Experience? Youth? Same difference

Scorecards can be misleading things. When one tells you that 10 of the 11 faced at least 14 deliveries, it would be fair to assume that the batting side had piled up a formidable total. You certainly wouldn't expect a 46-over crawl to 146, and a top score of 23.

Eight of the Indians reached double figures, but came no nearer to finding a solution to the Mendis conundrum that has ruined their tour of the teardrop-shaped isle. Mendis, who took out Dravid and Laxman for fun during the Test series, accounted for Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni as India's youth proved as clueless as the experienced hands had against Sri Lanka's spin duo.

The loss of six wickets to Mendis and Murali could hardly be termed surprising, given how more technically adept batsmen had struggled in the longer version, but as disappointing was the capitulation against pace. To call either Chaminda Vaas or Nuwan Kulasekara quick is to be charitable in the extreme, but on a pitch that afforded a bit of assistance, accuracy and subtle movement off the seam were more than enough to stymie a line-up weakened by the absence of Virender Sehwag.

Once Gautam Gambhir was knocked over second ball, Virat Kolhi was firmly under the spotlight on debut. With more accomplished players not even in the squad, Kohli could be considered fortunate just to be there. And while no one questions his talent, you couldn't escape the feeling that he's not quite ready. As Martin Crowe, his coach at the Royal Challengers, could tell you, being thrown into the fray too soon can be as damaging as being made to wait too long.

Kohli had plenty of company though, with failure the underlying theme of India's batting performance. Dhoni scratched out six from 28 balls, trying in vain to read Mendis through the air and off the pitch, while Yuvraj lasted four balls, twice as long as in the Asia Cup, once he came face to face with the man of the moment.

Watching batsman after batsman struggle against Mendis, I was reminded of a story Greg Chappell told me from the days when he was going through a horror run against the West Indies. When Rudi Webster, who had previously helped Viv Richards, walked into the dressing room one day and asked him: "Are you watching the ball?", Chappell's first instinct was to explode with indignant rage. "Don't answer me right now," said Webster. "Think about it."

"I realised that he had a point," said Chappell. "There was so much other stuff cluttering up my mind that I was no longer watching the ball as closely as I had during my best years. It's a basic thing, but also easy to overlook." Watching India's travails against Mendis, you can only hope some of the batsmen are asking themselves the same question.

With both Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma throwing their wickets away with reckless strokes, India's plight would have been a lot worse but for some doughty batting from the tail. Fine spells from Munaf Patel and Zaheer Khan briefly gave them hope with the ball, but once Mahela Jayawardene got his eye in, the chase was a formality.

Chamara Kapugedera got some welcome runs too as Sri Lanka threw down the gauntlet in the shadow of the magnificent fortress at Sigiriya. If India don't improve drastically, a mauling awaits at the hands of the Lankan lion.

Comments

[Dogevpr]

Whilst some moan the growth of the
20/20 game they don't see the global decline of cricket. Inroads being made by basketball,baseball, golf even softball in traditional cricket countries like Australia. For the next 4 years resouces will only flow to Olympic sports in Britain with cricket shunted to the side. We need to support Cricket2012Games.com petition and get our sport in the Olympics.

[A Bisht]

I've linked "will badrinath be given a fair go" to the recent post on my blog.Sorry for doing so, without your prior permission.

[RamG]

Lalit Modi said that IPL will provide Indian cricket with the bench strength! How? I can't seem to understand! What is needed with these youngsters is to ask them to go and play a season of first-class cricket and fine-tune their skills, application, and temperament. T20 and O50 gives you no such liberties. Perhaps a Rohit Sharma and a Suresh Raina will do well to score buckets of runs in the first-class cricket before they make a serious claim to the Test team. The way these guys got out told me how inept they are to grind their way out of trouble. T20 is the spoiler!!

[neilsrini]

When Yuvraj came to play in the local TNCA league once they did not call him Avraj Singh for nothing.

[neilsrini]

Yuvraj Singh reminds me of Graeme Hick without the first class record and without the same ability to play spin.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/14187.html

[Pritam Sinha]

Wonder if Indian youngsters would care to dial Greg Chappell and ask for advice,if any, after reading your post against this apparent cuelessness against M&M.

We as cricket lovers are as cueless as the Indian batsmen on their seemingly overnight fallibility against quality spin. Tells you also that already the T20 is taking some toll on their mindspace at least. Eagerly awaiting their faring against M&M in T20.

For me, it is a price for too much emphasis on instant versions of the game and forgetting basics in the process. Yuvraj Singh, may God give him the insight to read spin.

Hope they take a cue from seniors and resurrect their ODI pride, otherwise as you say, they seem doomed, at least for now. Thanks.