Kandy Test, 1st Day, Lunch
Wednesday, August 22, 2001

The day started off bright and sunny for Sourav Ganguly. He won an important toss and then saw Sri Lanka's heaviest artillery misfire as Sanath Jayasuriya gifted his wicket away. It gave the Indian captain some respite in what are hard times for him.

After that, though, Kumar Sangakkara and Marvan Atapattu batted superbly. They showcased a very important facet of batting which the Indians would do well to look at. Their judgment was spot on and they left many deliveries alone. There was scarcely any play-and-miss though both batsmen took heavy toll of any loose deliveries.

The Indian seamers bowled the odd good ball but they were never persistent enough to worry the batsmen. When you bowl just one or two good balls every over, the batsmen get plenty of breathing space.

It was also interesting to note Ganguly's reaction to the toss. I've never seen anyone so happy at seeing the coin fall right way up. While it was nice to see such enthusiasm, the dependence on the outcome of the toss does worry me.

It all came good for the captain in the final few minutes of the session. The two batsmen who were well set departed in quick succession - just the sort of boost your team needs before lunch. The look of joy on Ganguly's face as he sent back Sangakkara spoke volumes. Perhaps destiny is about to smile on him once again.

Sanjay Manjrekar, a regular in the Indian team from 1987 to 1996, was talking to Dileep Premachandran. Read him again at tea and the close.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd