Colombo Test, Day 2, Lunch
Thursday, August 30, 2001 Sourav Ganguly did the right thing by switching to a pace and spin combination after just five overs. For the gambit to work though, it needed the bowlers to deliver. They haven't quite done that. Harbhajan Singh was a little disappointing this morning. You got the impression that he was only trying to get the batsmen caught at slip or by the forward short leg and silly point fielders. He was unable to get the kind of turn and bounce that Murali extracted yesterday. After lunch, he would be better off flighting the ball more and tempting the batsmen into playing the cover drive and the on drive, strokes that can be fraught with risk on a pitch taking turn. It was disappointing to observe that Sairaj Bahutule was introduced into the attack only towards the end of the session. Ganguly doesn't seem to have much faith in his ability as a bowler. As he matures as captain, he needs to learn to overcome such instincts. Even the most ordinary player can have a good day and there's no harm giving them

a try when things aren't going your way. The only gain for India this morning was the wicket of Sanath Jayasuriya. Had he stayed at the crease, India could have found themselves batted out of this game by evening.

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

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