings.

The teams made changes for the Second Test with the home team leaving out the gangling paceman Ishant Sharma and leg spinner Amrit Misra. While the leaving out of Sharma was justified, it did not make sense the dropping of Misra.

Misra varied his leg spinners, googlies and top spinners with great aplomb on an unresponsive wicket and that he did not bag a lot of wickets had the Lankan batsmen in difficulty and his dropping we thought was cruel.

Very many captains do not have confidence in leg spinners. Leg spinners are expected to buy their wickets. A leg spinner can only succeed if his captain has confidence in him and is willing to allow the bowler to concede runs in capturing his wickets.

Difficult art

Leg spin, googly bowling with many other variety of deliveries is the most difficult art in bowling. If and when a leg spinner strikes a length, he can make batsmen look foolish, because the batsmen would not know which way the ball is going and good leg spin bowling is a sight to behold.

But the Indian selectors in tossing paceman in Shantakumaran Sreesanth immediately struck gold. Sreesanth had been in the wilderness for a long time due to injuries and his questionable behaviour.

All fast bowlers are temperamental and it was no different with Sreesanth.All fast men starting with who we can remember - Prior Jones and John Trim, Keith Miller and Ray Lindwall, Brian Statham and Fred Trueman, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Colin Croft, Allan Donald and Brett Schultz to name a few were all temperamental. Sreeshanth grabbed the opportunity with both hands and hit back hard at his detractors and it was his bowling in the first innings that drove the Lankans on to the road of defeat and it was on that hazardous road that the Lankans steered themselves to defeat by innings.

Hamstring injury

As for the Lankans they were forced to leave out paceman Dhammika Prasad suffering a hamstring injury and took the gamble in tossing in mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis.

Going in with three spinners made a lot of sense but that sense turned to nonsense when skipper Kumar Sangakkara lost the toss. Had he won the toss the three spinners would have been helpful bowling on a deteriorating wicket. But that’s the gamble skippers take. Mendis from whom a lot was expected failed to live up to his reputation. It is apparent that the Indian batsmen, whom Mendis had in a flat spin when they toured here, have finally sorted him out. Is the mystery bowler heading for history?

After the worst bashing by the Indians, skipper Sangakkara went on record as saying that the batsmen should show more commitment. That commitment should firstly come from the skipper who should be an example when batting. It is then that it will rub off on the batsmen following.

Sad indictment

It was a sad indictment on the Sri Lanka attack which had the greatest spinner Muttiah Muralitheran being thrashed for over 400 runs in a day, which was also a record. The Lankans were just chasing leather all day with centuries from Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid and half centuries from V.V.V.S. Laxman. They made mincemeat of the attack.