Maintain the tempo

Come-from-behind victories are always sweet. The way the Indians fought to win the second Test by seven wickets at Kandy, would surely serve as a morale booster. After consistently faring poorly with the bat, Sourav Ganguly finally came good and that too at a time when the team really needed it.

I am sure it would have given him tremendous confidence - as a captain as well as a batsman. True to the word, he lead from the front. Ganguly is aware that lot more innings of such panache and intensity is required if India aspires to win the series.

While the Indian bowlers have always done well on seaming tracks outside India, it has to be noted that batsmen have seldom displayed similar courage and the character to come up trumps. Fortunately, this Test pushed all those impressions to shade.

Surely, a major part of the credit should go to the Indian bowlers for dismissing the Sri Lankans for scores below 300 in both the innings.

I feel elated whenever youngsters do well - be it in batting or bowling and I have always believed that youngsters are the pillars of Indian cricket.

They should never be discarded without being given sufficient opportunities.

Zaheer Khan showed that he can win matches for India. Keep it up Zaheer. Coming to Venkatesh Prasad.

Dubbed as a tired old horse, fast losing its shelf life, Prasad roared back in style with a superlative performance. He certainly deserves utmost praise for putting up an impressive show. It was Zaheer and Prasad who restricted the Lankans in its second innings, which set the stage for a Indian win.

Considering the absence of bowling spearhead Javagal Srinath and key batsman V.V.S. Laxman, the victory should be appreciated wholeheartedly and at no cost should be under-valued.

Surprisingly, the Lankan batting did not raise to the expectations. Except for Mahela Jayawardene who scored a fine century in the first innings, none played to their potential.

I am sure the Sri Lankan management shoud be racking their brains as to what wicket to prepare, given that we have been doing well both in spin and pace. The worrying thing about the Indian team is consistency and if it could somehow address this problem seriously, Indian cricket can be look ahead for good times.

For the third and final Test, which begins on August 29 at Colombo, the Indians have everything going for them. Infact, it will be the host who will be under pressure. I will advice India to go out with a positive frame of mind.

K. SRIKKANTH

www.krishsrikkanth.com

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