When Kumar Sangakkara dropped Gambhir in the morning, Sri Lanka appeared to have made a painful mistake in the field. Waiting for the post lunch session turned into waiting for tea. Sri Lanka had much time on their hands to see where they had gone wrong. India, on the other hand, lost the precious momentum they had built through a rather impressive morning. The result: India are still in the hunt, but the battle became tougher again.
Prasanna Jayawardene, the wicketkeeper for Sri Lanka, dived in front of first slip fielder Sangakkara and it was perhaps this confusion that saw Sangakkara drop a regulation catch. India thereafter piled on the runs and it seemed as if Sri Lanka were going to have to pay really big.
But when rain finally relented and the post tea session eventually got underway, Sri Lanka were grateful that at least Gambhir costs only a half century. Amused? That is because Virender Sehwag continued to raise runs in a heap even when all about him, India lost four wickets in the space of eleven runs and Sri Lanka came back into their own.
Gambhir went for a review but there was little chance he would be vindicated given that the delivery from Ajantha Mendis struck his pad in front of the middle stump.
Rahul Dravid is not having a great time in international career, a patch that has been running since he relinquished the captaincy. The day was no different when he was caught batting defensively with a bad-pad decision and Mendis had once again scalped a big one. If Sachin walked into a lbw decision to Chaminda Vaas, Sourav Ganguly received one that most batsman could do little about. Looking to defend his way, Ganguly got one that took the edge and flew past, leaving the former skipper the trudge back to the pavilion. Vaas was back and two for him as well. Suddenly the high of the morning had to give way to the apparent debacle at dusk. With Sehwag still around as also, V.V.S. Laxman, it now leaves the match on an even keel as opposed to the ascendant position the openers had put India in. With such success on a day that seemed to slip away from them, Sri Lanka will wake up tomorrow with the feeling that they are in with a real chance, this despite a defiant Sehwag who brought up his fifteenth Test century and seemed in no mood to be reined in even he was changing his partners as if in a dance sequence.
Another morning dawns, and it is up to India and Sehwag to do it all again.

Opening Sparkle Rekindles Indian Hopes!

There was a stark difference between the first innings in Galle and the first innings at the SSC ground a week ago. The aggression was there. And the batsmen themselves may not agree. But the Indian openers did not play with care abandon. Instead it was a deliberate, thought-out assault that it even took a complacent Sri Lankan attack by surprise.
Virender Sehwag did not try to bat Sri Lanka out of the match. It is more assertive, logical (ironical it may seem even for a batsman of his style) and with a mindset that suggested this was not played out of panic, rather it was played out of confidence. The results were expectedly drastically different. The role reversal of the two teams is almost complete.
Sehwag’s stand out shot would have to be the six over midwicket in the thirteen over of the innings. The bowler – Ajantha Mendis. The stunned look on the bowler’s face said it all. For all this talk of his being unplayable, Sehwag has shown that applying common sense can make the most ferocious looking bowler appear tame. Mendis’ talent is such that he will continue to torment. But when the initial surprise element gives way to inexperience, Mendis will also have sessions and perhaps days like this.
But to be fair to him, neither of the fast bowlers looks particularly threatening. That was perhaps a combination of the nature of the pitch that did not look particularly disturbing for the batsmen as well as the bowlers perhaps dropping a little bit of pace as well as guard. Once again, perhaps it was pre match euphoria that did a team in. India seemed to approach the first Test as if going to be beaten. And they were. Sri Lanka were perhaps too casual about their approach in the morning session after the Mendis reign over India in recent times and the drubbing that the Indians took in the papers and television, expecting the Indian batsmen to just walk into their strategy.
That was off set by a more positive approach to India’s batting, perhaps the head steady now and the follow through, rewarding. Gautam Gambhir has been the perfect foil for Sehwag to launch. The effect when there are in tandem not only with each other but also, with India’s goals can be seen in India’s score at lunch time – 151 for no loss. For a Test match, that is an incredible score for the first morning of a Test!
The rain at lunch time is looking gloomily like inclement weather. It will be hard to imagine that play will even start in half an hour post lunch session. If it does, the Indians may have to go back a bit and play with a brand new strategy. The moisture would have freshened up the pitch and overcast conditions perfect if Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers can use them to good effect. The games begin again.