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Revived India and a Lankan stronghold

S. Ram Mahesh

Pivotal point in the five-match series

PHOTO: AP

KEEPING THE FOCUS: Gambhir’s return will be a boost to the Indian camp, even as Yuvraj and Raina will be keen to make their presence felt. —

Colombo: Even as the curtain descends in Beijing, another rises here in Colombo. We may be in the midst of a five-match series, indeed at its point of pivot, this being the third ODI, but for all practical purposes, Sunday marks the beginning of another series.

After Sri Lanka and India split the first two matches at Dambulla — set in peaceful hill country far removed from the bustle of the capital city — the one-day contest has been compressed into a three-game playoff.

Formidable record

Sri Lanka will feel the reassurance that is attached with beloved strongholds, for at the Premadasa (or the Khettarama, as it’s still known here), the home side has been formidable. Built on a swamp, which at one stage was reportedly used by monks ferrying to the adjacent Khettarama temple, the stadium has seen Sri Lanka win 44 of 66 matches.

Fortunately for India, the current side doesn’t fuss with such records. Whether it’s arrogant ignorance, as its critics will have you believe, or healthy disregard and confidence, is moot; the bottom line is Dhoni’s men play the opposition, not the reputation — by and large.

It is in this context, that the victory in the second ODI at Dambulla grows in significance. A group of cricketers that had benefited from engaging with Australia as equals earlier this year appeared unsettled by Ajantha Mendis.

After the first ODI, in which Mendis took three wickets, making Yuvraj Singh look like a novice, they even seemed to feed the 23-year-old’s reputation against their will, as if hypnotised.

They acted like a confidence man whose bluff is called. It was vital, for their own wellbeing, that they fronted up to the challenge.

The bowlers and — paradoxical as this may sound — the batting collapse helped: forced against the wall, India discovered that in M.S. Dhoni, S. Badrinath, and Virat Kohli, it had men who wouldn’t flinch.

This perhaps explains Dhoni likening it to staring the beast in the eye and not blinking, or something to that effect. The challenge, however, is likely to intensify over the next week.

The strips at the Premadasa, where the next three matches will be played, have a reputation for playing low and slow, the dew-lacquered surfaces enhancing the abilities of Sri Lanka’s low-to-the-ground spinners; and this was before Mendis joined Muttiah Muralitharan.

But stereotyping leaves no room for subtlety. The last ODI played here witnessed the seamers do damage, as England defeated Sri Lanka; regular watchers here say that in the last few years, the ball has moved off the surface under lights, not as dramatically as in Dambulla, but sufficiently to be considered an attacking option.

Dry surface

The evidence here points to a dry surface. The groundsman struggled to drive a stake through the region the stumps are planted — confirming that the wicket is firm — but the edges of the holes dug were crumbly, without a trace of moisture.

It drizzled in Colombo on Saturday afternoon; it’s unlikely, however, to have altered the character of the strip, exposed to the sun for the last few days.

Finalising India’s combination won’t be straightforward. Gautam Gambhir’s return will bolster India.

But if left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha is also to be accommodated, simultaneously maintaining last game’s ratio of batsmen to bowlers, two from Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, and Praveen Kumar will miss out.

The teams (from):

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (capt.), Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Udawatte, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Malinda Warnapura, Jehan Mubarak, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Thushara, and Nuwan Kulasekara.

India: M.S. Dhoni (capt. & wk), Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, S. Badrinath, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, R.P. Singh, Munaf Patel, and Pragyan Ojha.

Umpires: Billy Doctrove and Tyrone Wijewardena; Television umpire: Gamini Silva; Match referee: Chris Broad.

Hours of Play (IST): 2.30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and 6.45 p.m. till 10.15 p.m.

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