Sri Lanka emerging power in world cricket
By A.C. De Silva
FLASHBACK: It was Sri Lanka's most glorious hour in the early part of
Test cricket. Sri Lanka did not win but it proved that it is an emerging
power and that the side is not to be taken lightly again. India escaped
by the skin of its teeth in forcing a draw and thus delaying the
thoroughly deserving home side from winning its first ever Test. Whoever
said Test cricket is not exciting should have another thought coming.
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Aravinda de Silva made two pleasing knocks of 33 in Sri
Lanka’s first innings score of 347 and then made 21 in the
second innings total of 61 for 4 wickets.
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Ranjan Madugalle... made a pleasing score of 103 runs when
he went No.3 in the first innings total of 251 and was 5 not
out in the second innings total of 61 for 4. |
Dilip Vengsarkar – He was out cheaply for six runs in the
first innings but made a marvellous knock of 98 not out in
India’s second innings score of 251 all out. |
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India’s top bowler – Kapil Dev. He took 3 for 74 in Sri
Lanka’s first innings total of 347 and took 2 for 36 in Sri
Lanka’s second innings score of 61 for 4 wickets. |
India’s star batsman Sunil Gavaskar made the top individual
score of 51 in their first innings score of 218 against Sri
Lanka. Gavaskar went three down and was the top scorer. |
Arjuna Ranatunga was the second centurian in Sri Lanka’s
first innings. He made 111 in Sri Lanka’s first innings
score of 347 runs.
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The first Test - provides a thrilling draw to the home side. The Test
had everything - action character, fluctuating fortunes and most of all,
intense competition although only side was in the game after the first
two days.
India might have paid dearly for its own batting carelessness if not
for the weather turning unkind to Sri Lanka on the final day.
Sri Lanka outplayed India upto and including the final day in batting
and bowling and if only the factor of luck had helped a little bit,
there would have been many nice stories to write about the Lankans. A
vital two hours period was to rain and even within the confines of a
30-hour Test drastically reduced by delays, Sri Lanka came as close as
one good ball from winning the Test.
In the final session too Sri Lanka was very much in with a chance,
however remote that might have seemed, to pull of a victory that would
have satisfied the emotions of the followers and led to the
satisfactions of the island nation's cricket since ICC recognition was
granted. The consistency with which the seam bowlers outbowled the more
experienced Indian and the thoroughness with which the batsmen built a
fine total deserved higher reward.
Lone ranger
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Rumesh Ratnayake took 2 for 64 in the first innings Indian
score of 218 and then had a wonderful bowl in the second
innings where he took 6 for 85 in India’s second innings
score of 251.
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Ashantha de Mel was in fine form with the ball and took 5
for 64 in India’s first innings score of 218 runs. |
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Chetam Sharma opened bowling with Kapil Dev and took 3 for 81 in first
innings total of 347 by Sri Lanka and had 1 for 24 in Sri
Lanka’s second innings score of 61 for four wickets in the
second innings. |
There was just one Indian player - that's Dilip Vengsarkar who
virtually stood like a stonewall between Sri Lanka and victory and in
the process pinpointed the terrible inconsistency of his colleagues.
With regard to bowling, it was the same old story all over again - that
of India's bowling weaknesses.
The Sri Lankan bowlers might have had some help from the conditions
on the first day but from there on it was a struggle for anybody to make
an impression. If despite that Sri Lanka managed to bowl a Test side out
twice for the first ever time in its brief history, it only shows how
much more efficient its own bowlers were. The batsmen had a near
impossible task to perform in the second innings but that Sri Lanka was
there at all to attempt the task does it much more credit than any
dubious victory would have.
From the very first day, the Sri Lankans dominated the Test. The
Lankan bowlers were always on the spot and the Indians' problems were
not eased by the nature of the assistance provided by the heavily
overcast conditions and the early freshness of the pitch. Behind their
poor performance was the assumption that here was a side that you could
not bowl the Lankans out twice in five days. The fact remains India is
far better one day side than a Test match team and this has to be
accepted without reservation.
Reckless batting
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Duleep Mendis made 51 for Sri Lanka in the first innings
total of 347 and made 18 in Sri Lanka’s second innings total
of 61 for 4 wickets.
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Apart from Sunil Gavaskar who made a patient half century, no Indian
batsman seemed capable of digging in and if not for some assistance from
the tail, India would have faced the Madras Test (against England) type
situation in which it could have been bowling on the first day itself.
Of course, the Sri Lankan innings was built up by Ranjan Madugalle, who
was lucky to have the benefit of the umpire's doubt when he was somewhat
run out when he had not scored.
But apart from this slice of luck for Madugalle, he batted superbly
and in the manner of true Test batsman who built an innings. He had
another youngster in Arjuna Ranatunga. Madugalle made 103 and Ranatunga
111 and the two of them put on 144 runs put on 144 runs for the fifth
cricket after earlier Duleep Mendis (51) and Madugalle added 85 runs for
the fourth wicket.
There was another Sri Lankan batsman Aravinda de Silva who made a
worthwhile contribution of 33 runs and Sri Lanka made a tidy total of
347 runs in their first innings to the Indian total of 218. Kapil Dev (3
for 74) and Chetan Sharma (3 for 81) had the bulk of the wickets.
Came the second innings of India and D.S. Vengsarkar (98 not out)
held the batting together to keep them in the limelight and earlier
opener L. Rajput (61) got in some useful runs to keep the Sri Lankan
bowlers from running through the Indian batting. So, India made 251 in
their second innings.
So, India made 469 runs in their two innings. Though Sri Lanka had
made 347 runs in their first innings, the Lankans had no time left to
attempt a victory and they were 61 for 4 wickets when stumps were drawn
on the final day.
SCOREBOARD
INDIA 1ST INNINGS
L.Rajput c Silva b Ahangama 32
K.Srikkanth b Ratnayake 02
M.Azharuddin c Silva to Ahangama 03
D.B. Vengsarkar c Silva b De Mel 06
S.M. Gavaskar run out 51
R.J. Shastri c Silva b De Mel 09
Kapil Dev c Silva b De Mel 36
S. Viswanath c De Silva b De Mel 20
Chetan Sharma c Silva b De Mel 38
Gopal Sharma not out 10
Manindar Singh lbw to Ratnayake 00
Extras (lb 5, nb 5, w 1, 11
Total 218
Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-30, 3-47, 4-49, 5-69, 6-101
7-143, 8-202, 9-218
Bowling: A.de Mel 28-8-64-5
R. Ratnayake 24.2-8-64-2
S. Ahangama 23-3-60-2
A. de Silva 12-5-18-0
A. Ranatunga 10-8-7-0
SRI LANKA 1ST INNINGS
S.Wettimuny c Viswanath b C. Sharma 13
Amal Silva c Azharuddin b C. Sharma 07
R. Madugalle c and b Maninder 103
R. Dias c Azharuddin b c Sharma 04
D Mendis c Gavaskar b Maninder 51
A. Ranatunga b Shastri 111
Aravinda de Silva c Azharuddin b Shastri 33
A. de Mel c Viswanath b Kapil 16
R. Ratnayake lbw b Kapil Dev 02
Asoka de Silva not out 01
A. Ahangama c Viswanath b Kapil Dev 00
Extras (lb 5, nb 1) 06
Total 347
Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-29, 3-33, 4-118, 5-262, 6-317
7-342, 8-346, 9-347
Bowling: Kapil Dev 30.4-8-74-3
Chetan Sharma 25-3-81-3
R. Shastri 34-9-70-2
Maninder Singh 40-12-82-2
Gopal Sharma 15-6-35-0
INDIA 2ND INNINGS
L Rajput c Silva b Ratnayake 61
K Srikkanth c Silva b Ratnayake 09
M Azharuddin lbw b Ahangama 16
D.B. Vengsarkar not out 98
S.M. Gavaskar c De Mel b Ratnayake 00
R.J. Shastri lbw to Ratnayake 40
Kapil Dev c sub (Anurasiri) b Ratnayake 06
S.Viswanath c Silva b Ratnayake 00
Chetan Sharma run out 04
Gopal Sharma lbw b Ahangama 01
Maninder Singh b Ahangama 03
Extras (b 4, lb 3, nb 6) 13
Total 251
Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-54, 3-130, 4-130, 5-188
6-206, 7-206, 8-220, 9-229
Bowling: A de Mel 30-3-84-0
R. Ratnayake 41-10-85-6
S. Ahangama 31.3-10-49-3
A. de Silva 15-6-20-0
A. Ranatunga 6-2-6-0
SRI LANKA 2ND INNINGS
Amal Silva not out 01
R. Madugalle not out 05
R. Dias c Srikkanth b Kapil Dev 00
D. Mendis c Kapil b C.Sharma 18
A. Ranatunga run out 15
Aravinda de Silva c Maninder b Kapil 21
Extras (lb 1) 01
Total (for 4 wkts) 61
Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-39, 3-44, 4-58.
Bowling: Kapil Dev 4-0-36-2
Chetan Sharma 4-0-24-1 |
