|
|
Tour Directory
India in Sri Lanka, 1997-98
Date-stamped : 21 Aug97 - 19:09
Wednesday 20, August 1997
India running out of options to stop Sri Lankan dominance
By Sa'adi Thawfeeq
India is running out of options to stop Sri Lanka from total
dominance over them in the overs-specific game.
Beaten by a mere two runs in the first one-day international
played under lights on Sunday at the R. Premadasa Stadium, India
will need to raise their performance much higher than they have
ever done on the tour, if they are to save the one-day series.
The second one-day international out of three will be played
under lights commencing 3 p.m. on the same R. Premadasa Stadium
pitch that produced 602 runs on Sunday.
Despite Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja establishing a new
world record fifth wicket partnership of 223, India still failed
to top Sri Lanka's total of 302.
It was the first time that both teams topped 300 runs in a
one-day international after 46 contests between them since 1979.
Both countries achieved their highest totals previously at
Kanpur in 1986-87. Sri Lanka replying to India's total of 299
for 4 scored 289 for 7 in a 40-overs a side contest.
Since beating Sri Lanka by 12 runs in Singapore last year, India
have lost their last five one-day outings to the world
champions.
India's problems lie with their inability to curb the
free-scoring of the Sri Lankan batsmen, especially the
left-handed opener Sanath Jayasuriya, whose assault of the
bowlers in the first 15 overs has left many teams in despair.
India adopted a tactic successfully used by New Zealand in the
1992 World Cup by opening the bowling with off-spinner Rajesh
Chauhan. However, the move proved futile when Chauhan was carted
around for 64 runs without a wicket off his 10 overs.
India are expected to replace fast-medium bowler Abey Kuruvilla
whose fielding has also not been upto the mark with either
Debasis Mohanty or left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni.
Sri Lanka without such problems may, if at all, make one change,
probably in their bowling line-up which was exposed by the
Azharuddin-Jadeja partnership, after India had been reduced to
64 for 4 at one stage.
"Everything was nearly spoilt for us by the rain. The spinners
couldn't get a grip on the ball and instead of spinning, the
ball started to skid off the surface. Even the fielding became
difficult,'' said Sri Lanka manager Duleep Mendis.
"We knew the result was a touch and go affair and the match was
going to be decided in the final over. Unless you get those big
hits going early, we knew it would be always difficult to do so
in the last couple of overs,'' said Mendis.
He said the turning point was the dismissal of Ajay Jadeja, who
hit back a return catch off a full toss from Chaminda Vaas, when
16 runs were required off 12 balls.
The teams: SRI LANKA (from): Arjuna Ranatunga (captain), Sanath
Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Roshan Mahanama, Aravinda de Silva,
Hashan Tillekeratne, Lanka de Silva, Kumara Dharmasena, Chaminda
Vaas, Muthiah Muralitharan, Sajeeva de Silva, Ruwan Kalpage,
Upul Chandana.
INDIA (from): Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Saurav Ganguly, Robin
Singh, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Nayan
Mongia, Rajesh Chauhan, Anil Kumble, Venkatesh Prasad, Abey
Kuruvilla, Debasis Mohanty, Nilesh Kulkarni.
Umpires: T.M. Samarasinghe and D.N. Pathirana.
Source :: Daily News (http://www.lanka.net)
Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)
|
|
|
