Murali, Mendis demolish India

By V. Balaji

Colombo

July 26: The Indian batting continued to be as fragile as Swarovski crystal. Unable to find a solution to the wide range of questions posed by Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, the batting top-order caved in like a bunch of novices to hand over the first Test of the series by an innings and 239 runs here at the SSC on Saturday.

None of the batsmen showed heart for a battle. Mistakes were repeated, no lessons learnt from earlier failings. The chief architect of the massive win, Muralitharan finished with 11 wickets while Ajantha Mendis took eight on debut.

The Lankans also used the referral system judiciously to pick up three important wickets in the second innings. Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar were handed marching orders after the umpire reversed his decisions on consulting his colleague in the replay box. Starting their second innings 377 runs in arrears, it was always going to be an uphill struggle and it was clear there was not much of a chance unless weather intervened. The rain stayed away and the hosts registered yet another innings win at this venue. The last time the two teams played here in 2001 Sri Lanka had won by an innings and 77 runs.

In the final over before lunch Sehwag was struck on the back pad from Muralitharan and replays clearly showed the ball had pitched in line and with no stroke offered the innings got of to a jittery start. Gautam Gambhir in the company of V.V.S. Laxman, who was promoted to number three held the innings for a brief period before Laxman failed to read the googly from Mendis for the second time in an hour. It was clear by then Mendis was giving more air for the delivery that came back, yet the batsmen failed to pick it.

Sachin did not look as comfortable as he did in the first dig. Having pushed and prodded for long Sachin went for a sweep and the ball that was deflected off the shoulder of the bat was taken smartly by Dilshan at backward short-leg. Dravid who was flummoxed by a delivery that left him in the first innings fell to one that turned in sharply and took the inside edge. It was clear the one that was pushed from the back of the hand was read wrong.

With the fall of Dravid and Sachin any realistic hope of stretching the match to the final day vanished. Sourav Ganguly and Dinesh Karthik were snapped up in the slips as the batsmen continued to pay the price for following the turn.

To see a set of established batsmen struggle against spin was pathetic. There was no intention to use the feet against the spinners. There was not a moment in the entire match where Mendis and Murali were forced to think differently. The first innings that resumed at 159/5 offered more resistance than what came later. Mendis started with three men close and another stationed at short mid-wicket to Laxman. The Hyderabadi played well and collected three boundaries when the length was offered. Anil Kumble went leg before to Mendis to greatly reduce India’s chances of extending the first innings close to lunch.

Harbhajan Singh was snapped by Warnapura at short leg that gave Murali his 64th five-wicket haul. Mendis then trapped Zaheer Khan to further emphasise the lack of teeth of this lower order. Ishant Sharma who had shown plenty of grit in Australia with the bat defended well. The last wicket partnership added 35 runs and more importantly was not dislodged for 70 minutes.

It was an embarrassing reminder to the batsmen in the pavilion that all it required was application to graft runs on this wicket.