Colombo Test, Day 3, Close
Friday, August 31, 2001

Sri Lanka have made considerable gains in this Test match, especially in the batting department. Hashan Tillakaratne's return to form is a huge bonus. His experience and quality are desperately needed in the middle order following the retirements of Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva.

They have also unearthed one for the future in the compact and elegant Thilan Samaraweera. Both men milked the Indian bowling with consummate ease in the afternoon as Sri Lanka's lead swelled to epic proportions.

India's present predicament can be compared to a man up against a tidal wave. The key to this match of course lies in how they combat Murali. The attitude they adopt is of the utmost importance. They have to remember that Murali was one of the bowlers they dealt with as they chased 264 with relative ease in Kandy last week. They have to erase all memories of the first innings here and approach tomorrow's play positively.

A lot has been made of the batsmen's footwork against Murali. Some batsmen are just not accustomed to stepping out and playing the spinners. To expect them to do that now is unrealistic and unfair. My advice to these batsmen would be to play Murali from the crease. If they can't get to the pitch of the ball on the front foot, they should go onto the back foot.

Murali will spin the ball more than in the first innings - and that could benefit those who play him off the back foot. The extra turn will give them room to execute the cut and pull shots. They have to look to score runs against Murali: half-hearted defence won't get them anywhere.

If necessary, the Indian batsmen should have a half-hour net on some dusty pitch this evening. That way, they can make the necessary adjustments and gain some confidence ahead of what promises to be a formidable test tomorrow.

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

More Sanjay Manjrekar
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A lesson in runmaking for India - Tea

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