Dav Whatmore: We now have to be ruthless
Dav Whatmore - 20 August 2001
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Dav Whatmore National Coach
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We have been down this road before - one nil up with two Test matches
to play after an emphatic victory in Galle. Against South Africa last
year and England in March, however, our form dipped in Kandy and we
failed to capitalise on series winning opportunities. This time we
have to be more ruthless.
Quite simply, we have waited too long - it's been 16 years since
Duleep Mendis' side won a Test series against India. We have to follow
the lead of the single-minded Australians: be extremely positive and
go for the jugular.
We are well aware of what happened against England and South Africa.
However, to make sure it doesn't happen again, we will not be focusing
on those results but on the processes that will lead towards success
this time round. If the players concentrate on their specific roles
and responsibilities, then the right result should follow.
The 10-wicket win in Galle was very pleasing because, right from the
outset, we were positive, both in terms of the pitch surface, which
had a generous covering of grass, and in the unprecedented selection
of four fast bowlers.
The pitch itself was actually quite dry underneath and, although there
was some extra grass and a little more bounce, it was fairly sluggish
in pace. Nevertheless, though we could have batted first, it was a
natural decision to bowl first.
The bowling itself on the first day was pretty good. On occasions we
may have bowled a little wide of off stump, but we made them struggle
for runs. At lunch they had only scored 16 from 20 overs and at tea
they had crawled to 95 for one from 56 overs. This low scoring
reflected the good line and length that we bowled.
India's slow progress was crucial because, although we may not have
been taking as many wickets as we would have liked, we always knew
that a couple of breakthroughs would put them under tremendous
pressure. In fact, that's exactly what happened in the final session,
when we nipped out four wickets to end the first day well placed.
The second new ball was crucial and the bowling of Dilhara Fernando
was exceptional. In a short space of time he has emphatically proved
his potential. He has tightened his line without compromising on pace
and is always going to be dangerous when he gets the ball in the right
areas.
There is no doubt that his two wickets at the end of the first day
were crucial and allowed us to spring into action on day two. Then, to
get the prize wicket of Sourav Ganguly early on, with an absolute
brute of a delivery, was a real bonus that paved the way for us
dismissing them for 187, a total which we were confident of
overhauling.
The batting was a tale of two halves. Runs flowed right from the
start, as the Indian bowlers didn't help themselves by bowling two
sides of the wicket. Crucially, Sanath Jayasuriya capitalised on that
and made them pay dearly.
After the dismissal of Sanath the Indian bowlers started to bowl
better and that made life harder for Kumar Sangakkara. He played and
missed a few times at the start, but he worked really hard and grafted
for his runs, clearly showing that he not only has the talent but also
the temperament. It's a good sign when you see a player competing when
he is not in the best of form and that's exactly what Kumar did.
Having built up a useful lead of 175, we were naturally confident, but
also aware that India had comeback from an even worse situation
against Australia and had gone on to win.
Murali though came into the game more that evening. During the first
innings he played second fiddle, but in their second dig he used the
conditions superbly and was a real handful. Wickets started to fall -
seven in fact during the last session, as the pressure snowballed.
When you build up such a strong momentum, it is very difficult to stop
and I thought we were unlucky to wrap the game up that evening.
Kandy should also offer help to the fast bowlers. The Asgiriya square
holds together well and there is some bounce. We will, however, have
to have a good look at the wicket before we decide on the final side.
Whatever that is though the key will be carrying on from where we left
off in Galle by playing positive cricket.
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