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Curator sounds a warning

Special Correspondent

— PHOTO: AFP

BACK FROM A STINT: Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh and Rahul Dravid returning to the pavilion after a practice session.

Galle: The Indian team, on Monday afternoon, had its first practice session after the mauling at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC). While the cricketers were doing their best to stay upbeat in the humid conditions at the Galle International Stadium, the curator made a dark pronouncement.

“Basically it’s a four-day pitch, and we have a spare day for rain,” said Jayananda Warnaweera, who played 10 Tests for Sri Lanka as an off-spinner between 1986 and the early 1994. “If Sri Lanka win the toss, it’s over for India.”

The Indians meanwhile went through a rigorous session of fielding. With the practice wickets damp, Anil Kumble’s men couldn’t have a net, and they looked instead to work on a department that let them down badly in the first Test — catching.

Fielding practice

After the compulsory game of touch rugby, the squad played a fielding variant of it. Separated into two teams, the cricketers rolled a cricket ball along the field, aiming to transport it to a ‘goal’ — picking and throwing as they would in a match situation — without being intercepted by an opposition member.

After a drill which involved shying at the stumps with others backing up the throws, the squad concentrated on catching. The squad was divided into groups based on their positions in the field and given specific work.

Gautam Gambhir, who practised catching at bat-pad, spoke later to presspersons on the need to move on and focus on the remainder of the series.

Down but not out

“It’s just one of those bad Test matches,” said the left-handed opener who got starts in each innings of the first Test.

“You don’t need to keep thinking about what happened. It’s about moving forward, and the guys are really positive. We are 1-0 down but haven’t lost the series.

With the kind of batting and bowling line-up we have we can easily win the Test series.”

Gambhir said the team had analysed the performance in the first Test. “Technically everyone knows what mistakes he makes, it’s about your temperament, your mental toughness which takes you through. We are going to make a better show in the second Test match and try and win it because that is what is most important.”

What did he make of the Sri Lankan spinners?

“Both are quality spinners and they need to be milked more patiently. They were hardly giving you loose deliveries. I think Mendis bowled pretty well, but it’s not that he is unplayable. We will look to be more positive against Mendis and Murali.”

Gambhir also expressed confidence that Dinesh Karthik would bounce back in the second Test, which starts on Thursday. The wicketkeeper worked on the wicket square, crouching behind a batsman who attempted to deflect the ball with a plastic cone.

Karthik also participated in a drill which tested his ability to stay low in his crouch, and lift with the bounce of the ball.

“It’s important to support a player who has had a bad Test match,” said Gambhir of Karthik, who dropped two chances, played a feckless shot in the first innings, and barely registered his presence in the second.

“It’s important to stand next to him and give him that confidence,” added Gambhir.

“It’s not about individuals it’s about the team. It’s not that all 11 will have a good Test match, someone will have a bad one. He’s a good player, and I have confidence in him that he would do well in the second Test match.”

The Indians needn’t look far for inspiration. The stadium here was devastated by the tsunami in December 2004. Warnaweera laboured so it would host an international match again. With help from the government and other patrons, he realised his dream late last year when England played a Test match.

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