IND-SRI TEST SERIES - PRACTICE MATCH

DAY 1 -

Once again, the level of Indian cricket or perhaps, the lack of it, has been exposed.In the absence of Zaheer Khan, who has proved to be the backbone of Indian fast bowling in test cricket and the erratic and wired Sreesanth, India find themselves in the familiar position of being dependent on batting and batting alone to rescue them. Ishant Sharma has shown how well he has utilized the break from international cricket. He delivered ten no balls in the practice game against Sri Lanka Board President's XI.His no ball problem seems to be indefatigable and seizes to elude him.Amit Mishra had a golden opportunity to prove his worth in test cricket and make a statement.Instead, he chose to take things lightly and went on to deliver eleven no balls which is delinquent, especially for a spinner.Pragyan Ojha was far too expensive for the team's liking.For giving someone a chance who was consistently inconsistent and at times, did not make it to his IPL team playing eleven this season, selectors deserve some special appreciation! Munaf Patel is a person who seems least interested in discipline or for that matter, cricket itself.It may be argued that he has come as a replacement for the injured Sreesanth. This just shows the lack of reserves or bench strength in the bowling department.Sans Zaheer, India have struggled to find a consistent fast bowler (oops! medium pacer) at the test level after Javagal Srinath.

Sri Lankan batsmen,sans Sangakkara and Jayawardene, made a mockery of Indian bowlers,amassing more than 400 runs in one day.Batsmen like Thirimanne and Kandamby sent a strong signal to their selectors,making the most of the occasion.Its time,once again,for the batsmen to come good and redeem some pride of the current world's number one test cricket team.

DAY 2 -

For a change, Indian batsmen decided to play the role of our bowlers, just to see how it feels like! Sehwag continues to play the only way he knows. Practice matches are a time when you have the opportunity to try out the untested. He should learn to spend some time at the wicket for times when the team needs to save a test match or has to see through a tough spell of swing bowling. Going bang bang is the way to go in the main matches under normal circumstances if you have legends like Dravid,Sachin and Laxman to follow but as an opener, Sehwag must learn to stay quiet at the wicket, say for the first ten overs,when the going gets tough. The hottest example of this at present is the victory of Spain at world cup.Controlled aggression is what pays else the world cup would have belonged to Brazil or Argentina!

Gautam Gambhir is far from finding his form. The Sri-Lankan team wanted to see more of him, dropping him three times, an unusual affair, but he was not in a mood to please them!Dravid was batting after a long lay off from international cricket and given his class and reputation, he is expected to be back in the groove soon. In his glittering career, Sachin has been incorrectly given out leg before wicket innumerable times.Ironically, he has expressed his displeasure at the challenge system, that works so effectively in the game of tennis.Yuvraj Singh played the rear guard action and notched up a scintillating century.He was positive right from the word go, taking on the spinners, including Mendis.Still, his capacity to stay at the wicket when required to do so should be under scrutiny as it would have been a big blow to his chances of cementing a place at No.6 in test side had he got out trying to hit one of the bowlers out of the park.Dhoni decided he wanted some more rest before taking on the responsibilities and went out cheaply.In case the follow-on is enforced,the onus shall be on the Indian batsmen to perform and return to their usual role.

DAY 3 -

The decision by Sri Lanka Board President's XI not to enforce the follow on and bat on the third and last day of the practice match was a very good move, both strategically as well as professionally.This decision not only denied the Indian batsmen to get back into their rhythm but also provided Sri Lankans an opportunity to see how well their batsmen perform when needed to score quick runs in the second innings to put the opposition under greater hassle.Thirimanne made the most of the occasion and made a strong statement to the selectors.The situation has just got tougher for the Sri Lankan selectors as their are too many passengers wanting to board the same train! There exists a healthy competition among the players and such situations are a captain's delight.Chandimal was given a well earned promotion and he failed to disappoint.He really looks a very good prospect for Sri Lanka and seems to be apt to take over from Sangakkara when the time comes.Samaraweera and Kandamby are two highly rated players in Sri Lankan cricket but are yet to prove their credentials at the top level.

For India, Amit Mishra deserves a special mention.Eleven no balls in the first innings and six in the second, this is a performance you do not expect from a kid playing gully cricket, let alone an international spin bowler.His performance was horrible and if Harbhajan continues to be unfit and unavailable for the first test match, playing Abhimanyu Mithun or an extra batsman won't be a bad option.Indian cricketers like Yusuf, Parthiv and Irfan shall do themselves no harm by lowering their voracity for money and ignoring the media attention.These players find time to attend various shows, participate even in television serials, let alone the advertisements. Perhaps, a couple of seasons in IPL are enough to bring them ample money and hence, the desire to play for their country might be fading away.Cricketers like Yuvraj,Irfan, Ishant, Sreesanth,Utthappa,Mishra,Yusuf and Raina have allowed weeds to grow in their garden of talent and skill.Let's hope our beloved legends (Dravid,Sachin and Laxman) find their form so that all cricket fans enjoy what is real cricket! :P