Colombo Test, Day 2, Close
Thursday, August 30, 2001

It was a hard grind for India in the field today, on a pitch that was loaded in the batsmen's favour. Atapattu and Jayawardene were in terrific nick though the Indians played into their hands by being far too polite. There was never a spell of play when the batsmen were made to struggle for runs. Instead, it was smooth sailing all the way.

At some stage during the day, India could have tried a more defensive line of attack. Instead of bowling straight at the batsmen, they could have bowled outside the off stump in an effort to keep the batsmen quiet and frustrate them. The bowlers just weren't good enough and the runs kept piling up. It would have been interesting to see Sairaj Bahutule bowl from around the wicket to a leg-side field.

Sameer Dighe didn't have his best day behind the stumps, and those two lapses cost his team dear. He has always relied on quick movements and his agility, rather than sound technique. As a result, he has always been a far better keeper to pacemen than to spinners. He has managed to cope with Harbhajan so far only because his style of bowling sees more chances going to the close-in fielders than behind the stumps. With Bahutule coming on he faced an altogether different test, one that he failed today.

The match is slipping out of India's grasp and they need to make early inroads tomorrow to be in with a shout. Pressure should be applied on the batsman new to the crease and they also need to try and frustrate Jayawardene by bowling a defensive line. His impetuous nature can be his worst enemy and it is also India's only hope as they fight to keep their series dream alive.

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

More Sanjay Manjrekar
Harbhajan disappoints - lunch
India need a lucky break - tea

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