Flat pitch notwithstanding, India should rejoice in the heroics of Tendulkar, Sehwag and Raina at Colombo
Flat pitch notwithstanding, India should rejoice in the heroics of Tendulkar, Sehwag and Raina at Colombou00a0
Muttiah Muralitharan's scathing attack on Bishan Singh Bedi provided the soporific second Test with its high spot, but there were some interesting takeaways for the Indian team for the third Test, not least the superb form of batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina.
The fancied batting had faltered perhaps more badly than the bowling in the first Test defeat and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be relieved that the problem has not turned out to be long-lived.
Seeking a win in the next Test to level the series, he will be pleased that his team got a first innings lead and picked up three second innings Sri Lankan wickets before the curtain dropped on this match.
The dull and dreary draw was poor advertisement for Test cricket: indeed, this was a wake-up call to curators and administrators across the cricket world and what kind of pitches not to produce.
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| Sachin Tendulkar acknowledges the Colombo cheers.u00a0 pic/afp |
Not even diehard fans want to see matches bereft of any competitive interest. The era when subcontinent fans would rejoice in the runs and records of their heroes irrespective of the nature of the match has now clearly passed.
Yet, the brownie points accumulated could add up to some psychological advantage for India in the context of the series.
While there were centuries aplenty on the SSC's dead-as-a-dodo track, those made by Tendulkar and Raina came in the face of a mammoth first innings score by Lanka. Sehwag, of course, missed his by a whisker in an utterly insane, but distinctly Sehwagian fashion.
It was not just the matter of making runs that was significant though. Sehwag's unbridled aggression took the heat off M Vijay and didn't allow Sri Lanka the early wickets they were seeking.
Even so, India were still vulnerable when Raina joined Tendulkar. For a long spell in their partnership, it was not just a battle between bat and ball, but of the two being able to put mind over matter. They did this with aplomb.
Tendulkar's double hundred was a graphic expression of his mastery over the grammar and syntax of batsmanship. The pitch was placid, but the range of his skills and the immaculate control with which he spent his 516 minutes in the middle was awe-inspiring nonetheless.
He toyed with the bowling, playing strokes at will, finding gaps with deft placements, running hard for his singles and twos, unconcerned about the heat and humidity.
Sachin's still hungry
Spending more words on Tendulkar's virtuosity, however, is unnecessary. He didn't do much more different here than what he has been doing for the past two decades.
At 37, however, he is showing the hunger of a player 12-15 years young; his rich vein of form over the past two years also suggests that he has hit a 'second wind'. What more he can achieve boggles the mind.
Wider context In a wider context though, Raina's debut hundred was perhaps the more significant. The number six slot has been troublesome for a while, what with Yuvraj Singh promising more than he has delivered. Frustration at Yuvraj's lack of fitness and consistency has been mounting, and it is only a stroke of luck which saw Raina get in.
But seeing the quality of his batsmanship - in defence and attack - and the fine temperament he showed, Yuvraj might now find it difficult to get Raina out of the side.
Greg Chappell, under whom Raina earned his spurs as a limited overs player, had marked him out as potentially the best young player in the country in 2005.
Raina's got it
Five years on, and only 23, having watched and waited patiently from the sidelines, he just might still be if this hundred is any indication.
True, Raina needs to be tested in more demanding conditions than were obtained in Colombo last week, and will have to show the consistency to become an automatic selection.
But worries over Yuvraj, at least for the moment, stand dissipated. None of this, of course, can ensure a victory for India in the final Test. The bowling has been dismal and getting 20 Sri Lankan wickets seems beyond the capabilities of this attack unless there is a remarkable improvement in form, especially of Harbhajan Singh.
Even a draw would allow Dhoni's team to retain the No 1 ranking, but that would be inadequate consolation if the series is lost. Over the next week, the Indian team has a lot to play for: rankings importantly but pride foremost.
