DAY - 1
This test series shall be remembered more for individual achievements by cricketing giants instead of the boring and futile cricket it had to offer.The moment Sachin Tendulkar stepped on the field, he became the most caped test player of all time.This is just another rose in his garden of achievement, just another step on the ladder leading to the highest and perhaps, invincible summit and another jewel in the crown already studded with plenty.There is little doubt on who is going to rule the cricketing world after its beloved and all conquering king:The cricketing world shall certainly miss a ruler!In the coming era,Sachin shall always be regarded as the greatest cricketer ever as the batsmen shall hardly be tested, given the already deteriorating standards of test cricket and the necessity of a sound technique shall become a thing of past in the times of fast and furious cricket.
Sangakkara won the toss, yet again, and decided to bat.India went into the test having lost Harbhajan to an injury which meant Mishra got an opportunity.Indian medium pacers started well as they bowled good lines regularly! Paranavitana was the first wicket to fall getting an edge off an Ishant Sharma delivery.Ishant got the bowl to nip back regularly, though the inconsistency in his bowling lines meant Dilshan had enough opportunities to play his favorite shots on the off side.Dilshan did play him well except for his timing while playing the cut short.Sangakkara attacked Mishra, the way he normally goes about playing the spinners at the start of a fresh spell, and sent him to the cleaners.A well spread out field by Dhoni in the 15th over suggested the little belief he has in Mishra and the defensive mindset of the Indians.Confidence is a great attribute to have but over confidence is something a player should guard himself from.Raina made a blunder by diving forward to latch a catch of Sangakkara which was on its way to Laxman's hands.Ojha was introduced into the attack and Sri Lanka looked headed for another strong start when Dilshan lost his wicket off a no-ball! He was run out, courtesy the good work by Vijay at silly point.
It is certainly amazing, unbelievable and incomprehensible, the way Indian spinners manage to deliver no-balls consistently.Sangakkara simply toyed with the Indian spinners, regularly lofting them over the infield, though settling down and nudging the ball into the gaps and building his innings would not have been a bad option.Ojha got some sharp turn a couple of times but otherwise, hardly troubled the two batsmen.Sangakkara and Jayawardene have been the lynch-pin of the Sri Lnakan batting for quite some time now.It was a bit comedic to see them in confusion over running between wickets, though they settled down later. Finally,Sangakkara paid for trying to clear the boundary once again, throwing his wicket away to present Ojha with his first.What followed was a fine bowling spell by Mishra and Mithun in tandem and just when they looked like troubling the batsmen, the umpires called it tea.
Sharma and Mishra started off well after tea and it was a little baffling to see Sharma removed from the attack to introduce Ojha as Sharma was certainly not menacing but had Jayawardene in some sought of trouble.Ojha continued the good work alongside Mishra and for the first time in the series, Indians looked in some control in the field as the batsmen were unable to dominate the two spinners.Ojha finally got Jaywardene who might consider himself unlucky to be given out.Sehwag was given a bowl but,for once, did not look more effective than the premier spinners!
Mishra seems busy finding new ways to get into trouble these days.After his no-ball problem, he has shown vulnerability in his run up suggested by the fact that he was warned twice by the umpires for running on the danger area.Sri Lankan batsmen now looked to consolidate the innings,easy singles available because of the inside out field.
India might just have missed a trick by claiming the new ball after 81 overs as spinners were doing a great job.Play was called off after a few overs because of the bad light.The match seems to be well poised and the biggest relief from the viewer's point of view was the better nature of wicket than the second test.Probability of a result seems to be a good one.
DAY - 2
Ishant Sharma began the day on a good note, though Mithun was completely wayward and was removed soon from the attack.He was reintroduced from the other end, not the best of moves from Dhoni.Ojha removed Matthews with a fine delivery, giving India a chance to restrict Sri Lanka to under 400.The two Indian spinners bowled in tandem,Ojha putting on the pressure from one end while Mishra releasing it from the other!Ojha got the wicket of Prasanna Jayawardene to take his wicket tally in this match to four.One wonders why Chandimal is being ignored by the Sri Lankan selectors.He looks a far better option than Prasanna.
India could certainly have attacked Randiv a bit more while the spinners were on.Dhoni toyed with Sehwag and Ishant, giving them alternate overs from one end and continuing with Mishra from the other though introducing Ojha straight away into the attack would have done India no harm.Finally,Randiv's patience gave away and he threw his wicket.Malinga hardly showed any discretion and was soon back in the pavilion.More than his batting,Sri Lankan camp shall certainly be looking forward to a fiery bowling performance from him.Some mindless batting from Samaraweera was now on display as he hogged singles to give majority of the strike to Mendis.Another small partnership ensued and Sri Lanka went past 400.Finally,Sharma got Mendis and Welegedera in quick succession.Welegedera attacked from the word go, though he could have easily stayed at the wicket with Samaraweera still batting at the other end.Sri Lankan innings was folded at a total of 425.
Malinga started the proceedings with a fabulous yorker to Vijay and one was assured of some entertainment from him.He,once again, bowled his heart out and troubled Sehwag on more than one occasion, though the latter thrashed Welegedera.Vijay hardly looked comfortable through out his innings and was done in by Malinga, who bowled superbly.Dravid came in and looked nice and compact.Sangakkara missed the trick completely by continuing Welegedera from the other end.He might have snared Sehwag a couple of times in tests but still has done nothing substantial to earn respect of the attacking opener.Sehwag,on the other hand,showed fine restraint and looked good for another big one.Sangakkara had just two close-in fielders for Dravid while Medis bowled,something one expects off him now!
Matthews got the big and crucial wicket of Rahul Dravid, who looked good while his short stay at the crease, with a delivery Rahul seems to be troubled by more than any other..A big knock from Dravid is due and one hopes he finds the old touch of his.Sehwag had a slice of luck when Matthews dropped him off his own bowling.Mendis bowled well and for once,Sangakkara was playing normal cricket,introducing Malinga back into the attack.An intriguing phase of test cricket ensued as there was an equal competition between the bat and the ball.Sangakkara should certainly have attacked the two little men from India more.Malinga made both the batsmen think and was well supported at the other end by none other than Randiv, a surprise package!
The day ended with Sehwag and Sachin seeing off the hostile Malinga and surviving quite a few LBW shouts off Randiv.Once again, no team seems to be in an advantageous position though Sri Lankans would certainly feel they have an edge over the Indians.This certainly certainly has much more in store than the dull second test.
DAY - 3
The first ball of the day saw Malinga beating Tendulkar! Sachin,uncharacteristically, looked out of sorts and perished,poking at a short delivery outside off in the same over.This handed Sri Lanka a definite advantage.So far, Sangakkara has pulled all the right strings in this test match as far as bowling changes are concerned, a huge surprise! Randiv was introduced from the other end and Sehwag was extremely lucky to survive a LBW shout in the second over of the day before perishing to the same bowler.Sangakkara could certainly have gone for the kill by bringing in more close in fielders, with the Indian backs to the wall.
Malinga was removed from the attack now! Ooh!! With Raina at crease, removing Malinga after he had just bowled four overs,was nothing less than a blunder.Its just like allowing the snake to live freely by killing the eagle!After 35 balls of patient batting, Raina was doing what he likes to do and stepped out to Mendis, though he survived.Incredulously, Dilshan was introduced into the attack.Randiv beat Raina a couple of times before Welegedera( and not Matthews) was brought on.Extremely surprising was the lack of short stuff from the Lankan bowlers! Well, Sangakkara forgot he had given the ball to Welegedera and brought back Malinga now only to change ends for Welegedera.The first bouncer balled at Raina was after he had faced 77 deliveries to score 39 runs!Malinga fired in yorkers at Raina.It almost seems there has been an off-field pact made between the two camps and Raina is the benefitter!
Raina survived a edge off Malinga before it was Sangakkara who denied Malinga his wicket.A short leg fielder was missing and finally,when the accurate bouncer arrived, the ball fell in the vacant area,begging to be caught.Laxman played a fine and quiet innings before he was sent off by Mendis at a crucial time.Raina decided to open up now and took the attack to Malinga et al.
Finally,he was snared by Mendis and India found themselves in a spot of bother now.A lead would have certainly handed Sri Lankans an advantage.Mithun entered the scene and once again, played well alongside his captain.Dhoni and Mithun looked to get some quick runs and Dhoni perished on the way.A better performance was expected from Dhoni, a fantastic finisher in the one day game.Mendis bowled really well and Malinga returned to nail the skipper's wicket.
Sri Lanka found themselves in a position from where they could have pressed on and attain a lead of,say, 50 runs.It was ridiculous to see Sangakkara having a deep midwicket and a long-off in place.Matthews dropped a sitter form Mishra off Malinga and the two tailenders saw off the new ball till tea, Mithun looking far more convincing as a batsman.Both were beaten quite a few times by Malinga and Welegedera, the former looking at his menacing best while the latter looking completely ordinary.Mithun batted (infact,battled!) really well before he left the scene while India trailed by just 16 runs.Mishra got some valuable runs for India and India took a slender lead before the innings folded.
With just over two days of cricket left, Sri Lankans would certainly look to get some quick runs,a lead of say,250 and have a go at Indian batsmen later in the fourth day and on the fifth day.The two openers started well and Dhoni wass alert enough to introduce spin early on.Sehwag was introduced ahead of Mishra and the move resulted in the wicket of Paranavitana.Both the camps had ups and downs with runs coming off the bat as well as ball beating the bat on quite a few occasions.Next,Dilshan was shown the way to the pavilion by a fine catch from Vijay at short leg.The day was seen off by Sangakkara and Randiv,the night watchman.The match seems to be in complete balance and it all depends on the attitude with which the players approach the game.
DAY - 4
Drama started straight away on day four of the match with both batsmen surviving a chance apiece.Having no slip in place meant the ball flew through the vacant area off the edge of Sangakkara's bat.Next,Sharma unleashed an array of bouncers against Randiv before Dhoni dropped him off Ojha though no damage was done as Randiv was trapped in front the very next ball.It was fantastic to see Dhoni attack ,having four close in fielders for the new batsman, Jayawardene.Indians looked really pumped up in the field which was pleasing.Sri Lankans were looking for quick runs so as to put pressure on the Indians.But fate had other plans for them as Ojha bowled beautifully on a helpful wicket, getting the most out of it.Jayawardene was sent back be him leaving Sri Lanka in a huge spot of bother.Just when a big,perhaps a match saving partnership was required,Sangakkara played a terrible shot on a rubbish delivery from Ojha and lost his wicket to give India total control of the match.
Sehwag was given the bowl for just one over, perhaps considering that Sangakkara,a left hander, was at the crease.Soon after his wicket,Dhoni introduced Mishra into the attack with two right handers batting.Dhoni made a blunder by pushing mod on back to long on after just one boundary from Matthews, who was stupid enough to charge down the track at take the risk of losing his wicket.Well,Matthews was in no mood to capitalize as he threw of his wicket, playing an extremely carefree stroke off Mishra.The drama continued as Prasanna was found LBW the very next delivery.With Sri Lanka completely on the mat, India had a great chance to finsh things off in style and secure a comprehensive victory.
Sri Lankan batsmen decided to still carry on with their attacking approach.Dhoni pushed his fielders back though their was no need of this.He should have looked to attack and finish the innings.There was no attempt to stop Samaraweera from taking a single off the last deliveries of the over and nor did Samaraweera hesitate much in giving Malinga the strike by getting off strike early in the over.Finally,Malinga was out playing his shots to Sehwag.India were denied a wicket quite some time after that as Samaraweera and Mendis piled on crucial runs.An inside out field was set by Dhoni as he brought back his medium pacers into the attac,perhaps,on the advice of Sachin.Mendis proved to be quite a thorn for India as he rapidly gathered useful runs for his team.
Dhoni fiddled with his bowlers, desperate to get a wicket.Ishant did trouble Mendis but failed break the partnership.Mendis reached his fifty with a boundary off Ojha, stretching the lead further.Finally,Mithun provided the breakthrough with the new ball, snaring Medis's wicket.What followed was some hilarious stuff from Mendis, though not too funny if you are an Indian fan.To be fair, Indian bowlers deserve this thumping.They hardly tried any yorkers or slower balls.Finally,the innings ended with a target of 257 in front of the Indian batsmen.A normal performance by the formidable Indian batting lineup would certainly see them through where as Sri Lankans shall be depending on Malinga for early breakthroughs.
Sangakkara did well to start with Randiv at the other end alongside Malinga.Sri Lanka were off to a dream start when they dismissed Sehwag for a duck.A session of Sehwag could have finished the game in no time and his wicket should have given Sri Lankans a big boost.Sangakkara missed a trick by not having a backward short leg early on as a ball went past the region off Vijay's bat.Four overs of Malinga and he was taken off!! Sangakkara certainly knows his ways,though no one else knows where he is trotting! Rahul Dravid was extremely unlucky to get out.There are times when all luck seems to elude you and this might just be such a phase for him.Sangakkara also acknowledged that the game was being unfair to India!He introduced Welegedera and had just a lone slip off him (An edge from Sachin flew past the man).Almost forgetting about him, Sangakkara introduced Malinga back into the attack.Now,Vijay played a careless shot off Randiv to hand him his third wicket and to leave India in doldrums, staring at another possible defeat.Tendulkar and the nightwatchman, Sharma, saw the day off without further damage.India needs a very very special(VVS) effort from its two big guns if they are to save the match.
DAY - 5
The day was started with a Sangakkara special as Welegedera was trusted to start things off.Ishant Sharma hardly looked in any mood to stay at the wicket as he was beaten regularly by ordinary stuff from Welegedera.Finally,he gifted his wicket to Randiv,bringing the two experienced and batting greats together.If Dilshan has been miserable with the bat through out the series, he committed a blunder in fielding that could bear a significant impact in the game.He dropped a simple catch offered by none other than the little master.To be fair to Dilshan,who is an exceptional fielder, every one has a off day and its just unfortunate for him that it had to be today.Malinga was finally brought into the attack, though, for the first time in the series, he looked to be a bit off color.
Extremely poor field settings by Sangakkara were on view as Mendis came in to ball to a good looking, in form Laxman.Most inexplicably,Dilshan was given the ball with a well spread out field.Both batsmen found singles easily, their class and Sangakkara's inordinate field placements making batting look ridiculously easy.Malinga was back after lunch and spat venom at the batsmen only to loose his control resulting in a flurry of runs for India.
Just as India seemed to be cruising, they were hampered by the loss of Sachin, who did not look to be at his best while facing Randiv.Also, Laxman suffering from back problems would have given enough reason for worry to the Indian dressing room.Sehwag came in as a runner for Laxman, who was joined by Raina in the middle.All doubts of Raina possessing the patience and class required for test cricket were dispelled as he charged out at Malinga after edging one through the slips.What extraordinary cricket from him given the circumstances! His lucky stars were shining quite brightly as he survived and displayed some discretion,following Sehwag's advice to calm down.Once again, a rush of blood saw him taking on the bowling, though it paid off this time.This is just not the way to approach test cricket and Raina has a long way to go in developing his credentials as a cricketer otherwise, he is just not the man for India.The sooner its realized, the better!
Sangakkara continued with his rubbish stuff.Lesser attacking fields and poor bowling changes were witnessed on the crucial day.India secured victory, with Raina lofting Welegedera for a six.
The series ended in a draw but their are far more significant things to be remembered than the cricket on the series like Murali's farewell,milestones achieved by Dravid, Sachin becoming the most capped player,Inexplicable captaincy of Sangakkara and the graceful,delightful and majestic batting of VVS Laxman.
VVS Laxman! Whatever might have been said of his and the team's tactics in the first match of the series as he exposed the tailenders to Malinga,his batting has always been a delight to watch.The artistic touch,the class with which the balls at the off stump are flicked to deep mid wicket,the elegant cover drives,the majestic play against spinners and the calming effect that he brings to the proceedings have hardly been witnessed in the game of cricket.One of the most understated cricketer to have ever played the game,Laxman conjured up yet another crucial innings in crisis situation.Most of his memorable innings have been match saving ones or have seen India winning or have come as a rearguard action.To be able to hold your own in the era of Sachin and Dravid is a tremendous achievement in itself.Laxman has never hogged the limelight for most of his career, carrying out his work just like a gun with a silencer!Sharda Ugra certainly recognizes the contribution of the legend to Indian cricket and acknowledged it in her article :- http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/471460.html
Dhoni was back with his vanilla statements after the match, the trophies and prizes were distributed among various players.The captains shared the trophy and the prize money.But for some, it has never been about this glamorous stuff! Dravid,Sachin and Laxman shall certainly be missed when they decide to call it a day.For now, lets enjoy them, revel in their era and salute the men with the capacity to bring a whole nation of one billion people to a standstill by playing "real" cricket..
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