India loses way after bright start

By S. Dinakar

GALLE, AUG. 14. Test cricket. Tough, hard, uncompromising. Here, battles are not won easily. Here, fortunes change from session to session. Here, it is a battle of, both, wits and attrition. Here, we see cricket in its purest form. It's the real Test really. At the end of a fascinating first day's play in the first Test at the Galle ground on Tuesday, India, 105 for one at one stage, ended at a far less satisfying 163 for five, dented by two late strikes by the red-hot Dilhara Fernando with the second new ball.

At stumps, skipper Sourav Ganguly (10) and Sameer Dighe (2) were fighting it out in the middle. Much would depend on this pair when play resumes on Wednesday. Just 163 runs in 85 overs, yet it was engrossing cricket for most part with the openers performing their roles adequately, blunting the Sri Lankan pace attack on a pitch that was distinctly green, and then the home team striking back in the post-tea session.

With four paceman in the side - Suresh Perera edged out Romesh Kaluwitharana in the eleven - Sanath Jayasuriya did what was expected. Insert the opposition. The host anticipated quick wickets, instead endured a frustrating time.

When there is lateral movement and bounce, the idea should be to pitch the ball up, inviting the drive or the push, but the Lankan pacemen, except on a few occasions, did not make the Indians play enough balls. They returned respectable figures, with Das and Ramesh determined to hang in there even if that meant not putting the loose balls away, but the blank last column in their figures said it all.

Chaminda Vaas and Dilhara Fernando shared the new ball and noticeable immediately was the fizz in the pitch. Just 17 minutes into the game, a brief spell of showers saw the huge covers being brought onto the ground.

And when play resumed following a 35-minute break, Fernando almost took Das' head off with a well-directed short ball, the batsman having to fend off the rising delivery with his glove in front of his face.

Later in his innings, Fernando forced the little opener to glove a flier over the slips, and then when Suresh Perera made one climb sharply, Das was once again caught out of position, but there was none to pocket the catch at short-leg. Das is a compact, young batsman, however, he did tend to take his eyes off the lifting deliveries today.

India went in to lunch at 16 without loss in 20 overs - importantly, with the openers performing the stonewalling operation well, it had not lost a wicket.

It was left-armer Ruchira Perera, distinctly sharp, who came closest to achieving the breakthrough, bowling an almost yorker length delivery, that swung away, and appeared to take the edge of Ramesh's bat, before travelling into Kaluwitharana's gloves. The appeal, probably the Lankans were misled into thinking it was the sound of the bat hitting the ground, was muted and the umpire did not respond.

However, this was also a day when Ramesh appeared a lot more positive in his attitude, enduring a tough initial period and then producing some attractive strokes even if the ball did not always travel to the boundary on a slow outfield.

Finally, it was Ramesh who managed to score the first boundary of the innings, after 127 minutes (27.1 overs), flicking Vaas with panache to the fence.

Muralitharan did send down a tantalizing spell, and Das in particular, got into a tangle against this dangerous off- spinner, coming perilously close to getting stumped once after being beaten in the air.

At the other end, Ramesh glanced Fernando past the ropes to bring up the fifty of the innings (28.3 overs), and soon the southpaw was engaged in an interesting battle with Muralitharan. The off- spinner flighted the ball across the left- hander from over-the- wicket, inviting the drive, and did get his man finally, picked up by Jayasuriya, who had stationed himself at short cover specifically for this.

Nevertheless, Ramesh's 42 (127b, 2x4) was a valuable contribution. And the opening partnership of 79 (41.3 overs) had prevented the Lankans from making early inroads.

Mohammed Kaif, regaining his Test place after a struggle, walked out at No. 3, and appeared cool and composed, his back-foot play against Ruchira, who sent down a probing post- tea spell, being particularly impressive. At tea, India was 95 for one, but yet another brief spell of showers meant the play recommenced after a 24-minute delay.

Das, who drove a rare full toss from Muralitharan to the cover fence, soon had an escape at 38 when his uppish cut off Vaas saw a diving Hashan Tillekeratne at point just managing to get his left fingertips to the ball. He departed soon though, pushing at Vaas outside the off-stump for Jayasuriya to complete a regulation catch at first slip. Das (40, 170b, 1x4) has played better innings for India, but, at least, he showed the character to hang in there.

Dravid, the key man in the middle-order, essayed a couple of pleasing drives on the off-side, but was extremely fortunate, when on 10, his uppish drive off Fernando was put down by a needlessly diving Suresh Perera at mid-off.

Like Das, Dravid perished soon after the let-off, attempting to flick a flighted delivery from the canny Muralitharan, getting a thin nick on to his pads, and the looping ball was well held by Russel Arnold, who turned around in a flash from silly point.

This was the phase when the Lankan attack was picking itself up, and the hard-working Ruchira might have had Kaif soon, but the Indian's edge fell just short of Jayasuriya at first slip.

The Uttar Pradesh batsman then opted for the brave course against Ruchira, slashing him over the slips, driving straight and then shifting his weight onto the right-leg effortlessly to cut the Lankan paceman to the fence. The comeback man was displaying the right blend of caution and aggression.

Soon we had another duel within a duel, when Muralitharan flighted and spun the ball, into and away, from the left-handed Sourav Ganguly from round the wicket. It was however, the second new ball, taken after 82 overs, that did the trick for Lanka, Kaif (37, 144b, 2x4) beaten by the sheer pace of a Dilhara Fernando thunderbolt, that nipped back slightly too.

And Hemang Badani displayed poor shot selection yet again, chasing a wide delivery from Fernando for Sangakkara to accept the edge gleefully. Bad light ended play five overs early, but by then, the Lankans had clawed their way back in a dramatic final session.

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