Sa t20
Lankans Miss Self Belief And Victory
A few days ago, the Indian T20 team and its followers had more reasons to celebrate. Their team trounced the Lankans 3-0 in a short series on Lankan soil itself. Sitting on the sidelines of each match, his face dismayed at the results was Sri Lankan interim coach Sanath Jayasuriya. For Indian cricket followers who are old enough to recall the phase between 1996 and 2001 when Jayasuriya butchered Indian bowlers across formats, the coach’s sad expression was perhaps as much of a joy as the results themselves. Especially as each of the three victories was accompanied by a surprise – the surprise of the Lankan batting folding up from positions of immense strength.
Take the first match. At one stage, chasing a stiff 214 to win, the islanders required 74 off 36 balls with 9 wickets in hand – undoubtedly a challenging task but the wickets in hand meant every batsman could give it a good try. At this point, the well-set Pathum Nissanka is bowled by Axar Patel, for a standout 79 off 48 balls. There wasn’t too much drama at this dismissal. After all, there were still 8 wickets in hand and there were plenty of players in the hut who could give the ball a good tonking. Except that no one did – SL collapsed from 140 for 1 to 170 all out. 6 batsmen failed to reach double figures. By the end, Riyan Parag had managed to make a mini-reputation for himself as a useful spinner. India will hope the reputation lasts!
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