I often wonder when lyricist Joe Darion wrote the song for the musical Man from La Mancha “To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe” if he knew anything about cricket and had played the game at international level in India.
This classical song had all the ingredients of playing cricket in India and the travails that a visiting cricketer would have to experience.
In India everybody loves the game very passionately. From the eleven cricketers who finally cross the boundary line to represent the sentiments of the rest of the one billion people and the very knowledgeable media forum all want India to win. Especially in a place like at Eden Gardens in Kolkata where a 90 thousand plus mass of people keep screaming their hearts in en-core for their home country to do better, the mind of any battle hardened warrior would cave in, because the noise emanating from the crowed is deafening, even when they are not cheering.
Even though living barely a half hour’s drive if there was a bridge across the two nations the Indian terrain is almost alien to the Lankan cricketers. Even while riding high while playing in our own back yard, the Lankans have faltered the moment they set foot at the doorstep of their elder brother.
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| Explaining how the composition was made. Pic by Saman Kariyawasan |
In the days of yore we have heard of Lankan warriors armed with bats and gloves going on to conquer the mighty Indians even sans the tag of a Test playing nation. However the recent memories of tours of India have been disappointing and discouraging. Once the team that crossed the border under Arjuna Ranatunga to play a Test series and the results were more than de-grading and the skeletons are still in the cupboard. Then a few years later Marvan Atapattu led a side to India and once again the results were no different to the others, but, even without being sacked as a captain, Atapattu never led Sri Lanka again. Just like the Indians all Sri Lankans also do love the game of cricket. The poor attendance at a Test match in Sri Lanka could be attributed to an economical problem rather than people not interested in the game. Just see no matter where it is, when a Test match is being played by Sri Lankans the whole country goes almost unproductive barring the TV channel who clinches the right to telecast it!
Today the new skipper Kumar Sangakkara and his men embark on one of the most arduous assignments that the Lankans have undertaken on Indian soil. On this almost two month tour, the Lankans will play three Tests, five one-day Internationals and two T20 matches.
A tough call by all means and to back it the selectors have selected three separate sets of teams for the tour.
The Lankans embark on this tour with a lot at stake. Though we harp on the point that we have only a limited number of Test matches during the next few moons first Sri Lanka has to beat India on their own soil and do it convincingly to keep their position as the second in the ICC Test rankings. I do not know if they manage to draw the three Tests what it would be, but if they lose badly in Tests India may overtake the island nation. Then with the disparity of the quantum of Test cricket that the two teams play within the next calendar year Sri Lanka may never be able catch up with India. This also may put paid to Lanka’s aspirations of becoming the “Best Test playing Nation” in the foreseeable future.
There is an inalienable truth……. “Sri Lanka has yet to win a Test match in India”. Even after thirty years of Test cricket Sri Lanka has not done it as yet.
Let us evaluate without bias of the ammunition in possession for the Lankans if they going to create history on this tour. At the top the general No. 1 and No. 2 would be Tharanga Paranavithana and Tillekeratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan. Even hailing from a back drop school in Kegalle Paranavithana is an accomplished new ball player and fits into the glove.
On the other hand Dilshan’s ascendance to the top has been on the reverse gear. Without harming his achievements as an opener so far, he is a batsman who picked up from the technique-less T20 version of the game and adopted the same ‘devil-may-care’ attitude to the longer version of the game.
Even to a lesser extent he has the same mind into the game as India’s Virendra Sehwag, but, both batsmen are open to peril at any given time. At the same time Sehwag may have something more because he has proved it with tons of Test runs at the top, but, at this position Dilshan is still a novice.
So to cover-up this ‘may-be’ draw back Sangakkara and his wagon of selectors have included Kaushal Silva - a wicket-keeper batsman into the fray. Silva may open if the needed arises so that batting balance could be maintained in the side. But, for poor wicket-keeper Jayawardena who has done everything almost right, there is a shadow hanging over his shoulder – not a comforting thought at all. Another factor is in the 16 member Test squad, one fourth of the cadres are wicketkeepers.
No wonder Sri Lanka is still languishing in the seventh place of the ODI fortune table. They can never get it right. At one end it is Sanath Jayasuriya trying to fit into the side as a bowling all-rounder. Yes, in one recent match he did bowl well. But, is that the whole criteria of selecting him? Yes, he was our match winner for the past one-and-a-half decades but, hasn’t he lost that golden touch with the bat and why are we degrading the mighty contributor by treating him in this manner. Then what about Malinga Bandara who has done it right at all given opportunities, but still remains the odd-man-out?
In the ‘blue’ corner is fast bowler Dilhara Fernando. His performance at the league tournament merited his comeback. Though Sangakkara said that he did not bowl a single no-ball he did bowl one in the first match and bowled another three wides in the four games that he played. But, his analysis reads 35-3-153-7 with an average of 21.85 and an economy rate of 4.37 along with a best tally of 3 for 50. Just average but, there is nothing for anyone to put on a tantrum insisting that he should be included for the tour.
Never mind the local tournaments, can he sustain even this economy with the big boys, especially in India. In all probabilities Fernando will not be bowling freely because there is pressure on him.
On the other hand, has opener Upul Tharanga overcome his problems? Mind you he is walking into the shoes of Sanath Jayasuriya. Tharanga has been scoring in the side games, but, when it came to the real thing he has failed repeatedly. Once again one fifth of the ODI cadres are suspect.
The favours of T20 can not be predicted. The Indians who took part in the Champions league know this very well.
Finally the question is, are the Lankans armed well enough to combat the Indians? I have my doubts. But, then again I can be proved wrong. |
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