India cuts a sorry figure

By S. Dinakar

GALLE, AUG. 16. This is not an arena for the weak-kneed or the meek-hearted. It is a stage for men of courage and character, strength and steel.

To conquer the lion in its own den, you need lion- hearted soldiers. The bottom line is - No guts, No glory.

The Indians learnt this harsh sporting lesson the hard way at the Galle ground on Thursday, finishing at a miserable 130 for eight, still 45 runs adrift of Lanka's first innings total, enhanced by Kumara Sangakkara's fighting hundred earlier in the day.

Defeat stares India in the face in the first Test, and it should be all over for Sourav's men, early on Friday.

They might be the glamour boys, might dish out exotic shots, yet all this boils down to nothing really if they cannot even put up a reasonable fight under pressure.

Lacking were the pride and passion - vice-captain Rahul Dravid being the lone exception - the most necessary qualities when a player turns out for INDIA.

And let's not talk about `talent' for a while. For `natural ability' without the above mentioned aspects will only hurt a `Team' in the long run.

Despite the brave talk by the team management, this much is clear: there is a huge hole in the side when that great man from Mumbai is missing. This battered side desperately needs Sachin Tendulkar back.

Beginning 175 behind, 55 minutes after lunch, the Indian batsmen came and went as if in a trance. Opener Sadagopan Ramesh, his feet static, played inside the line of a straightforward Ruchira Perera delivery that hit the stumps. The left-arm seamer struck again, as Shiv Sundar Das, rocking on to his back-foot, drove straight into the hands of Suresh Perera at covers. It was a lapse in concentration by the Orissa batsman, who was shaping well till that point.

Off-spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan then began spinning his web, Mohammed Kaif pushing forward to a sharp off- break and Tillekeratne completing the dismissal at short-leg - a trademark Muralitharan strike.

This was the ideal opportunity for the beleaguered captain Sourav Ganguly to display some resolve, but he perished to an airy drive off a full length delivery from the fiery Dilhara Fernando. An irresponsible stroke, to say the least.

The Lankans converged in a heap on the bowler, and Ganguly walked back past the shattered stumps, a scene that told more than one story.

Hemang Badani, under pressure to retain his place, was adjudged caught behind, when he pushed forward to a beautifully flighted delivery that curled past the outside edge. It was a close decision and umpire Asoka de Silva ruled in favour of the bowler. Half the side had departed for 73 at this stage.

Sameer Dighe, who came perilously close to being stumped off Muralitharan, was finally consumed by the off- spinner, Russel Arnold taking the catch at silly point. And then the Lankan won a little duel among off-spinners, snaring Harbhajan Singh, accepting the return catch gleefully.

The ease with which the Lankan spin-spearhead shifted his line of attack to the right-handers and the southpaws displayed his mastery over his craft. All the three ingredients - flight, turn, deception - were on view and his destructive spell from the press box end read 15-6-25-4.

Zaheer battled for a while, but Jayasuriya, removed him with the left-arm spinner's stock ball, the one spinning away from the right-hander, Arnold pouching the edge at second slip.

In walked Venkatesh Prasad, and with Lanka within striking distance of victory, the umpires extended play by half an hour. Prasad may have gone, too, had Jayawardene at slip reacted in time to accept the catch as he nicked Jayasuriya. Mercifully for the Indians, the umpires halted play due to bad light when 10 minutes still remained.

Standing alone amid the ruins was a fighting Dravid (37 not out, 168m, 127b, 4x4), breathing defiance, and he alone could hold his head high as he walked back. The man has character.

Kumara Sangakkara is vital in the Lankan scheme of things. The southpaw is not impulsive in his ways, possesses a wise head on young shoulders, can change gears when the need arises, and is clearly a cricketer with a future.

And the wicketkeeper batsman's innings-building skills ensured that the Lankans held on to the advantage gained by Jayasuriya's blitzkrieg - the next highest contribution after the two hundreds being Marvan Atapattu's 33.

Yes, Sangakkara's 105 (226b, 13x4) might not have been as spectacular as Jayasuriya's effort, yet, it was an old fashioned Test innings, with the batsman putting a price on his wicket, after surviving a tentative initial phase.

On a fighting 54 overnight, the Lankan picked his runs cleverly, flicking the ball with panache off his legs, and driving pleasantly in front of the wicket. Importantly, he kept his composure, even as wickets fell at the other end.

Sangakkara's first Test hundred was achieved in dramatic fashion though, with the batsman rapidly running out of partners. The 23- year-old left-hander was on 92 when last man Muralitharan joined him. And with the No. 11 offering spirited resistance, he reached the much-cherished three-figure mark, lofting Srinath twice straight down the ground.

The youngster was quick to hug his partner, and raise his bat triumphantly towards the pavilion where his team-mates applauded. Following two narrow misses, 98 (South Africa, Centurion) and 95 (England, Kandy), both were knocks in crisis situations, the hundred must have meant so much to this committed youngster.

On their part, the Indian pacemen operated with a lot more common sense and discipline this morning, pitching the ball up, which meant on a surface that was still seaming, the batsmen, caught in two minds, pushed forward tentatively.

Russel Arnold added just one to his overnight score of 19, when his attempt to guide Prasad square of the wicket only ended in the hands of Ramesh at gully.

Srinath strikes

Ganguly opted for the second new ball after 84.1 overs, and Srinath charging in from the Fort End - it was from this end that Dilhara Fernando did most of the damage - turned on the heat straightaway.

There was considerable pressure on Hashan Tillekeratne, returning to the side following four years of struggle, but Srinath soon got him with the one that straightened even as the left-hander played outside the line.

Suresh Perera did not cause much damage this time, pushing forward to a Srinath delivery that nipped back, and getting rapped well in line.

Chaminda Vaas opted for the brave course, however, he soon ran out of luck, his low slash off Zaheer, snaffled up brilliantly by a diving Ramesh at gully.

Dilhara Fernando is a whole-hearted bowler, but his half-hearted drive off Zaheer was picked up by Srinath at covers, and soon Ruchira Perera contrived to edge a wide one from Srinath. Then came the partnership between Sangakkara and Murali.

There was an opportunity for Srinath to pick up his fifth wicket, and he achieved the feat when Muralitharan swung the paceman to Kaif on the mid-wicket fence, but, deep down, the Karnataka paceman, within a whisker of 200 Test wickets now, would have known that the price - 114 runs - had been too high.

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