Record-breaking Mendis pushes India towards defeat

On the eve of this game, a reporter, who had presumably been watching some other series in a parallel universe, asked Mahela Jayawardene whether he was worried about the fact that India's batsmen had begun to work out Ajantha Mendis during the Galle Test [where he picked up his first 10-wicket haul]. "They're picking him?" asked an incredulous Jayawardene. "Ajantha has 18 wickets in the series. So if they're picking him, I'm quite happy."

Today, Mendis increased his tally to 25, a new record for a debutant in a three-Test series. Alec Bedser had taken 24 Indian wickets when Vijay Merchant's Indians toured in 1946, but that was against a side still struggling for self-respect and identity on the international stage. Mendis has done it against a feted line-up that once conquered the finest Australian team of the modern era.

He had trapped Parthiv Patel leg before to move level with Bedser, and he then passed him with the one scalp that had been missing from an already impressive collection. Sachin Tendulkar, who came out to bat at No.6 after jarring his elbow on Saturday, padded up to that remarkable googly that Mendis bowls, leaving Rudi Koertzen with the most simple of decisions. Tendulkar's request for a review was one last act of desperation from a side that finished the third day eyeball-to-eyeball with defeat.

Tendulkar finished the series with 95 runs, one less than Sourav Ganguly. The young pretenders from the one-day series will face their own Mendis examination over the coming weeks, and the greatest beneficiaries are likely to be the Australians, who arrive in India after the Champions Trophy for a four-Test series.

Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, the two other middle-order titans, were manning the under-siege fortress at stumps, and though the two names evoke memories of Kolkata [a 376-run partnership] and Adelaide [303 runs], the chances of a miracle are slim to non-existent. Back in 2003, Dravid was the best batsman in the world, and Laxman not far behind. In this series, neither has yet crossed 200 runs.

Apart from two inside edges that squirted past the stumps - one each off Mendis and Murali - Dravid batted with something like the solidity of old, ensuring that India wouldn't be humiliated inside three days. Laxman, who came out with a runner [Gambhir] after spraining his ankle during practice yesterday morning, has been the scourge of spinners down the years, but an inability to convert starts has been his downfall during this series.

India have no excuses when it comes to the situation that they find themselves in. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, two sparks of sunshine in a slate-grey line-up, gave them another rollicking start, but both fell to strokes that were recklessly cavalier. Sehwag was smartly caught at gully, while Gambhir, so consistent throughout the series, came up with the sort of shot that would have looked ugly in a T20 game. The two gifts took Dammika Prasad's debut-haul to five, and gave the spinners the perfect opening to probe away.

Clearly, they had learnt nothing from the monumental innings played by Kumar Sangakkara. His 144 was twice what Gambhir managed in India's first innings, and he nursed his partners along without ever needing to shield them. By the time Anil Kumble's perseverance was rewarded with a thin edge behind, Sri Lanka's lead was 75, but the punishment was far from over.

Deprived of Ishant Sharma's services, India waited till the 105th over to take the second new ball, and as manfully as Zaheer Khan, Kumble and Harbhajan Singh toiled, there was nothing menacing in the surface. Prasanna Jayawardene struck an untroubled 49, and Prasad's dream debut continued with a stroke-filled 36. Even Mendis joined in with a forehand smash for four as the lead swelled to 147.

India will no doubt point to ill luck with injuries, but the reality is that the batting simply hasn't stood up under intense scrutiny. Sehwag and Gambhir apart, there has been nothing of substance, and with Ishant out of the equation, the bowling lacked the X-factor that Sri Lanka have in abundance with Mendis.

Both Dravid and Laxman have the quality to make Sri Lanka sweat a little on the fourth morning, but the chances are that the winning runs will be struck and the series sealed long before the kettle starts boiling for afternoon tea. By then, Mendis might even have gone past Fred Trueman [29 wickets in his debut series]. Freak? Yes. Fluke? Not a chance. Around for the long haul? Bet your life on it.

Comments

[Homer]

What was the idea behind sending Sachin at 5 when he was eligible to bat at 4?

[The Pav]

Dileep,

You're quite right about the injuries not being an excuse.

I am a little puzzled about Laxman. My understanding is that he injured himself in the warm up on the first morning. Was this before the toss?

Couldn't they have then selected a fit player? If he went in with an injury then why is he allowed a runner?

As to Sharma a little while a go John Buchanan made the point he needed to improve his strength. Sharma's response was basically to ignore this sage advice from a proven expert & say he knew better.

I think we now know who was right.

I fear that the main problem with Indian cricket is not that the players are idolised but that the players believe they are idols and perhaps they are but should be spelt idles!

[neilsrini]

I cant see Mendis' fingers standing up to more than 5 years of international cricket before surgery and injury finish him off.

India will lose because of terrible administration by a board who cares little for the standard of its cricketers and more about milking them for all the money they are worth. Why oh why did we have to play back to back tests and only one measly practice game before the series. Each test should have been interspersed with a practice game. We may have the greatest middle order of all time but even they can be rusty after nearly 2 months off. The fact that our best batsman Dravid has only turned up from the fourth innings of the second test tells you that Mr Consistent has not had enough practice.

Secondly I hope the selectors take a harsh view on MS Dhoni electing to skip a TEST series when fit. If Dhoni thinks more of odi's and 20:20, if Dhoni thinks more of being captain than representing his country against our arch rival in TEST cricket then so be it. May he play forever in the children's form of the game because he has yet to prove anything at test level. The fact that the keepers have scored jack all this series tells you how expensive Dhoni's decision has been, let alone the dropped catches and missed stumpings. Had Dhoni been here and got a 50 in the first innings we would be 60 ahead now. Had Dhoni been there batting now, we would have had a lead of 60 with Dravid, Dhoni and VVS still to get out. We would have still been in this game. Instead he decided that ODI's were more important to him. If thats the case then so be it, lets play Patel or KKD in tests from now on and leave Dhoni to his preferred format.

Thirdly the ignorance of our board in accepting the terrible referral system which is destroying test cricket shows a clear failure in backing our players. While boards that know a thing or two about cricket (ECB and Saffer) rejected the system our board accepted it and allowed our batsmen's strength against spin to be lost. Shane Warne was murdered in India because Tendulkar et al played football with him (using their pads) to change his line. Using your pad to the spinner is an art and skill yet through this ignorant system apparently a TV umpire can judge and LBW in 2D when the on-field umpire (who is the best judge and has the best sight) can't. Its an embarrassment. Even hawkeye is often wrong why would a TV camera make it better. LBW's should be decided on the field. THE END.

Sehwag and Gambhir looks a good combo in the sub-continent but will it work where it matters in South Africa, England and Aus. Two reckless fools who have cashed in against pace this series and who again fail to deliver when the chips are down. They can only play one way and its a real shame. Gambhir is a batsman I have never liked and his failure to convert starts to big big scores (200+) which is what a real opener like Jaffer would do has cost us. I think we should back Murali Vijaya for the opening birth.

Finally, isint it wonderful to see Dravid doing what Dravid does again. All this chat about dropping him, yet Dada has done nothing this series and Tendulkar has been just as bad. With Dravid at the crease we had a chance, sadly I feel he will run out of partners.

[Pritam Sinha]

It's a kind of sad situation to be in as an Indian cricket lover but give credit where it is due and not act like an 'Englishman' on tour and blame everything else apart from bad cricket from them. Mendis is indeed difficult to read, let's say it loud and clear.
As Dileep points out, the Australians might start mental disintegration from the media by quoting how Indian batsmen are short on confidence and those who are playing well are suffering from rush of blood too soon. Then, are we a gonner against Aussies?
Well, cricket over the years has proved many pundits wrong and as an eternal optimist, I find solace in this thought.
We certainly are gonner this time though. Well done, Mendis and SL. You deserve a 2-1 verdict. What this series might have done is to start another subcontinental cricketing rivalry apart from Indo-Pak series. ODIs are immediate next.

[Tarun Y]

Hi Dileep,

A bit of a shocker today from an Indian point of view - partly unfortunate it has to be said though(no Ishant).

With Tendulkar being 'undroppable' -especially with the record not so far away- is it time for Ganguly to go?? 96 runs from 6 inns at an average of 16 with not a single half-century...
Do you think either Rohit Sharma will be handed a debut in the first test against the Aussies or Yuvraj Singh given a longer run in the test XI?

As for tomorrow - (this is the 'eternal indian optimist' in me talking) if somehow Dravid gets to three figures, Laxman chips in and between Zaheer,Kumble and Bhajji,they can must 50 runs ... is a target of 170-180 defendable?