Kandy Test, Day 3, tea
Friday, August 24, 2001 The most striking thing about the Indian performance in the truncated afternoon session was the catching. You could really see the benefits of the work done by John Wright and the boys over the past few months. It's good to see specialist fielders, especially in the slip cordon. Rahul Dravid has become a fixture at first slip and, in VVS Laxman's absence, Hemang Badani has done a fine job at second slip. Sadagoppan Ramesh continues to impress at gully. In the past, we tended to take slip catching far too casually, with the result that just about anyone fielded there. The present team management though have given the slip cordon its due importance and placed the best catchers there.

After starting the day with the odds stacked against them, India find themselves in a position from where they can conceivably go on and win the match. Outstanding catches by Sameer Dighe and Badani today have been a key factor. Dighe has had a fine Test match behind the stumps and he also did his bit with the bat in the first innings.

Some disciplined bowling has been backed up by some enthusiastic fielding. The captain Sourav Ganguly has played his part. Realising that Harvinder Singh is a little short on experience, he hasn't hesitated to shoulder some of the bowling burden himself. Perhaps he recognises the fact that he hasn't done enough with the bat and is anxious to contribute with the ball instead.

Venkatesh Prasad's experience shone through in the afternoon session and the line he bowled outside off stump was spot on. Since he no longer generates as much pace as he used to, this outside-off-stump line should be his mantra for what remains of his Test career.

Sanjay Manjrekar, mainstay of the Indian batting in the late `80s and early `90s, was talking to Dileep Premachandran

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