Cricket

Sri Lanka vs India, 1st Test: Review

In the end, the rainy conditions on the first day didn’t matter at all. For whatever time was wasted, it wasn’t lost at all, as Sri Lanka motored their way to a win over India in the first test at the SSC, Colombo. The hosts now lead the series 1-0.

Electing to bat after winning the toss, Sri Lankan batsmen feasted over the Indian bowling as neither the pacers nor the spinners made any impressions. So much so, that four batsmen made hundreds as the pitch proved to be docile. Warnapurna, Jayawardene, Samaraweera and Dilshan had their appetite full of the bowling dished out, which was average to say the least, as majority of the bowlers went for more than 3.5 runs per over.

When they reached 600, they promptly declared with the hope that they had done enough to bat only once in the game and put the Indians under pressure with their spinning prowess. By the end of the third day itself, they were down by six wickets with just Laxman left standing alone yet again, the score reading 159. Four of the six Indian batsmen were guilty of playing false shots, Sehwag, Gambhir, Ganguly and Karthik, and Gary Kirsten was visibly upset at the end of the day’s play.

The fourth day started in cloudy gloom and there was no doubt that India will be following on shortly. Laxman and Ishant defied the inevitable for a while but India were bowled out for 223, with Murali picking his 64th five wicket haul and Mendis taking four on debut.

In the second innings, India made a slightly better start as Laxman came out after Sehwag was given dubiously out under the new review system. But once Gambhire left to Murali, the floodgates were opened. India were reduced from 2 for 53 to 7 for 103, and they later crashed to an innings and 239 runs. Murali was again the wrecker with a six wicket haul, while Mendis added four more to take his tally to 8.

This was India’s third highest innings defeat in test cricket and Sri Lanka’s biggest win when the opposition isn’t Zimbabwe. The next match starts on 31st July.

Tags: ajantha mendis, Idea Cup 2008, India, muralitharan, sri lanka