India vs Sri Lanka – a fascinating contest looms
July 23rd, 2008 by Michael Jeh in India, Sri LankaFor the next few days, despite the chill of a Brisbane winter (I can hear my Canadian friends giggling!!), I might turn my head north to the warm sun and focus on the enthralling series ahead between India and Sri Lanka.
It is something that I’ve been looking forward to for a long time, not just because it a return to my birthplace but because I think these two sides stand on the cusp of providing the only genuine (immediate) threat to Australia’s dominance in Test cricket.
Despite South Africa’s form and Pakistan’s potential for brilliance, I do not honestly believe either country can unseat Australia consistently. In the case of the Africans, they might be too negative in their mindset and they lack a quality spinner. Pakistan has the talent of course; their unpredictability makes them highly dangerous but equally unreliable. I’m sure there will be a few bloggers out there who will disagree with my blunt assessment so I look forward to their opinions.
Sri Lanka will miss Jayasuriya and Atapattu but one can sense that it is not just the locals who are watching with bated breath to see if there will be ‘Life After Murali’. Ajantha Mendis’ debut is something special that the entire cricketing world should be excited about. If his early successes can translate to anything like Muralidaran’s awesome record, sans the controversy, Sri Lanka will have yet another national icon to treasure.
This is a landmark moment in world cricket with the exciting Mendis likely to work in tandem with the great off-spinner, on spin-friendly wickets, against arguably two or three of the best players of spin in the history of cricket. For Tendulkar – destiny will be fulfilled when he passes Lara’s record; a moment for India to savour too, back to the halcyon days before Border passed Gavaskar in the early 1990’s.
For India, it is their first significant overseas assignment since the controversial, and at times, triumphant tour of Australia. Winning a Test in Perth and the VB Series are achievements that should not be underestimated. This team now has steely resolve and self-belief and talent, that final ‘X Factor’ ingredient that they sometimes lacked.
Off the field, that tour of Australia changed cricket forever. No longer can anyone doubt India’s leverage and influence in diplomatic circles. The fall-out from the acrimonious Sydney Test has left an indelible legacy. I have no doubt that the focus on sledging will blunt one of Australia’s strengths – their ‘mental toughness’ or their ‘unfair tactics’, depending on which perspective you take. Let’s leave that debate for another blog topic!
The other major legacy from that infamous game in Sydney can be witnessed in Colombo today with the third umpire referral system being used for the first time. The tactics of how best to use this new weapon is fodder for yet another blog.
Two genuinely strong and intelligent captains in Kumble and Jayawardene should ensure that the cricket remains the focus of attention. This is perhaps another legacy from Sydney when Ponting simply failed to see beyond his own naivety and acknowledge that there was another side to the story, whether he agreed with it or not.
Both captains have the luxury of teams with elder statesmen who bring their own class and authority to the game, possibly acting as a wonderful foil to the impetuosity and brilliance of youth. Their maturity will no doubt take the pressure off Kumble and Jayawardene to have to constantly mentor and calm the young bucks like Sharma and Mendis.
The two teams are almost impossible to separate. Sri Lanka, at home with a slightly superior bowling attack against India’s great batting pedigree on pitches that might nullify the home ground advantage to some extent. To India, the conditions are virtually like home.
Whilst everyone seems to be focusing on the great batsmen and the spin bowlers, my prediction is that early mornings will provide some drama of their own with Vaas and Sharma more than capable of wreaking havoc before lunch. Sri Lankan pitches are known for some extravagant movement early each day. Will Sehwag be brave enough to stay true to himself and change those early overs when Vaas has been known to slice through a tentative top order?
I can’t wait……
July 23rd, 2008
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July 23rd, 2008
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July 23rd, 2008
[…] India vs Sri Lanka ? a fascinating contest looms By Michael Jeh I might turn my head north to the warm sun and focus on the enthralling series ahead between India and Sri Lanka. It is something that I?ve been looking forward to for a long time, not just because it a return to my birthplace but … Cricket.com Blog - http://cricket.com/blog […]
July 25th, 2008
i wan to see score of india vs sl match
July 25th, 2008
i think india is better than sri lanka. indias have world class players,likes sachin, gaguly , dravid.
srilanka have very talented players likes jayasura,jaiverdhne, dilshan ,murali
July 25th, 2008
Interesting article Michael - however, I think you discount just how strong Sri Lanka are at home. Probably the hardest team to beat on home soil right now.
And judging by the way things are shaping up, it would be a challenge for India to save the game.
July 25th, 2008
So - you took the easy option and didn’t call a winner! Who do you think will win?
Ajanta looks phenomenal.
Do you think this series will generate as much interest in India as the Ind Aus series do?
July 25th, 2008
i want to see india vs srilanka test match score
July 25th, 2008
who chased the high score
July 28th, 2008
[…] stunning debut and Murali’s proven pedigree indeed proved to be an irresistible combination, as predicted in my blog a few days ago when I previewed the […]
August 7th, 2008
hi
shewag is the best crickter
August 8th, 2008
Hi guys, sorry it’s taken me so long to respond. I’m not a technological genius and have just seen your comments. Please don’t think I’ve been rude and ignored you.
Rukna - I think you are correct. Sri Lanka at home are very difficult to beat but the Galle Test proved that India have the class to do it. It took someone to play aggressively though and Sehwag did that brilliantly.
JT - mate, you are 100% correct. I’ve got splinters in my rear end from sitting on the fence! Truth is, I honestly couldn’t split them. At 1 Test apiece, I’m still no closer to figuring it out. After Day 1 of the 3rd Test (with some hindsight of course), my prediction is that Sri Lanka will score heavily and win this game. I’m not saying this with huge confidence though because I’m genuinely not sure which is the better team. Gotta go and get these splinters removed!
August 18th, 2008
paglo ganguly ko khelne k liye rakho